Cooper Creek - Outback

Outback covers approximately 70% of South Australia’s area; it is a harsh and dry land, but surprises visitors with greatness and beauty. The outback stretches from the Flinders Ranges right up to the Northern Territory border. Huge areas of glistening salt lakes, stony deserts, rugged mountain ranges, and the vast, treeless Nullarbor plain are only a few of the highlights. There are several routes which one can take, with the most direct being the sealed Stuart Highway that crosses the continent from Adelaide via Alice Springs to Darwin. When driving along these roads, travelers have to be well prepared, as there are rather limited stopping places where food, fuel and water are available. Quite a large proportion of the journey leads through desert areas of inland Australia. Cooper Creek is one of the most famous rivers in Australia, it’s an iconic outback travel destination. It flows for about 1,400 km through the Channel Country of western Queensland and into northeastern South Australia. Its drainage area comprises of around 300,000 km2 of cattle-grazing country and desert. Its drainage starts as tributaries of the Thomson River in the Great Dividing Range near Hughenden which then flows southwest to its junction with the Barcoo River It is known as Cooper's Creek or the Barcoo River.