To be honest, we weren't really sure just how much we'd enjoy crossing the Simpson. With four full days in the "desert proper" - and four full size people jammed into a Hilux with all our gear, just how much fun could it be? Bucket loads, as it turns out.
Kit and I had been over Big Red and into the Simpson a short way a couple of times in the early 90's, so we thought we had a pretty good handle on what to expect. But it was so much more.
For the four days, we averaged just 18km/hour (sound exciting?) - with slow going bush tracks and sand trails interspersed with clay pans and then the more adrenaline filled runs up the dunes as we made our way East from Dalhousie Springs to Birdsville.
The guidebook that came with our Desert Parks pass (a pre-requisite for traveling in the Simpson that can be booked here) included a paragraph that said:
"The sand dunes stretch over hundreds of kilometres and the towering crests and vast, flat valleys (or swales) between them seem endless. The sheer magnitude of the landscape inspires a wide range of emotions in visitors - some are overwhelmed by the seeming repetitiveness of the desert while others marvel at the ever changing environment."
As our youngest passenger Hamish concluded (in discussions with my sister Kate - his co "back seat passenger") - our crew was definitely in the latter camp.
We were perhaps fortunate that the big rains that had devastated parts of Queensland's gulf country back in March had sent plenty of water down the Georgina and Diamantina Rivers, and their overflows had filled desert creeks and waterholes alike. Ayre Creek - toward the end of our Simpson Desert journey - was running well, and it's own overflow created an incredibly rich carpet of green a good 20km in width - and teeming with birds. Yet just a few kilometres away lay the carcasses of perished cattle - for who the water and the forage had arrived just a bit too late.
Clearly, this is not a trip for the faint hearted - or the ill-prepared. You are a long way from anywhere, and you need to be self sufficient in fuel, food and water. And that means 'covering yourself' for plenty of extra just in case you mess something up. If you're keen to give it a go, click here to see our own "Packing List" for the trip!
Recent rains in patches within the "desert proper" saw us move from shifting dunes into patches of wildflowers - and given we were mostly just poking along at a little over an idling speed for much of the time, the open windows of the Hilux rewarded us with plenty of serenading by the local birdlife.
It was kind of like bushwalking on wheels.
Needless to say, the contrasts were incredible.
And in perhaps a sad reflection of our modern society (and the expectations that come with it) the best part was just being completely disconnected from the outside world. Instead of looking at screens, we were engrossed in the traveling picture show through the windscreen, and engaged in conversations and contemplations...and - during some of the more challenging driving - just out and out concentration.
We were also fortunate that we had a great crew (five families in total) to travel with - and every time we stopped for smoko (or to 'recover' someone stuck on a dune) there were no less than a dozen kids running riot in the scrub kicking footies and throwing dirt bombs and doing exactly the kind of stuff we used to do and they bloody well should be doing more of.
Needless to say, apart from the social aspect (for the kids and adults alike) traveling in a group is a sensible thing to do on any kind of trip like this, where you are a long way from help. You just might need to give your liver a clean out (as well as your air filter) when you get home.
A FEW KEY TIPS AND STATISTICS FOR A Simpson Desert CROSSING
Burn your Bog Roll
Please please please.....take some matches with you wet you head over the dune to do your business. There is something out there that LOVES digging up your paper - the evidence is sadly relatively abundant - so burn it before filling in your hole. It's not hard. Oh.....and bring some firewood back with you. Your mates will love you for it.
Fuel Consumption - Our party of five vehicles all filled up at the Mt Dare Roadhouse prior to our desert odyssey on Monday 8th July (incidentally, getting the very last of the fuel prior to the truck arriving with fresh supplies on Wednesday the 10th!). We were all carrying surplus fuel either in Jerry Cans or in long range tanks (or combinations)....and so between us had plenty remaining by the time we reached our final destination.
Including the detour around Ayre Creek (to get to the crossing), we travelled a total of about 575km between Mt Dare and Birdsville, for total fuel consumption as follows:
* Hilux Dual Cab (2.8 L Turbo Diesel) with steel canopy and four passengers - 87 Litres. (Incidentally, this vehicle did most of the 'snatching' for the others.....(just sayin'));
* Mazda BT 50 (5 Cylinder Diesel) with steel canopy and towing a Kimberley Camper (4 passengers) - 115 Litres;
* Landcruiser Dual Cab (V8 Diesel) with Trayon Camper and four passengers - 120 Litres;
* Landcruiser 200 Series (V8 Diesel) towing Kimberley Campers (x 2) with 5-6 passengers - 180 Litres.
Obviously, the aim of any desert trip is to come out the other end with surplus (not deficit). I was in the Hilux, and was carrying a total 150 Litres (fuel tank + jerry cans) and was very glad to be coming out the other end with much more than required. You've got to remember that fuel consumption when you are giving it the berries to get over the dunes (or snatching a Landcruiser out of a belly deep sand drift) is not going to be pretty!!! Additionally, whilst it sounds counter-intuitive, you should never underestimate the risk of getting bogged in the mud in the desert. The claypans between the dunes are just that.....heavy clay. Any sort of shower is going to put you into low range and increase your required RPM (and fuel consumption) significantly.
In short....when working out how much fuel to take, I'd recommend calculating your average consumption (fully laden) on the black top, and then doubling it when working out what you should be taking into the desert.
Food and Water: Likewise....you'd rather be looking at it than looking for it in the case of food and water.
As far as water goes, we worked on 4 litres of water per person per day (including washing up water etc), and I reckon that was a little bit line ball. If we'd run into trouble - or didn't have other people in our touring party with surplus, it could have become uncomfortable, although obviously, showers are optional - and wonders can be done with a "wet wipe".
For tucker - we had a pretty fair sort of a "meal plan" based around our itinerary - but took extra dry goods like rice, flour and a few tins of things in case we got stuck. A word of warning though - tins are heavy....and you need to be be very conscious of weight on a trip like this. Freeze dried "hiking type" meals are a good backstop - but you've got to have sufficient water on hand to prepare them.
Route and Traveling Time: We travelled the "easier" west to east direction from Dalhousie Springs to Birdsville along the French Line and then the QAA line, taking four full days to traverse the 504 odd kilometres (including a bypass around the Ayre Creek).
We were pretty much on the track from about 9.00am until 4.00pm every day - but with a number of stops for "second attempts" over dunes and vehicle recoveries, considering three of our party were towing campers (not necessarily recommended).
* Day 1: 108km
* Day 2: 91km
* Day 3: 105km
* Day 4: 200km (including the somewhat smooth going Ayre Creek Bypass and tar road into Birdsville from Big Red).
The reality is that there are more than 1000 dunes to cross - and in many cases, the areas between dunes are often a little like moguls on a ski run! So, while this doesn't look like a long way to travel, at an average 18km/hr it is!
Ideally, you would build an extra day into your itinerary to make this a 5 day / four night trip from Dalhousie to Birdsville. In our case, a final camp at Ayre Creek would have been fantastic - and would have allowed for a bit of more "relaxation" time at Birdsville.
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