Looking for a place that's hard to get to, rattles the doors loose on your car, where you become a fly magnet and the heat is unbearable?
Then head to central Australia.

We recently travelled to Innaminka, north eastern South Australia. Official population, 3. There you'll come across a clump of buildings sitting on a small dusty, plateau. There's a general store, pub with some accommodation and just out a the back a very short drive, is a workshop for tyre changes and mechanical repairs.
Across from the general store is a National Parks office, including a museum of the local area with it's history and founding characters. Official visitors number to Innaminka is 30,000. Not many when you consider that Sea World has 100's of thousands.

Founded in the 1860's, Innaminka was originally a stores depot for explorers. Down the hill a short way is Coopers Creek. You can camp on level sandy ground in the area they call the town common. The explorers did, and so did we. A small overnight fee can be left in a box by the entry road. It's an honesty system.

In times of drought, and that's most of the time, the creek is a string of billabongs. When central Australian rains arrive, the creek fills with water, bringing fish and with them birds, looking for a feed.
Our camp was by a wider part of the creek. The creek is overhung by beautiful white-barked river gums. It's hard to imagine a prettier scene. Add to that the colours of an Australian sunrise or sunset, have your camera handy. Take a chair. With a glass of wine, it's just a magical spot to sit and wait for the sun to set. The peace and quiet is overwhelming.
You'll need a head net though. The flies swarm around in unbelievable numbers. Without a net, they suck up every bit of moisture around your face and body, getting in your eyes, ears, up your nose and in your mouth.

There are several roads leading to Innaminki, all of them unsealed and in places bone-rattlingly rough. When it rains, the cattle trains rumble across the roads, either getting bogged or tearing the roads to deep, ragged ruts. A vehicle such as a four-wheel drive is recommended for visiting this area. If you own a four-wheel drive, there are some very interesting tracks to travel over. From Innaminka, you can drive to Cameron Corner, the intersection of the New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland borders. One track is marked on the map as the Old Bore Track (4-wheel drive only) and it really is four-wheel drive only. It crosses

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