It was also a base for the teams of Afghan camel drivers who once supplied the interior. The famous Ghan train is named in their honour. Their camels, once superseded by technology at the beginning of the 20th Century were often let loose or escaped into the desert, and herds of wild camels still roam the desert.

There is plenty to see along this usually well maintained track, including the ruins of a date palm plantation at Lake Harry, and the dog-proof fence. Built to keep dingoes off grazing lands, this is the world's longest man-made barrier. At Coopers Creek you can see a restored barge, the MV Tom Brennan, which once operated on the river. There are also several bores along the route that tap into the Great Artesian Basin, bringing water out from deep beneath the earth at temperatures approaching boiling point.

The track crosses the border into Queensland, and finishes in the town of Birdsville. Once a base for surveyors and a customs post before Federation, Birdsville is now a very small town - it has only one surviving pub, which in Australian terms is small indeed.

Birdsville's main drawcard now is the annual picnic races held here on the first weekend in September each year. The event attracts thousands of visitors and media each year, with rooms at the pub booked out months in advance.