Back from my Flinders and Simpson Trip

Smerf · **Posted:** Fri Aug 07, 2009 1:28 am

Hi Guys and Gals, Just back from my trip this week.Coongie Lakes is magnificent, worth a week there especially if you have a conoe.
Arkaroola was quite enjoyable, some wild country in them thar hills.
The Flinders ranges are really beautiful, Wilpena Pound is not as nice as I remembered it from 15 years ago. Where there used to be nice open country it is now all regrowth.
Plane flight over Lake Eyre was magic. The wife and I probably wont get out there to see water in it again, without I am still driving around the centre of Aussie in my 70's.
We had to cancel the Simpson Desert leg of our trip unfortunately because my baby broke, the KJ not the wife although she may have been broken too and I did not notice.The road from Mt.Dare to Dalhousie is the worst piece of road I have ever driven on. When you average 5 - 10 kms/hr for 60 kms that will give you an idea of what it is like.I had extremely loud metal on metal bashing noises coming from my front end on the drivers side.When the other members of our group heard the noises it was agreed that the desert was cancelled.
I was very upset with the people at Mt.Dare and gave them a piece of my tiny mind for not telling us just how bad the road was and that you can bypass at least half of the really bad stuff.Coming from Dalhousie about 30 odd ks out take the left turn to Bloods Creek and at BC take the right turn to Mt.Dare. 10 -12 ks longer but far better road. Had we known about this track we would not have had the problems.Went up to the dealer in Alice Springs but they could not find the problem but thought it may have been ball joints. Car was perfect on bitumen.Drove back to Bris on the bitumen, about 3600kms from Dalhousie, about 2000kms extra traveling as against coming across the desert.
Albion Jeep said yesterday that the whole front end and suspension was loose and had to be retightened.If it was you never would have known driving it on the black stuff or gravel with smaller corrugations.I dont know I am only poor fool so we shall see what happens.
I dont know if you have a sat phone, you can hire one from Mt.Dare, pick up in Birdsville and drop off at Mt.Dare - $125 for 4 days + $25 a day after that. Globalstar - the service is not the greatest but will eventually lock on to a satellite.
I have a floor section I had made up to give you a full flat floor when you take out your back seats plus 3 x 20l plastic petrol jerry cans and some 10l water bottles if anyone wants to borrow then for your Centre trip. Just pm me if needed.
My fuel consumption with a fully loaded car and roof basket was, on bitumen - 12.85L/100kms, Gravel - 15.12L/10kms, this for a 3.7Lpetrol I twas really happy with this
Travellers state that the desert is very soft at present and badly corrugated, due to people not letting their tyres down. The guy at Mt.dare is saying down to 15psi for cars and down to 10 and lower for trailers.
I hope you all have a magic trip.
Sorry if this is a bit long winded.
Cheers Greg

G'ME MUD · **Joined:** Tue Jul 17, 2007 7:55 pm **Posts:** 370

Thanks for the info Smerf, much appreciated.
Sorry to hear your baby broke. A mate of mine just came back from a trip that took in the Red Center then down the Great Central road then up north to the Gibb River road in a brand new Pajero and had to get the gear box (manual) replaced in Leanora ??? and the rear door is all cracked and the other four doors are all rattling and pouring in the dust, so much so that even now every time he closes a door the dust falls from the roof lining.

NTJEEP · **Posted:** Fri Aug 07, 2009 6:46 pm

And the pictures are where.......???

Team J.a.G · **Posted:** Fri Aug 07, 2009 9:17 pm

Sorry hear about beloved KJ, must be frustrating to say the least. Thanks for the heads up re Mt Dare/Blood Creek tracks tracks. I hope you enjoyed the rest of the trip any way. We can't wait to get going :wink:

Hope you have some photos to share and any more info/stories to tell

cmohr · **Posted:** Sat Aug 08, 2009 9:24 pm

YesI did that road backin 2006, its a long day to go not very far..........Beautiful though, It killed my rear suspension..

Smerf · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2009 7:06 am

I forget to mention that the day we pulled into Mt.Dare their tow truck was just leaving for Melbourne with a KJ and a Kimberley Camper on the back. A Melbourne Jeep club was doing a trip across the Simpson and were supposedly told be the folks at Mt.Dare that they would not make it towing that heavy trailer ( 1.3 tonnes). They said they knew what they were doing ??? and it was not a problem.By Dalhousie the rear end in the KJ was destroyed. Apparently the rear brake wear plates had fallen out allowing the brake pads to vibrate on the discs totally destroying them.The vehicle was covered by the RACV who paid for the tow from Mt.dare to Melbourne.

Back from my Flinders and Simpson Trip

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