You know it’s getting close when you start going through all your camera gear/toys. A few last minute purchases being some new GoPro batteries for the ageing Hero 3 and a charging adapter for 3 batteries, and a couple of SanDisk Ultra UHS high-speed micro SD cards as backups for the GoPro and the DJI […]
Preparing for Spain/Portugal 2018 Read More »
As we edge nearer to departure date, we’ll need to keep a close eye on all the available updates, here’s a few: The latest Desert Parks Bulletin is attached or you can find the link here: http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/Find_a_Park/Browse_by_region/flinders-ranges-outback/simpson-desert-conservation-park-regional-reserve QLD Parks Updates and Alerts: http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/simpson-desert/ NB: Simpson Desert National Park is now known as Munga-Thirri National Park.
Simpson Desert – Keeping an Eye On Things Read More »
As we’re all aware, there are a number of tracks that traverse the Simpson Desert. The most popular track is the French Line. This track takes the most direct route across the desert and as a result is the shortest. Being the most popular track means it can also be the roughest due to more
Simpson Desert – Path Across the Desert Read More »
With the sort of outback travel we’re embarking upon, one relatively major issue is road/track conditions. It has been known for significant rain to fall in the desert and surrounding regions in July, albeit not that common. In any case we need to ensure we have some contingencies in place in the even of rain
Simpson Desert – Contingencies Read More »
As you can probably imagine, we’ve been pouring over the itinerary to make sure we’re getting the most out of the trip. As it happened, we caught up with an old colleague of mine last weekend, who has traveled much of outback Australia. We took him through the itinerary we’ve sketched out and picked his
Simpson Desert – The Painted Desert Read More »
Well, we couldn’t wait any longer and have purchased our Desert Parks Pass, and I must say it is well worth it. Along with your pass, you will receive a spiral bound 93-page booklet that is filled with very useful information such as travel times, safety tips, driving tips and a couple of quite detailed
Simpson Desert – Parks Pass Read More »
Not exactly the most desirable topic however a very important one none the less, especially considering we will have a few night without facilities on our trip. As previously mentioned, we would normally make use of a chemical toilet when camping, however as these use a lot of water, they become impractical in the desert.
Simpson Desert – Toilets Read More »
That’s right, there is now only 5 months to go until we embark on one of Australia’s most iconic and epic 4WD trips. I thought I’d take this opportunity to to recap on a few important items that need to be locked in prior to hitting the road. As we all know, heading off into
Simpson Desert – 5 Months To Go! Read More »
Sand recoveries will, unfortunately, be a reality when travelling across the Simpson Desert. If we’re lucky, and the sand is hard, then it could be all smooth sailing, however if luck goes the other way, we could be in for quite a few recoveries. With that in mind, I thought I’d put up a post
Simpson Desert – Recovery Equipment Read More »
Water, an essential ingredient for life on earth as we know it and one of the biggest challenges that we have when venturing into the desert. As you may or may not know, there is no drinking water available in the Simpson Desert, so we must take all of our water with us. While the
Simpson Desert – Water Read More »
Just a quick update on Satellite Phones. If anyone was considering purchasing one, the I can recommend the people at Pivotel. They are based on the Gold Coast, but have resellers around the country. The offer a casual Thuraya Satellite plan for $15 per month, with calls costing approximately $1 per minute. The other benefit
Simpson Desert – Communication – Part 2 Read More »
After recently checking out the Sand Flag that Peter purchased, featured in my last sand flag update, I decided to bite the bullet and order a flag. I ordered a completely different style of flag from an eBay seller who I’ve used a few times in the past. This shot just has the flag sitting
Sand Flag Update 2 Read More »
Image from: snowys.com.au I came across this great blog series on crossing the Simpson Desert from Snowy’s. There are 3 articles, which cover preparation, challenges and a retrospective review of their trip. Check out the links below for some really great info. http://blog.snowys.com.au/crossing-the-simpson-for-beginners-part-1-who-can-do-it/ http://blog.snowys.com.au/crossing-the-simpson-desert-for-beginners-part-2/ http://blog.snowys.com.au/crossing-the-simpson-desert-for-beginners-part-3/ One interesting point in the last article is the actual
Great Simpson Desert Blog Read More »
Safety is a major concern on any long distance trip and we all want to make it back home safely. To ensure we have the best chance of doing that there are a few things to consider. Maintenance It is critical to ensure we are all travelling in well maintained vehicles. Around town there is
Simpson Desert – Safety Read More »
Peter, one of our fellow Simpson Desert travellers, sent me some info this week relating to his Sand/Safety Flag purchase. Check out his comments below and some pictures of his flag. Last Friday whilst out on Beaudesert Rd, Coopers Plains, I dropped into ARBand then TJM to see how many more $’s I have to
Similar to travelling in most national parks and some state parks, travelling through to Simpson Desert requires a permit. This is actually pretty easy to obtain and they last for 12 Months. You an pick up the pass from Mt Dare before we hit the desert, you could also get it online just before we
Simpson Desert – Permits Read More »
Along with water and shelter, reliable communications in the outback is essential. This article will focus on short range communications as well as long range and emergency communications. During our trip out to and across the Simpson Desert access to regular cellular communications networks will be quite limited. There may be patches of coverage from
Simpson Desert – Communications Read More »
As everyone should by now be aware, Sand Flags are a requirement when travelling in any part of the Simpson Desert. These are required as a safe guard against having a head on collision with a vehicle heading the opposite direction up the other side of a sand dune. The idea is the person will
Simpson Desert – Sand Flags Read More »
We’ve settled on our accommodation needs for the Simpson Desert crossing. We’d originally thought we would be taking our roof top tent, but in an attempt to keep as much weight off the roof as possible we’re made the decision to go with an annex room which is much lighter than the roof topper and
Simpson Desert Accommodation & Kitchen Read More »
There is only 3 more sleeps until we head to the cape! Unfortunately there has been a last minute change to the numbers with Keith & Marg having to pull out due to health reasons. We all wish Keith a speedy recovery. Some last minute things to make sure you pack: – Extension cord and
