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Monday 4/8/2014
We are heading to Birdsville 160k, not far after leaving at 8am this morning we checked out the Betoota ruins, it used to be a pub which also sold fuel. Murray had a drink in it when they went to Birdsville in the late 80,s. In 1997 the publican died and so did the pub.
We arrived in Birdsville around 11.00am, all the vehicles fuelled up as this is the last fuel till we get to Mt Dare which is 650km. Fingers crossed we have enough. Fuel was $1.84 in Birdsville. Driving along on the dirt we came to sealed road this was an emergency air strip, weird in the middle of nowhere. I guess they have thousands of people flock in for the Birdsville races which is early September and the vast majority fly in, the airport is over the road from the pub.
We went to the pub which was very cool, had a counter lunch and beer before we headed into the desert. If you used your cell phone, took any photos, wore your cap backwards you had to make a gold coin donation to the Royal Flying Doctor. The lunch was yum most had a Big Red burger and chips.
Big red is the biggest and the first sand dune that you cross. We didn't attempt it as towing a trailer was to big an ask, there is a side road around it for those that can,t make it over. The first people we came across who had crossed West to East, said it had taken them four days! They also offered good luck to the ones towing a trailer, that was us! The first sand hill we came to, Pete had several attempts but didn't make it over, so Des and Barry headed up and got over no problems, then it was our turn, we made it almost to the top, stopping short by 25 meters. Des hooked on the snatch and pulled us over the top. It took Des and Barry all hooked together with Pete to get him over. God this was the first sand hill and it took us a couple of hours to get over the top!
It was 56k from Birdsville to our camp site in Eyre Creek, left Birdsville at 2.15pm and got to the camp site at 4.30pm, you can work out the rest. Had a great camp site down beside a creek which had no water in it, out of the wind and it was a lot warmer than the previous nights.
We had gathered firewood on our way so had a camp fire a few wines and beers (some more than others) Mark and Pete had a few rums! And then bed, great.
Tuesday 5/8/2014
We left Eyre Creek at 8.37am heading for Poppell Corner, this is where the three states meet, Queensland, Northern Territory, South Australia. There are these huge salt flats, some stretch as far as the horizon, they look like snow in the desert because they are so white. Tastes like salt as well!
We travelled 133k, which took us 7.3/4 hours, max speed 44.8, average 18.7. Pulled up to our camp site at 4.36pm, just found a flat spot and pulled over. Altitude 15m.
We cooked damper, our first attempt, consensus was 30 mins on the coals and then check it.... Just looked like a lump of charcoal when we took the lid off but once we peeled that away it was very tasty.
Even had a shower, Pete and Dawi had some water left over, so I was the lucky one.
A lot of talk, red wine, beer and capped the night off with a stones green ginger, yum.
Des got up early in the morning for a pee and we had a visitor, there was a Dingo curled up sleeping in our camp by the fire..
Wednesday 6/8/2014
We pulled into a camp site @ 4.36pm, on the French Line which wasn't to far along from Erabena Track. Pete was having another problem with the Defender, strange smell, turned out the battery was b*****ed, yeh. Swapped the battery over but guess where the battery is, under the front passenger seat. The boys reckoned when they were in the design stages whoever could think of a place to put a battery where no one could find it would get first prize!
We travelled 252k for the day and that took us 8hr 32min.
Lots of Salt lakes and the track had been graded to the air strip which made it great to travel on. Things are warming up 29 in the car with all the windows open.
Thursday 7/8/2014 Left @ 8.17am, up and down dunes, we crossed over the Colson Track@ 12.30 after travelling 46k, a couple of dunes required Pete and us to be hooked up to one of the other vehicles and snatched over, we were snatched twice and the Defender, well lost count. The desert is just like the ocean but instead of water it's sand, the dunes are just like a big wave then you drop over the top to travel along flat until the next dune, 1100 in total but haven't been counting.
Lots of desert flowers as we get closer to the other side, but still plenty of sand. Hotter again today, 35o with all the windows open. Just about to pull into our camp site tonight and the Defender trailer broke in two, oh dear. So now they are trying to jury rig it up so we can get to Mt Dare, which is about 95k heres hoping.
Emptied the trailer out so they could attempt the repairs, then took the steel middles out of two high lift jacks and bolted them up under the trailer, between them all they managed to find bolts etc to fit, also had a small generator to keep the batteries charged for the battery drill. We distributed most of the stuff from the trailer between the rest of the vehicles.
We then had a lone vehicle call in, he had a stuffed front wheel bearing, he had left Dalhousie that morning and was heading to Birdsville, it was a really old Nissan Patrol. When the wheel bearing went he decided to turn back, so basically he was in two wheel drive, he tried to get over the dune we were camped beside, couldn't get over frontwards so decided to try and back over! Not successful. When he had finished trying all that the wheel was almost off. He didn't camp beside us but was only a short distance away, there was talk of Wolf Creek which made Dawi and I a little nervous but hey there were a lot more of us!
When you stop to camp the flies are unbelievable, heaps of them in your eyes, mouth etc, thank Christ they disappear with the sun.
Had the yummiest tea last night, put some lamb chops, oil, mixed herbs, potato, carrot and onions in a roasting tray, into the Weber and put the lid down and cooked for an hour or so, excellent. Mind you I think no mater what it was it would be good, not a lot of choice when you are in the desert. Lunch is normally crackers and cheese, plus an orange here and there. The oranges are yum as well.
106k for the day, into camp at 4.50pm.
Friday 8/8/2014
We left our camp site 8.27am headed to Mt Dare, only a couple more sandhills then we were on sand/gravel roads.
Come across a snake crossing the road, it was a Western Brown around two meters, apparently a very deadly snake. We found this out when we got to Mt Dare and showed them the photo. Came across a big group or motorbikes (12 and 5 support vehicles) that were just about to start the Simpson.
We were hanging out to get to Dalhousie where the hot spring pools are, we weren't dissappointed they were fantastic, 37o. It was deep, some places the boys could touch the bottom, which was sand of course. If you kept your legs still there was little fish that sucked on your (feet) dead skin cells. We had to pay money for that privilege in Bali.
We got to Mt Dare 2.55pm, oh yeah an oasis in the desert, cold beers and a bar to sit in away from the flies. After a few XXXX beers we set up camp, had the luxury of toilets, showers and a laundry but no camp fire, as not allowed to cut or gather firewood in the Witjira National Park.
Saturday 9/8/14 The trailer had to be in the workshop at 8.00am this morning for the repairs, it's now 11.50am and we are still waiting on the trailer. The guy was quite impressed with our temporary repair, reckoned there wouldn't be to many people who could do what we did.
The Diesel here is $2.45ltr, unleaded $2.49ltr, $6.50 for a XXXX Gold. It's a 3 hour drive to the bitumen, 1000km to Alice Springs, and mail comes in once a week by plane.
Pulled out of Mt Dare at 1.00pm, with a trailer like brand new, even painted. He charged Pete $400.00, thought that was a very reasonable price for what he done. Reinforced the draw bar, welded, painted etc, finished it at 12.30pm. An excellent job. After that he was heading 3hrs out into the desert to carry out repairs to two vehicles that were broken down.
They had these really good fires made from old gas bottles, the 40kg bottles had a piece cut out of them about six inches in from each end, they had a rod welded along this section with a grill plate and grate attached which you just flipped over when you had the fire right. The cut out bits were used for the stand, we didn't try it out as we had no firewood but looked like a good invention.
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