Innamincka

Proclaimed a township in 1890, Innamincka is located 340 kilometres from Tibooburra, near the junction of the Strezlecki, Cordillo and Nappa Merrie tracks on the famous Cooper Creek.


Just a few kilometres to the east is a monument marking the site of the death of John O'Hara Burke, leader of the ill-fated Burke and Wills Expedition of 1861, whilst the site of Will's death is a few kilometres to the west of Innamincka.

Further east, on Nappa Merrie Station is the now famous Dig Tree, site of the cache of food left for the starving members of the South-North transcontinental expedition.

Facilities at the Dig Tree include a nearby airstrip, information bay and public toilets.

For many years the township of Innamincka remained as it was in 1891, with a store, hotel, saddler's shop, Chinese eating house and a police station.

In 1929 the Elizabeth Symon Nursing Home was opened by the Australian Inland Mission to provide medical services to the people of inland areas. Staffed by two nurses, radio contact was maintained with the Flying Doctor at Cloncurry, Queensland, through a pedal radio.

Suffering the fate of other isolated inland communities Innamincka virtually, died until 1972 when The Cooper's Creek Hotel-Motel and the Innamincka Trading Post were established to service travellers through the region.

In 1994 the Elizabeth Symon Nursing Home was reconstructed with funds raised by the Australian Geographic Society. Today the home serves as an information centre for the surrounding Innamincka Regional Reserve.

A hotel/ motel, stores and more provide for today's visitors. For further information visit the Services section of this website. When in Innamincka, take a Cooper Discovery Cruise to learn more about the creek first reached by Charles Sturt in 1845, but immortalised by ill fated explorers Burke and Wills.

For those travelling by air.

An airstrip is available at S27 42.0 E140 44.0 VAR 8 DEG E