The Hay River Track – A Journey Through the Heart of Australia

Join our signature 10-day Hay River 4WD adventure from Birdsville (QLD) to Arltunga (NT). This classic outback route traverses the remote Simpson Desert and the unique Hay River floodplain. Unlike any other tour, you’ll actually drive upstream into what would normally be an ocean – the head of a desert river. Each day brings new scenery – conquer red sand dunes and remote tracks, camp beneath magnificent desert stars, and finish in the rocky East MacDonnell foothills.

Don’t dream it – do it. This is not 5-star camping; this is million-star camping under the outback sky.

Few places capture the wild soul of Australia like the Hay River Track. Hidden within the Simpson Desert, this 350-kilometre route traces the dry channel of an ancient inland river once teeming with life. Today it winds through ochre dunes, mulga woodland and shimmering salt pans—an untouched corridor of desert beauty rarely seen by travellers.

This track was first mapped in modern times by outback adventurer Lindsay Bookie, a respected Eastern Arrernte Traditional Owner, and legendary bush explorer Jol Fleming. Together they worked to open the route responsibly so visitors could experience the country while respecting its deep cultural significance. Travelling here is more than a drive—it’s a journey through living Indigenous land that holds stories tens of thousands of years old.

You’ll pass through Atnetye and Wangkangurru–Yarluyandi country, where the river once linked ceremonial sites across the desert. Olsen’s Tours works closely with Traditional Owners and follows strict permit processes so that your visit supports community stewardship of this fragile region.

Finish Among the East MacDonnell Ranges

After days of open desert, the East MacDonnell Ranges rise in red-rock splendour. Here the landscape changes dramatically—towering cliffs, white ghost gums and dry creek beds glowing in the afternoon light. You’ll explore:

• Arltunga Historical Reserve – once Central Australia’s first official town and goldfield, now a fascinating ruin of stone buildings and mine relics.

• Ruby Gap Nature Park – a remote gorge where early prospectors mistook glistening garnets for rubies. The drive in is rugged, but the reward is solitude, ancient rock faces and the purest night skies you’ll ever see.

This combination of desert isolation and mountain grandeur makes the Hay River 4WD Tag-Along Tour one of the most diverse 4WD adventures in the country.

Begins Birdsville
Ends Arltunga (Alice Springs)
2026 Dates: 6 June – 15 June
2027 Dates: 7 June – 16 June