Simpson Desert/Hay River Trip Report

Submitted: Friday, Nov 13, 2009 at 08:50

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Hay River

Suitable only to 4WDers with a strong sense of adventure and experience in remote desert travel. This track is largely unmarked and good map-reading skills are essential.

Hay River

Section: Treks

Suitable only to 4WDers with a strong sense of adventure and experience in remote desert travel. This track is largely unmarked and good map-reading skills are essential.

Member - Ivan (ACT)

G’day guys,

We did a Simpson Desert/Hay River trip in July, covered some great country and had a blast. I’ve held off putting the web site (report) out there until we’d got the slideshow, but that is now complete.

Web site covers:

- daily commentary and pictures,
- selected video, (highly recommended is the preview at http://ivanlea.net/photos/HayRiver09/video/preview.avi
- slideshow, (at http://ivanlea.net/photos/HayRiver09/video/simpson.mp4
- Itinerary
- waypoint, route and track files,
- Google Earth review
- fuel usage for a range of vehicles,
- quite a few disasters including split fuel tanks, broken axles and shock absorbers.
- recommendations for other travellers

Web page is at http://ivanlea.net/photos/HayRiver09/
Makes a half reasonable read, and hope that it helps others in planning similar trips

Cheers,

Ivan
2008 D4D Prado

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Reply By: mikehzz - Friday, Nov 13, 2009 at 10:32

Friday, Nov 13, 2009 at 10:32

Hello Ivan,
Looks like an awesome trip. I totally understand your attitude of fitting as much in as possible in the time frame you have. My parents wanted to do a 'big trip' when they had enough time and chose to wait till they were to retire. Unfortunately they both passed before that time and so didn't get to do any of it. I don't think mum made it out of NSW? As a result, I'm off to places I haven't seen whenever its humanly possible. I've already done quite a few of the places on your trip but there are some more there that you have certainly wet my appetite for. I can't wait for winter again next year now. I'll have 2 weeks available and a list a mile long of places I want to see. I'll probably end up doing 4-5000kms again but who cares, I love it.
Thanks for your post.

Cheers,
Mike

AnswerID: 391097

Reply By: plusteck - Friday, Nov 13, 2009 at 11:12

Friday, Nov 13, 2009 at 11:12

Thanks very much after spending a long time viewing that web page, Ive started my day bad,, very very green with envey, great report

AnswerID: 391106

Reply By: andoland - Friday, Nov 13, 2009 at 11:56

Friday, Nov 13, 2009 at 11:56

We did the Hay River track around about the same time as you. I can't remember the exact dates but we would have been a week earlier than you I think.

Our trip was quite leisurely compared to yours - I think we took 8 days to go from Birdsville to Batton Hill and didn't feel like we took to long so I can imagine that you may have felt a little rushed.

Michael was also our host at Batton Hill. What a great bloke he is - very willing to talk and share information, not only about bush tucker but about current and past aboriginal culture in general.

AnswerID: 391113