The Camel Sanctuary trading as
Camel Treks Australia Pty Ltd

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Clayton Station has served as the base camp for Camel Treks Australia's trekking operations from 2017 to 2019, 2023, and now for the April to October 2024 season. Located on the southern end of the renowned Birdsville Track in Outback South Australia, it is a well-known pastoral property owned by Shane and Debbie Oldfield. The Oldfield family is highly respected and synonymous with the Birdsville Track, which is situated in one of the driest pastoral regions in Australia. The track is bordered by Sturt's Stony Desert, the Simpson Desert, the Tirari Desert, and the Strzelecki Desert.

Guest trekkers begin their journey at an oasis-like camping ground along the famous Birdsville Track, which offers excellent amenities such as showers, flushing toilets, and a hot artesian spa featuring waters from the Great Artesian Basin.

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During the trek on Clayton Station, guests have numerous opportunities to enjoy the Basin waters and observe the diverse birdlife that is attracted to the surrounding wetlands.

The Great Artesian Basin is recognised as one of the world's largest underground freshwater resources and the largest groundwater basin in Australia. It spans nearly 1.7 million square kilometers, which accounts for over one-fifth of the Australian continent. The basin lies beneath parts of the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, and New South Wales, encompassing the Eromanga, Surat, and Carpentaria geological basins. With approximately 65 million gigaliters of groundwater, the basin holds enough water to fill the Sydney Harbour 130,000 times. (Information sourced : Department for Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water)

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Clayton Station also grants Camel Treks Australia access to the largest salt lake in Australia, Lake Eyre, also known as Kati Thanda-Lake. The lake has a catchment area spanning three states and the Northern Territory. The northern lake itself is massive, covering an area of 144 kilometres in length and 77 kilometres in width. It sits 15.2 meters below sea level, making it the lowest point in Australia. The southern lake measures 64 kilometers in length and 24 kilometres in width. On average, the lake experiences flooding once every eight years. However, it has only reached its capacity three times in the past 160 years.

The extended treks offered by Camel Treks Australia aim to visit Kati Thanda-Lake, where guests can experience a profound sense of isolation while standing on the dry lake edge, surrounded by an endless expanse. Yet, with heavy rainfall and favourable conditions, the lake undergoes a remarkable transformation. Waterbirds, including pelicans, silver gulls, red-necked avocets, banded stilts, and gull-billed terns, descend upon the lake in the thousands. It becomes a breeding site and thrives with species that are adapted to saline environments. Beyond the lake, the park features striking red sand dunes and mesas, rising from salty clay pans and stone-strewn tablelands. (Information sourced: National Parks and Wildlife Service of South Australia).