About 20 kms off the Oonadatta Track is the old Peak Telegraph Station. A bit like Strangway it was a pastoral settlement as well as Telegraph.

House and store used by the pastoral business.

Right next to the telegraph station there was a copper mine complete with a smelter which stood in front of this terracing. Reading the signage the smelter shouldn't have been built. Based on the copper they were mining funds were raised and the smelter built but there was   never enough ore to recover the cost of the smelter.

Set a short distance apart form the other stone buildings was the Hammer and Gad eating house. Perhaps the first McDonalds set up to cater for both the locals and the travelling public.

Another blooding ruin on the Oodnadatta Track.

As the side trip into the Old Peake Ruins had taken us 2 hours in travel time we were never going to get to Oodnadatta so we camped here.

Since we were camped over night I had another go at capturing the amazing star display.

The North Peake Siding is just north of the Peake River Bridge.

Oops may have gotten a little too close for that shot of the bridge.

While all the steel line has been pulled up and around the sidings there is nothing of the rail lines if you walk down the track a bit you can find old sleepers and dog pegs. Interesting there doesn't appear to have been any ballast used the sleepers just laid on the dirt.

Algebbuckina Bridge this is the longest Bridge on the Old Ghan. If you read the sign with enough qualifiers it is the longest bridge in the southern hemisphere.

Again I was surprised to see so much water here. It is brackish though.

The full span of the bridge from the northern side.

He is a bit hard to spot but we had a visit from this dingo while we were there. This is a popular camping spot so I suspect as well as the water he is attracted by possible scraps people leave behind.

To the East of the bridge on the other side of the Oodnadatta Track is this very large water hole which has never dried up - it is brackish though.

Algebbuckina Siding. As we have seen so many almost identical siding ruins we could have driven past this one. Then you couldn't drive right up to it. You had to park the car and walk.

I am pretty sure we stopped at all the others so can't miss any now.

The last of the Old Ghan Sidings before we get to Oodnadatta and the end of the line.

A different perspective. It also answers one question, did they have electricity in the buildings before the line was closed?

Ann looking through the window.

Through the window.