Oodnadatta, South Australia

Oodnadatta is a small town in the north of South Australia, 1011 km from Adelaide. About 150 people live in the town, of whom 80% are Aboriginal people from the Aranda, Antakarainnja, Luritja and Pitjantjatjara nations. The name Oodnadatta comes from an Aranda word, utnadata, which means mulga blossom. 

Explorer John McDouall Stuart visited the area in 1859. His route was later used as the route for the Australian Overland Telegraph Line in 1872. The discovery of good artesian wells meant that a town could be set up for the building of the railway which eventually went to Alice Springs.

References

Category:1890 establishments in Australia
Category:Indigenous Australian communities
Oodnadatta