Birdsville Races

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

Thinking of going to Birdsville races in September. Does anyone know if you can tow a reasonable type of van eg 1800kg/2300kg along the road to get there ?? Does it need to be an off road style or just a normal van ?? If I was going by myself a tent would do me but as the wife is coming we must have on board ensuite. Also how many days would you allow to get there comfortably from Penrith ?? I looked the distance up which is just short of 2000k so im thinking 3 days doing it easy each way. Any issues with fuel (unleaded) as my petrol 120 is going to like a sip, actually make that a gulp of fuel whilst towing.... Cheers Steve

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

Presumably your looking at coming in from Windorah, if so the road into Birdsville is a maintained graded gravel road. It has the potential to be corrugated and if its been wet then you could have some decent water holes to negotiate. It's all flat country out there though so no reason you couldn't take a van if the road has seen a grader in the motto distant path.

Alternately you could tow a van up the Birdsville track as well if its dry.

Plenty of fuel, I wouldn't worry about that at all.

Cheers Andrew

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

Thanks AJ. I'm actually going to hire a van for this trip. Still have to speak to them in regards to wether I can take the van on that road. Bit more home work to do..... Cheers Steve

[kav Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close kav]

You won't have any problems . There will be thousands of vans there ,towed by all kinds of vehicles . Roads are fine unless like when I went there , it absolutely chucks it down and floods .

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

Thanks Kav, from what I've read if it rains that bad, caravan or not most won't be going anywhere anyway lol.... Cheers Steve

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

If it rains they will close the roads, and with good reason.

We tried to drive the Birdsville track in 2010, that was a wet year and we were going OK until a very light sprinkle of rain on top of an already damp road made it a nightmare with the trailer swinging wildly around behind us at 25km/hr, so we turned around and went via Windorah, which had some big puddles but was otherwise dry.

2012 I drove the Birdsville track and it was bone dry and a good run all the way.

Cheers Andrew

[MidLifeCrisis Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close MidLifeCrisis]

If it rains they will close the roads, and with good reason.

We tried to drive the Birdsville track in 2010, that was a wet year and an already damp road made it a nightmare with the trailer swinging wildly around behind us at 25km/hr,

Cheers Andrew

...and AJ says he doesn't drink. Mrs AJ120 tells the story slightly differently, she insists there was a zero following the "25" and the roads were damp at best but the trailer was sometimes leading as AJ drifted around bends.......

[pete8205 Member Find all posts View Profile Close pete8205]

check out Innaminka races I think there normally a week before Birdsville we did both the year of the horse flu along way for no horse's racing at Birdsville still had blast though all the roads out there can be driven in a falcon no problems unless wet the only issue with towing are the corrigations which would make towing an onroad van painfull
we did the trip over 3 weeks
went to Innaminka over 5 days through Camerons Corner spent 3 of days at Innaminka for races,
went down the Stretzleci(?) track and back up the Birdsville track to Birdsville over 4 nights had a blast in Birdsville can't remember how many nights
Then home through Cunnamulla over 4 days
doing that trip towing a van over 3 days it'll be doable but not nice, you wouldn't have the ability to stop along the way
I was living in Werro at the time not that I've moved far!
ohh and we did it in the luxury of a swag

hope this helped Pete

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

Thanks Pete. Are the corrigations along the main rd heading to birdsville or is it the other roads you mentioned ?? I'm only taking van cause wife won't use the toilets there due to the other 8000 people that will be using them lol. And she wants her own shower as well lol. Woman eh.... Cheers Steve

[pete8205 Member Find all posts View Profile Close pete8205]

HI Steve the main road in from Cunnamulla from memory wasn't to bad in saying that I think it was about 6yr ago
they should be freshly graded before the races
they have a lot of porta loo's
they keep things fairly clean however one night in the pub my now wife came back from the toilets having not gone when I asked why she said when a toilet became free the woman leaving it said 'good luck' and it looked liked she had bent over and spray painted the toilet!

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

Exactly why my wife won't go unless we have our own ensuite lol.... Cheers Steve

[pete8205 Member Find all posts View Profile Close pete8205]

and get there a couple of days before the races the caravan park fills up quick!

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

I was thinking of getting there on the Thursday morning ??... Cheers Steve

[99snowy Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close 99snowy]

Back in 2013 when I came back from doing the Simpson, we came home from Birdsville along the Developmental Road and turned off to visit Haddon Corner and headed down through Innamincka and then along the Old Strzelecki Track to Cameron Corner and back to Sydney through Bourke. The roads weren't too bad and at the time they were doing some widening of the road and grading just a couple of sections with some corrigations.
Also if you don't need to use any amenities from the caravan park as it looks like you will be pretty much self sufficient might I suggest staying in the Common just out side of town, its free to stay there are taps around if you need some water, and you can catch a bus to the racetrack from there for a gold coin donation.
I'm heading up for the races this year and I'll be staying out on the common as the caravan park will be packed in like sardines.

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

Thanks 99 snowy, sounds like a plan just out if town. I don't know the area around so havnt a clue lol. Thanks for the tip, appreciated.... Cheers Steve