William Creek is a good halfway stop along the track, with accommodation and meals at the hotel as well as a well-maintained, if somewhat dusty campground. In the Memorial Park it is possible to see many diverse items although more sobering is the commemorative inscription to a young Austrian woman, who died in 1998 trying to walk back to William Creek from a 4WD vehicle bogged in the sand beside Lake Eyre.[7] The first stage of the Black Arrow Rocket, Britain's only successful independent space launch was recovered from the surrounding Anna Creek Station and located in the memorial park for nearly 50 years but has been recently brought back to the UK by technology firm Skyrora.[8]
William Creek is on the traditional lands of the Arabana people. In May 2012, the Federal Court granted the Arabana people native title to more than 68,000 square kilometres in the region.[10]
The name William Creek was given to the area in November 1859 by explorer John McDouall Stuart during his expeditions in the area. William was the second son of John Chambers, a pioneer pastoralist of South Australia and a strong ally of Stuart.[6]
A small settlement arose in the late 1880s as a result of the railway. Although, work on the Great Northern railway (which we now know as The Ghan) commenced in the 1878 near Port Augusta,[6] it took a decade for the line to reach William Creek, in June 1889.[11] Work on the line continued, ultimately linking Port Augusta to Oodnadatta which became the northern railhead until the late 1920s. As large work parties flowed into the area, a boarding house was established there in 1886 and James Jagoe's Eating house is recorded to be there in October 1886. In 1890, Henry Lane received a 'wine license' for the site and assume Jagoe's business and facilities.[12] In 1911, Gilbert Reed describes a whistle-stop on a train journey to Oodnadatta; he eats at Paige's boarding house—the meal is goat, dressed up as mutton.[13]
In 1896, William Creek became a repeater station on the Australian Overland Telegraph Line with William Charles Brennan (b. 1861–1918) as the first Station Master.[14] It replaced nearby Strangways Springs which was decommissioned and reverted to pastoral lands.
Early tourists to the area were mesmerized by the vast expanses, the heat, the mound springs and the distances.[15]
The town has always been small: never larger than a few cottages, a small school and a Hotel-store. The historic William Creek Hotel is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.[16]
Illustration William Creek, c1888. (State Library of South Australia B 64382)
Near William Creek
Lake Eyre can be seen from several vantage points along the Oodnadatta Track and appears as a large, rather featureless, white saltpan. It is only from the air that its immensity can be appreciated. The curvature of the Earth can be seen on the horizon and beneath it is possible to identify the courses of the ancient rivers that still occasionally flow into the lake. Trevor Wright and the pilots from Wrightsair[17] take up to five passengers for a 60-minute flight out of William Creek, passing over the spectacular Painted Hills to the west, then along the southern edge of the lake, pointing out the features beneath and explaining the topography. The Painted Hills are brilliantly coloured eroded sandstone ridges. These, and all of the country traversed in the one-hour flight, are part of Anna Creek Station. From the air the Track can be seen, stretching to the horizon in two directions.
The remains of Stage 1 of the R3 rocket, successfully launched from the Woomera Rocket Range in October 1971. The rocket engine was recovered from the immense Anna Creek Station and is now in the Memorial Park at William Creek
References
^ ab"Search results for 'William Creek, LOCB' with the following datasets selected – 'Suburbs and localities', 'Counties', 'Government Towns', 'Hundreds', 'Local Government Areas', 'SA Government Regions' and 'Gazetteer'". Location SA Map Viewer. South Australian Government. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
^"2016 Census QuickStats: William Creek". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
^"Search results for 'William Creek Railway Station, RSTA' with the following datasets selected – 'Suburbs and localities' and 'Gazetteer'". Location SA Map Viewer. South Australian Government. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
^ abc"Monthly climate statistics: Summary statistics Coober Pedy (nearest weather station)". Commonwealth of Australia, Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
^"Coober Pedy – William Creek – Opal Capital of The World". cooberpedy.sa.gov.au. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
^ abcCollins Anderson Management (August 2001). (PDF). Government of South Australia. Archived from the original (pdf (38 pages)) on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
^"Finding of inquest into death of Gabriele Grossmueller". South Australian Coroner. 10 March 2000. Retrieved 23 June 2008.
^"Black Arrow: UK space rocket returns home from Australia". BBC News. 21 January 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
^"Coober Pedy – William Creek – Oodnadatta One Day Mail Run Tour".
^"A WASTE LAND". Adelaide Observer. Vol. XLVI, no. 2508. South Australia. 26 October 1889. p. 34. Retrieved 14 April 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
^"William Creek Hotel". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
^"Flights over amazing Lake Eyre and the Painted Hills".
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to William Creek, South Australia.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for William Creek, South Australia.
Memorial Park at William Creek
A model of the William Creek Hotel in Google 3D Warehouse
March 06, 2023
william, creek, south, australia, this, article, about, location, south, australia, archdeacon, william, creek, priest, baseball, player, willie, creek, william, creek, australia, located, halfway, oodnadatta, track, north, west, marree, east, coober, pedy, so. This article is about the location in South Australia For the archdeacon see William Creek priest For the baseball player see Willie Creek William Creek Australia is located halfway on the Oodnadatta Track 210 km 130 mi north west of Marree and 166 km 103 mi east of Coober Pedy in South Australia The town has a permanent population of 10 William Creek is in the federal Division of Grey and the state electorate of Stuart It is outside of council areas and administered by the Outback Communities Authority William Creek South AustraliaWilliam CreekCoordinates28 54 33 S 136 20 27 E 28 9093 S 136 340759 E 28 9093 136 340759 Coordinates 28 54 33 S 136 20 27 E 28 9093 S 136 340759 E 28 9093 136 340759 1 Population10 2016 census 2 Elevation77 m 253 ft railway station 3 Time zoneACST UTC 9 30 Summer DST ACST UTC 10 30 Location852 km 529 mi from Alice Springs1 000 km 621 mi from AdelaideLGA s Outback Communities AuthorityState electorate s StuartFederal division s GreyMean max temp 4 Mean min temp 4 Annual rainfall 4 27 8 C 82 F 13 7 C 57 F 158 0 mm 6 2 inLocalities around William Creek Anna Creek Anna Creek Anna CreekAnna Creek William Creek Anna CreekAnna Creek Anna Creek Anna CreekFootnotesAdjoining localities 1 The Pub inside Australias first public solar phone 5 Contents 1 Location 2 History 3 Near William Creek 4 References 5 External linksLocation EditWilliam Creek is the entry point from Coober Pedy to Lake Eyre in the Tirari Desert William Creek offers the only petrol station between Marree Coober Pedy and Oodnadatta on the Oodnadatta Track and has a campground two motels and one of the world s most remote pubs The world s largest cattle station is located in nearby Anna Creek Station 6 and the Woomera Prohibited Area is also nearby William Creek is a good halfway stop along the track with accommodation and meals at the hotel as well as a well maintained if somewhat dusty campground In the Memorial Park it is possible to see many diverse items although more sobering is the commemorative inscription to a young Austrian woman who died in 1998 trying to walk back to William Creek from a 4WD vehicle bogged in the sand beside Lake Eyre 7 The first stage of the Black Arrow Rocket Britain s only successful independent space launch was recovered from the surrounding Anna Creek Station and located in the memorial park for nearly 50 years but has been recently brought back to the UK by technology firm Skyrora 8 William Creek is serviced twice weekly by the Coober Pedy Oodnadatta One Day Mail Run The 4WD mail truck also carries some general freight and passengers 9 History EditWilliam Creek is on the traditional lands of the Arabana people In May 2012 the Federal Court granted the Arabana people native title to more than 68 000 square kilometres in the region 10 The name William Creek was given to the area in November 1859 by explorer John McDouall Stuart during his expeditions in the area William was the second son of John Chambers a pioneer pastoralist of South Australia and a strong ally of Stuart 6 A small settlement arose in the late 1880s as a result of the railway Although work on the Great Northern railway which we now know as The Ghan commenced in the 1878 near Port Augusta 6 it took a decade for the line to reach William Creek in June 1889 11 Work on the line continued ultimately linking Port Augusta to Oodnadatta which became the northern railhead until the late 1920s As large work parties flowed into the area a boarding house was established there in 1886 and James Jagoe s Eating house is recorded to be there in October 1886 In 1890 Henry Lane received a wine license for the site and assume Jagoe s business and facilities 12 In 1911 Gilbert Reed describes a whistle stop on a train journey to Oodnadatta he eats at Paige s boarding house the meal is goat dressed up as mutton 13 In 1896 William Creek became a repeater station on the Australian Overland Telegraph Line with William Charles Brennan b 1861 1918 as the first Station Master 14 It replaced nearby Strangways Springs which was decommissioned and reverted to pastoral lands Early tourists to the area were mesmerized by the vast expanses the heat the mound springs and the distances 15 The town has always been small never larger than a few cottages a small school and a Hotel store The historic William Creek Hotel is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register 16 Illustration William Creek c1888 State Library of South Australia B 64382 Near William Creek EditLake Eyre can be seen from several vantage points along the Oodnadatta Track and appears as a large rather featureless white saltpan It is only from the air that its immensity can be appreciated The curvature of the Earth can be seen on the horizon and beneath it is possible to identify the courses of the ancient rivers that still occasionally flow into the lake Trevor Wright and the pilots from Wrightsair 17 take up to five passengers for a 60 minute flight out of William Creek passing over the spectacular Painted Hills to the west then along the southern edge of the lake pointing out the features beneath and explaining the topography The Painted Hills are brilliantly coloured eroded sandstone ridges These and all of the country traversed in the one hour flight are part of Anna Creek Station From the air the Track can be seen stretching to the horizon in two directions The remains of Stage 1 of the R3 rocket successfully launched from the Woomera Rocket Range in October 1971 The rocket engine was recovered from the immense Anna Creek Station and is now in the Memorial Park at William CreekReferences Edit a b Search results for William Creek LOCB with the following datasets selected Suburbs and localities Counties Government Towns Hundreds Local Government Areas SA Government Regions and Gazetteer Location SA Map Viewer South Australian Government Retrieved 3 October 2019 2016 Census QuickStats William Creek Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016 Retrieved 3 December 2017 Search results for William Creek Railway Station RSTA with the following datasets selected Suburbs and localities and Gazetteer Location SA Map Viewer South Australian Government Retrieved 3 October 2019 a b c Monthly climate statistics Summary statistics Coober Pedy nearest weather station Commonwealth of Australia Bureau of Meteorology Retrieved 3 October 2019 Coober Pedy William Creek Opal Capital of The World cooberpedy sa gov au Retrieved 20 February 2014 a b c Collins Anderson Management August 2001 William Creek Community Plan PDF Government of South Australia Archived from the original pdf 38 pages on 29 August 2007 Retrieved 3 October 2019 Finding of inquest into death of Gabriele Grossmueller South Australian Coroner 10 March 2000 Retrieved 23 June 2008 Black Arrow UK space rocket returns home from Australia BBC News 21 January 2019 Retrieved 21 January 2019 Coober Pedy William Creek Oodnadatta One Day Mail Run Tour https www adelaidenow com au news south australia tiny town traded for 71000sq km news story adf4ee97bde5cbcc68ab890e381af7f0 bare URL Fuller Basil 1975 The Ghan the story of the Alice Springs Railway Rigby Adelaide page 140 Austral Archaeology 2001 Oodnadatta Track Heritage Survey Part of the Far North and Far West Region Region 13 Department for Environment and Heritage South Australia Page page 71 72 https data environment sa gov au content heritage surveys oodnadatta track heritage survey 2001 13149 pdf OODNADATTA Daily Herald 23 October 1911 Retrieved 6 July 2022 Postal and Telegraphic Alterations for October 1896 South Australian Government Gazette 8 October 1896 906 http classic austlii edu au au other sa gazette 1896 42 906 pdf A WASTE LAND Adelaide Observer Vol XLVI no 2508 South Australia 26 October 1889 p 34 Retrieved 14 April 2022 via National Library of Australia William Creek Hotel South Australian Heritage Register Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources Retrieved 12 February 2016 Flights over amazing Lake Eyre and the Painted Hills External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to William Creek South Australia Wikivoyage has a travel guide for William Creek South Australia Memorial Park at William Creek A model of the William Creek Hotel in Google 3D Warehouse Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title William Creek South Australia amp oldid 1137499100, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
