As mentioned previously, I wanted to post a video of the drive from Coonamble to Warren. This was the most wonderful drive with wildlife to see along the way as well as water crossings and amazing plains that go on for miles. Check out a quick video here: Cheers, Kent.
Best drive of the trip so far Read More »
With the roads closed both in and out of Innamincka, the tough call was made to head south instead of west with a plan to head to Broken Hill and then in to Arkaroola from the south instead of the north. We departed St George just after 8am and again it was drizzling. We headed
A slight change of plans Read More »
And we’re off again! Today was departure day, which started out drizzly and ended up drizzly. We had a good run through Toowoomba and Dalby, then stopped at Moonie for lunch. We’ve seen a lot of wild life already roo’s, pigs, emu’s, foxes and even a feral cat! We made it to our first stop
Simpson Desert – And we’re off! Read More »
In 4 weeks Kath and I will be in the Jeep and headed west chasing the sun. As per 3 years ago when we went to Cape York, this will be another iconic Australian journey, that many Australian’s will never do, to see places and scenery that are beyond wonder. We’ll sadly miss some of
Simpson Desert – 1 Month To Go! Read More »
As part of the pre-trip planning we spent Saturday night out at Spring Gully Stays, which is just outside of Canungra in South East Queensland. We had a few of the Simpson Desert crew with us and all up we had a wonderful time. The park is clean with lovely green grass that is nice
Spring Gully Stays 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 »
Hi All, This post is a few days late out of the box however better late than never! There is now less than 3 months to go until we depart on our epic journey and in true form, Mum has been creating Dilly Bag’s for all the the ladies emblazoned with SD 16 for obvious
Simpson Desert – 3 Months To Go 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 »
After my last post, Mum (Jenny) sent through the following insights from our Cape York trip. After reading your last instalment concerning the Simpson adventure and the discussion Re: photography, I thought I would remind fellow travellers that you can, in fact, have too many cameras. Those on the Cape York trip may or may
Image source: https://thelongwalkhome2012.wordpress.com/2012/01/ One of the experiences I’m most looking forward to during our trip to the Queensland Outback and Simpson Desert, is the concept of Big Sky Country. Where the land rolls on endlessly to the point where it crashes into the horizon exploding in a vertical wall of blue that towers overhead. The pleasure
Simpson Desert – Big Sky Country 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 »
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 »
Well, it's goodbye Santorini and goodbye Santorini Princess. We've had a pretty fantastic time here and it has been the perfect end to what has been a very exciting holiday. It's a little hard to remember the start of our holiday as it was so long ago, but when we reflect on what
