The Simpson in Semptember - D4D15O

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This trip started about 14 months ago. I was reading the trip report of another member (Thanks AJ120) crossing the Simpson when at the same time my wife was talking to an old friend on Facebook. That night we found out that the friend, who was in her early 40s, was in hospital recovering from a stroke. That was the moment that changed the way I thought about the Simpson. I could not wait until the time was right, I had to make the time right.



Now the time had come and on the Friday afternoon I loaded the fridge into the car and with my daughters Kate and Alexandra, we left Melbourne and headed to Coober Pedy. The kids are good travellers and we made good time, arriving on the Sunday afternoon with time to stock up with some fresh supplies and check some of the local tourist attractions before caching up with the other members of the group.



Early Monday morning we departed civilisation and headed north towards Oodnadatta with five vehicles (two Prado’s and three GU Patrols). The roads were in good condition and the kilometres flew past with just a few cows and one snake to eat the dust disturbed by the five vehicles. We were already experiencing hotter than average temperatures for that time of the year and it was not long before we were experiencing temperatures well above 30 Deg.



After Oodnadatta the road started to deteriorate and the corrugations started to become the normal rather than the exception. We had a minor issue with the air conditioning in my car which resolved and we had a relatively easy trip through to Pedirka Ruins and the entrance to Witjira National Park. We were soon learning that following obvious tracks on the ground was more reliable than following tracks on the map. We had three options on the ground, with the left option being the most travelled, one option on the paper map and three options on the digital map but showing that the left option was a dead end. We followed the most travelled track and it was the right option taking us through to Dalhousie Ruins. We all found it astonishing how the first people to settle this area lived (and died) in this arid land. The photos show lush palm trees but it was only September and we were already feeling extreme heat and some of the kids were unwilling to get out of the vehicles to look at these fantastic ruins.

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Dalhousie





We arrived at Dalhousie Springs earlier than expected and set up camp prior to going for a swim in the bath-like water. The water was hot, but staying in the water for a while and then standing in the breeze provided a cooling sensation that was the only way to obtain relief from the heat.

The following day we had another swim prior to a slow start towards Mt Dare. The road to Mt Dare was bad. One member of the group commented that they had never driven a road that was so bad or so corrugated, but a short time down the track and the road got worse. Every time a person commented about how bad the road was, it just got worse.

Arriving at Mt Dare provided the last chance for fuel and some basic supplies. Lunch options were limited to pies or sausage rolls, due to a lack of supples, prior to getting back behind the wheel. The corrugations started to take their toll on the vehicles with the UHF antenna on Michael’s Prado snapping off, which strangely resulted in clearer communications, and the engine warning light showing on Nick’s Patrol. Turning off and restarting Nick’s Patrol cleared the warning light and took it out of “limp mode” and we continued without issue whilst heading back to Dalhousie Springs for another swim to get some relief from the heat, which at this stage was into the high 30s.

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Our second night at Dalhousie Springs was a bit more crowded. On the first night there had been only one other vehicle but this night a number of groups had arrived and the camp site was filled with at least 40 other vehicles in the area.



Wednesday morning saw a small invasion of grass hoppers throughout the area and with the birds being active from 6.30am everyone was upand preparing to move east. We hit the first sand dunes at about 9.30am that morning, shortly before Perni Bore, and just before midday we came to the sign for the entrance to the Simpson Desert Regional Reserve. We continued with good progress along this first part of the French Line until we passed the intersection with the WAA Line and the Rig Road at Wonga Corner. Within metres of this intersection the conditions deteriorated rapidly. The sand was thick and soft, but with our tyres running 16psi in the front and 18psi in the rear we continued, although at a slower pace. During the day the sand dunes become bigger and the temperature continued to soar higher, into the low 40s by the time we stopped for lunch and the awnings fitted to our vehicles were an absolute necessity to stay in the shade.



With various levels of experience in traveling in these conditions, all members of the group were encouraged to try different techniques in driving the sand dunes to see what would work best. With Michael’s Prado being the lightest vehicle in the group, turning off electronic traction aids and using first and second gear high range made for easy traveling, whilst the GU’s found third gear low range to be the best. With my Prado carrying much more weight than Michael’s, high range was used most of the time, but a quick change to low range was needed occasionally.



3.30pm that day saw our one and only snatch recovery for the trip with Nick’s GU stuck in the sand. It only needed a light pull to see it over the crest and we were back in our cars and out of the heat. Although we had planned to make camp about this time, our slow progress and the temperature now hitting 46 Deg made the decision to stay in the vehicles and keep moving an easy one to make.

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4.10pm we turned south onto Colson Track and we had a short break from the sand prior to turning left onto the WAA Line on our way towards the Lone Gum. The cars had gone well in the heat with nobody reporting any overheating issues, although the battery in my Prado boiled, spitting acid over the front part of the engine bay (I think I will be changing it to a sealed unit before the next trip). We set up camp a short way down the WAA Line between two dunes. It was a beautiful area, sheltered from the westerly wind and as the night cooled down we unloaded some timber from our cars and had a small camp fire and a cold beer.



That night is one that Nick and Warren will be talking about for some time. A cool change had been forecast but we were not expecting the winds that came with it. Our tent nearly collapsed and needed extra pegs and ropes to hold it in place, Nick and Warren were not so lucky. When we got up they were holding onto ropes like they were holding onto a giant kite flying well of the ground. After a while they managed to move their GU into position to act as a wind break and as a solid tie down point. Nobody body got much sleep that night.

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Thursday morning saw tired people taking it a bit slower as they packed up camp but we were still on the road (track) by 8.45am. We had been hoping to pick up some time as we travelled the WAA Line as the reports were that it was in much better condition than the French Line, but we were still only able to keep up an average speed of 20 kmh.

All was going well and I had just gone over a dune when the call came over the radio. Warren knew that something was wrong and thought he had a flat. We turned around to see if we could help at which time we could see that it was much worse – the wheel had fallen off. Having a wheel fall of a car is not that easy to fix, let alone three quarters of the way up a sand dune. Using one vehicle with a winch to anchor the GU in place we assessed the situation and decided that Nick was lucky. The temperature was only 38 Degrees and we all voted that had it been as hot as they day before we would have had to say sorry and just leave them out there (Only joking Nick!!!). Keith started with his high lift jack and using lots of plates to hold the deferent jacks in place Keith and the team were able to get the car up, dismantle the breaks and start the repairs. Aaron and Bailey searched the track and found four of the missing nuts and Michael showed his panel beating skills to rebuild the break shroud whilst Keith repaired the studs and got everything working again. It took close to two hours and the cars were back on the track.



The loss of time resulted in cancelling the planned leg down to the Lone Gum and we continued along the WAA Line until the end where we turned north onto Knolls Track. We were hoping to make one of the camp sites on the French line, but it was not to be and we camped about 10km south in another beautiful area, surrounded by some small trees that dotted the landscape at this area of the desert.



Friday saw an early start and by 9.30am we were again traveling east along the French Line. We noticed the dunes getting larger and the sand seeming softer but with everyone now well practiced in driving in these conditions we were able to maintain an average speed of just over 22 kmh. At this point we saw the advantages of good tall sand flags on lead vehicles, meeting another convoy heading west on the top of a dune. With the notice given by the flags, one convoy was able to move clear of the track and we passed without incident.

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Poeppel Corner was a great place to stop for lunch and a cool drink whilst Keith earned points with everyone, passing out icy poles whilst the rest of us took photographs of this famous part of the Simpson. A short time later we were on the QAA Line and that night we made camp on the eastern edge of the Queensland part of the national park. By this stage the road conditions had taken their toll. Nicks GU was now showing its engine warning light and running in limp mode more often that it was not, Eric’s UHF antenna had snapped to match Michael’s and the rear shocks on my Prado were causing the back of the car to bounce heavily.



Fitting the spare (new) shocks should not be difficult so that became the task for the evening. What should have been a 30 minute job per side was much more difficult when it was found that the thread at the top of the shock was the same length as the combined height of the washers and spacers needed to hold it in place, leaving no thread available to get the nut on. With limited tools available to compress the rubber spacers, it took close to two hours to get the first one fitted and on the other side we eventually gave up and sliced a 1mm slice of one of the rubbers to enable the thread to get started and hold the shock absorber in place. A big thanks to Michael for his efforts and persistence with that issue.

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With the new rear shocks fitted, Saturday saw an easier ride as we continued to head east and it was not long before Big Red was in sight. With Nicks GU now in constant “limp mode” he was forced to tackle the great sand dune as a passenger as we all flew up the various tracks that cover the side of this iconic dune. The steepest track of them all was the only one to slow us down, but Keith was able to dodge the bumps that were sending the rest of us airborne and lose momentum, taking the crown for the day.









Lunchtime that day we pulled into the Birdsville Roadhouse and it was not long before Nick’s GU was repaired and we were able to shower and clean up with Eric, Aaron and Bailey heading to the pub to catch the AFL Grand Final.

After a rest day we headed back into South Australia, down the Birdsville Track and Walkers Crossing Track for a quick stop into Innamincka and Cameron Corner before the dash on the blacktop back to Melbourne.

For those who are interested in facts and figures, during the trip from Mt Dare to Birdsville, Michael’s Prado used 114 lt and all other vehicles used between 130 and 134 lts for the 580 km trip which for me worked out to 22.88 L/100km. This was less than expected but considering we were not required to do any detours and many of our planned side trips were cancelled, we all agreed that carrying 180 to 200 lt per vehicle was not only appropriate but also an area that we would not cut back on for our next trip. From Melbourne to Melbourne I averaged 15.66 L/100km for a total of 4571 km with a top fuel price at Mr Dare of $2.29 an average fuel price of $1.81 giving a total fuel cost of $1,294.82.

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The map

[D4D Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close D4D]

Great report, I am hoping to get out there next year. How old were the shocks you replaced? Any pics of how you mounted your sand flag?

[Palmer Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Palmer]

Great read. Had me reliving our June trip.

[Trevc Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Trevc]

Steve

Great report and I whole heartedly agree with your reasons to go now, instead of waiting for when the time might be 'right'.

Thanks for sharing.

Trev

[smakb Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close smakb]

Great report, I am hoping to get out there next year. How old were the shocks you replaced? Any pics of how you mounted your sand flag?

The sand flag is the 4x4 Equip one. This gives the best height but as it is hard you have to be careful of overhanging trees which can snap it in two. see the photo of the mount which is available for this flag. The soft, flexible, ones are more resilient but normally don't give the same height.

My shocks we Bilstein and had about 50k on them. The seals did not go, but they just did not handle the work. My spares were Tough Dog Big Bore and that's what I will stick with. I am going to the 4x4 shop this afternoon to order the Tough Dog for the front as the bushes are shot.

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Great read. Had me reliving our June trip.

Thanks. I would have liked to go a month earlier to reduce the temperature issues, without going as cold at night as it can be in June, but as I work for a school (no I am not a teacher) I can only take leave during school holidays.

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

This trip started about 14 months ago. I was reading the trip report of another member (Thanks AJ120) crossing the Simpson

Glad to hear you decided to just do it, its so easy to come up with reasons not to head out. I know we had so many reasons not to go on our most recent trip but we went anyway and I doubt we will ever regret it.

Sounds like the Nissans on your trip provided the mechanical entertainment

Cheers Andrew

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I am already trying to work out when I can do it again. The next time will be East to West over the French Line but I want to have more time to relax when I do it.