William Creek Station

An ink drawing on calico, with watercolour highlights, of a loaded camel train at William Creek Station. A rider on a horse, and a woman and child looking on are also in the foreground; workers' cottages along the railway line, signals, a water tank, and a steam train and carriages at the station, are featured in the middle ground.

William Creek was named in 1859 by explorer John McDouall Stuart and was established as a railway watering and service point on the narrow-gauge Great Northern Railway when it reached there in 1885. The railway is now known as the old Ghan that ran from Port Augusta via Quorn, Hawker, Parachilna, Copley, Farina, Marree, Curdimurka, William Creek and Oodnadatta to Alice Springs. Construction of this narrow gauge line started in 1878. The old Ghan line was used for the last time in October 1980.

William Creek is half way between Marree and Oodnadatta and halfway from Adelaide to Alice Springs. It has always been a tiny settlement. Even at its peak before the Ghan line was moved further west in 1980 there were only a few cottages, a small school and a hotel/store. It is South Australia's smallest town with a population of around 10 and is surrounded by Australia's spatially largest cattle property, Anna Creek Station which covers an area of 23,800 sq km or almost half the size of Tasmania.

The William Creek Hotel was built in 1887 to service the Great Northern Railway and now has an almost legendary status as the only 'watering hole' on the Oodnadatta Track between Marree and Oodnadatta. The William Creek pub is the only iron hotel left trading in South Australia. As an original pub it provides a rare insight into an aspect of outback history and is filled with unique mementoes left by thousands of visitors.

Camels and cameleers were an important part of the development of the outback, and camel racing lives on at William Creek today. Nearby Lake Eyre is another attraction.

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