We were pretty much the last ones to roll out this morning. Nice to have a leisurely breakfast and hot shower. Hit the road round 9.30 aiming for Marree or thereabouts. 

This second part of the track was more interesting than the first. It travelled parallel to the sand dunes between the Strzlecki and Tirari deserts. 

The Birdsville track follows the old mail route from Birdsville  (Qld) to Maree (SA). Originally Henry Ding delivered the mail by horse & cart along the track until the much celebrated  Tom Cruize (no, not Tom Cruise) took up the mantle driving  the route in a pick up truck (or many trucks as it seems based on the ten or so rusty old trucks on display along the route claiming to be his). As legend had it he drove the track once a fortnight drought or flood  from  1936 to 1956. Not sure why Tom is immortalised and not Henry (as surely he did it tougher by horse?) but that’s the fragile nature of fame I guess.

Highlights for this part of the track were crossing the dog fence again – this time complete with high pitched alarms to stop the dingoes crossing the cattle grate (darn near piercing the humans’ ear drums also) and a side trip  down the ‘old’ Birdsville track to Coopers creek. 

This ‘old’ route was used when Coopers Creek flooded and had a (now derelict) ferry to ferry cars across the creek in times of flood.

We passed through Maree pretty late in the day, stocked up on fuel but deciding to free- camp about 20k along the Oodnadatta  rather than stay in town. Had a fabulous little camp site nestled on the side of the old Ghan line which provided shelter from the road.