Molly’s dune track

A short cut to town for desert pastoralist Molly Clark formed the foundation for Central Australia's Old Andado Track.

Story & photos by Lisa Green

Looking east from the top of a big red dune, all there is to see is a featureless plain of rust-stained gibbers stretching away to be lost in the shimmering distance. The only sign of animal life is a few desultory flies, and the silence is so profound that you can almost touch it. Suddenly, there is a flash of reflected sunlight away to the south. Soon, a tiny white object trailed by a thin plume of dust comes into view. It is a vehicle, heading towards the dune along the Old Andado Track.
Linking the Northern Territory’s Alice Springs with Mount Dare Hotel in South Australia’s Witjira National Park, the Old Andado Track is a minor dirt road through the western fringe of one of the world’s great sand ridge deserts – the Simpson. However, the track is more of an interesting drive than a big adventure. For most of the way it crosses the vast Andado Station, where a visit to the original homestead is a major highlight.