Old trainstation in Marree with some rusting rolling stock of the old Ghan railway and Tom Kruse's historical mail truck

Marree - Marree visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Marree' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from South Australia.

Marree in northern South Australia is 49m above sea level, 685km north of Adelaide. The desert settlement with an annual rainfall of only 155mm was originally named Hergott Springs after the german botanist Joseph Albert Herrgott who discovered 7 artesian springs in the area while travelling with John McDonall Stuart on an expedition in 1859.

Although the place was known as Mari, an aboriginal word meaning "place of many possums" the name Herrgott Springs was used until World War 1.

The Birdsville Track, Australia's best known and loneliest road, was opened in the 1860s to bring cattle from the Northern Territory, New South Wales and Queensland to the nearest railhead which was Marree. The track was not only used for droving cattle but also for mail runs to stations along its way.

On display at the Marree trainstation is some slowly rusting rolling stock and the truck of the best known mail man along the track, Esmond Gerald (Tom) Kruse, who delivered the mail for nearly twenty years. Since the Ghan railway was moved west, Marree has become even more isolated and is now mainly servicing large pastoral runs of the area and tourists.