How to get to Lake Eyre: Can I drive to Lake Eyre in a 4WD?
It is possible to drive to Lake Eyre in a 4WD, but visiting Australia’s largest salt lake is not easy. There are rough access tracks to Lake Eyre from William Creek and Marree. Most Lake Eyre tours involve a scenic flight from William Creek.
Lake Eyre is the biggest salt lake in Australia, and covers a large swathe of the South Australian outback. The area of the lake varies according to weather conditions, but at its largest, Lake Eyre covers 9,500 square kilometres.
Most of the time, Lake Eyre is dry and salty. But when it floods, roughly every eight years or so, it springs to life as thousands of water birds come to feed. Birds find it easier to get there than cars, however – the drive to Lake Eyre requires specialist equipment and experience.
The drive to Lake Eyre, Australia’s biggest salt lake
Getting to Lake Eyre is the hard part. The entrance to the Kati-Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park is accessed via one of two rough-and-ready pastoral tracks. 4WD vehicles are essential for this drive – 60km east from William Creek or 95km north-west from Marree. The National Parks and Wildlife Service advises against travelling in the hotter months, from November to March. The track from William Creek – found 7km south-east along the Oodnadatta Track – is closed from December 1st to March 15th. For the rest of the year, the track is open to Halligan Bay Point via Armistice Bore and ABC Bay.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service also says anyone wishing to visit Lake Eyre by 4WD should travel in convoy and carry sufficient fuel reserves.
Coming from Marree, the 94km long track via Muloorina Station to Level Post Bay starts 3km west of Marree. It is strongly advised to check the South Australian government’s road condition report before attempting to reach Lake Eyre. These tracks can be very rough, and sometimes unpassable.
How to get to Lake Eyre: Tours from William Creek
If you don’t fancy driving it yourself, are there any Lake Eyre tours you can book on to? Well, yes, but they tend to be multiday trips from Adelaide that travel via the South Australian town of Port Augusta and include other outback favourites such as Coober Pedy and Woomera. More to the point, they don’t actually drive to Lake Eyre – they take a scenic flight from William Creek. Operators selling multi-day tours that visit Lake Eyre include Australian Iconic Tours and SA Eco Tours. Be warned – these 4WD tours in the South Australian outback are not cheap.
If you’re just wanting to see a big salt lake, try Lake Hart. This lake is easily accessible from the Stuart Highway near Woomera.
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