Dark Sky Astrophotography

Departing Olympic Dam, travel three hours along the Oodnadatta Track through quintessential South Australian outback – spinifex plains, red earth and vast horizons shaped by ancient geological processes. William Creek sits in the traditional lands of the Arabana people, positioned at the edge of Lake Eyre’s vast drainage basin. After settling in, witness your first outback sunset from a lookout with unobstructed views across flat terrain, ideal for observing atmospheric phenomena. As darkness falls, begin your first astrophotography session under exceptionally dark skies. The absence of light pollution reveals stellar density rarely visible in populated areas. Learn camera settings, composition techniques and star tracker operation while photographing the southern Milky Way core rising above the horizon.

Wake early to take part in sunrise photography, capturing soft morning light across red dunes and saltbush country. An optional two-hour scenic flight over Lake Eyre (additional cost) reveals the immense scale of Australia’s largest salt lake. This vast ephemeral system only fills during rare flooding events. From the air, observe the intricate patterns created by salt crystallisation, ancient shorelines and the contrast between white salt flats and the ochre desert. Later, drive to Lake Eyre’s edge where the salt flats stretch to the horizon. The perfectly flat, reflective surface creates unique foreground opportunities for sunset and astrophotography. As twilight fades, photograph the Milky Way reflected in shallow water (if present) or rising above the salt crust, using star trackers to enable long exposures that reveal deep-space detail invisible to the naked eye.

Another sunrise shoot precedes a scenic flight to the Painted Hills (optional, additional cost), where ancient sedimentary layers create bands of colour – ochre, cream, burgundy and grey – across undulating terrain. Landing amongst these formations allows close examination of geological processes spanning millions of years, with opportunities to photograph the textured landscape from ground level. Editing sessions back at William Creek help process the previous night’s captures, learning techniques to reduce noise, enhance detail and balance the foreground with the sky. Evening brings another astrophotography session focused on deep-sky techniques – capturing nebulae, star clusters and distant galaxies through longer tracked exposures. The moonless conditions and exceptional seeing enable detailed imaging of celestial objects that typically require powerful telescopes.

A final sunrise photography session offers the last chance to capture the outback’s golden hour. For those seeking an adrenaline perspective, an optional open-door scenic flight over Lake Eyre (additional cost) offers unobstructed aerial photography. Return to Olympic Dam completes the outback circuit, carrying technical skills developed over four nights under some of Earth’s darkest skies, alongside images documenting both terrestrial and celestial landscapes of South Australia’s remote interior.