linking Port Augusta to Oodnadatta which became the northern railhead until the late 1920s. As large work parties flowed into the area, a boarding house was established there in 1886 and James Jagoe's Eating house is recorded to be there in October 1886. In 1890, Henry Lane received a 'wine license' for the site and assume Jagoe's business and facilities. In 1911, Gilbert Reed describes a whistle-stop on a train journey to Oodnadatta; he eats at Paige's boarding house—the meal is goat, dressed up as mutton. In 1896, William Creek became a repeater station on the Australian Overland Telegraph Line with William Charles Brennan (b. 1861–1918) as the first Station Master. It replaced nearby Strangways Springs which was decommissioned and reverted to pastoral lands. Early tourists to the area were mesmerized by the vast expanses, the heat, the mound springs and the distances. The town has always been small: never larger than a few cottages, a small school and a Hotel-store. The historic William Creek Hotel is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register. Near William Creek Lake Eyre can be seen from several vantage points along the Oodnadatta Track and appears as a large, rather featureless, white saltpan. It is only from the air that its immensity can be appreciated. The curvature of the Earth can be seen on the horizon and beneath it is possible to identify the courses of the ancient rivers that still occasionally flow into the lake. Trevor Wright and the pilots from Wrightsair take up to five passengers for a 60-minute flight out of William Creek, passing over the spectacular Painted Hills to the west, then along the southern edge of the lake, pointing out the features beneath and explaining the topography. The Painted Hills are brilliantly coloured eroded sandstone ridges. These, and all of the country traversed in the one-hour flight, are part of Anna Creek Station. From the air the Track can be seen, stretching to the horizon in two directions. References External links Memorial Park at William Creek A model of the William Creek Hotel in Google 3D Warehouse Far North (South Australia) Places in the unincorporated areas of South Australia