Description
Seeing
the Simpson Desert as a true remote wilderness area, that has seen less than a hand full of people ever venture into the true heart of the Worlds largest parallel dunes system. See Aboriginal stone chippings and grinding stones, left where they were abandoned hundreds of years ago. See dramatic changes in desert vegetation and dune shape and construction as you slowly crawl across the desert.
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Simpson Desert via Geosurveys Hill
From: Mount Dare Hotel
To: Birdsville
Distance: 773.24 km
Direction: 88 °
Average Speed: 28.07 km/hr
Travel Time: 1 day 3 hours 32 mins
Using the Map
Our treks have a moving map facility, to take a virtual tour click on the Play button in the Moving map control (see Moving Map help)
Mouse Position:
Moving Map
Speed (5 secs)
Live Tracking
Auto Refresh (1 min, next 60 secs)
Permits
When travelling through SA Desert Parks, a valid
Desert Parks Pass is required. Permission is also required to enter
Andado property, from the owners Jo and Robby Bloomfield.
If
camping in the
Queensland side of the QAA Line, a permit is required from the
Queensland National Park and Wildlife. Contact Don Rowlands, National Parks Ranger,
Birdsville.
Things to See & Do
Spinifex Dune, QAA Line - QLD
Spinifex, also known as Triodia Basedowii is a perennial grass that is well conditioned to arid environments. This grass species occurs predominantly in the north of the park, and in regard to the QAA Line – occurs in the few dunes around this particular location.
Georgina Gidgee Interdunes, QAA Line - QLD
Georgina Gidgee, also known as Acacia Georginae is the only tree of any size that occurs in the park’s dune system. This tree species grows throughout the Georgina Basin – hence it’s name Georgina Gidgee. The tree contains the chemicals sodium fluro-acetate which is the active constituent in the poison 1080 – a poison commonly used to control feral animals.
Salt Bush Flats, QAA Line - QLD
This location highlights the Saltbush species also known as genus Atriplex. These plants are an extremely common herbaceous shrub predominantly in arid Australia.
Narrow-leafed Hop Bush, QAA Line - QLD
The narrow-leaved hopbush also known as Dodonaea attenuata is a very common shrub that can be found in the dunefields. It has slightly sticky, glossy leaves which attract ants and the abundance of this shrub species is said to be caused by rabbits overgrazing on other plants. It is an opportunistic species and is common in disturbed environments.
Geosurveys Base A, Old Fuel Dump - NT
Geosurveys Base A is located nearly mid way between the Colson Track and Geosurveys Hill. The old fuel dump from Geosurveys Australia, in the mid 1960's, occurred when oil teams were doing oil exploration work in the remotest parts of the Simpson Desert. There are approximately 30 rusty old 44 gallon drums nearby and there is also a loading ramp and the remains of an old camp.
Thomas No 1 Oil Well - NT
This photo was taken just north of Thomas No 1 Oil Well.
Cresting a large dune, these 2 cleared shot lines stand out like a beacon in the desert. The only reason why they are still visible after all these years is that they were put through a very large grove of Gidgee, making the cleared lines still visible from many kilometres away.
Preparation
This trip should only be undertaken by EXPERIENCED outback desert travellers ONLY! Because of the very remote nature of the area to be travelled, trip leaders must be very competent in
GPS navigation, as there are no tracks to follow for over 90% of the trip, being pure off road travel at a very slow pace.
All supplies of food, water and fuel, must be taken before the trip is started. Do not under estimate your fuel and water usage, as there are no back up supplies to be obtained along the way. Any sort of vehicle recovery would be very difficult and extremely expensive. As well as vehicle preparation, participants’ health issues must also be catered for. Visit your local GP prior to the trip and take a selection of medications that may be needed for such a remote area.
With the nature of many of the dunes to be crossed, I would also highly recommend using the
GPS in conjunction with a moving map programme, such as OziExplorer, and a Laptop computer for real time moving mapping. There will be many times that
GPS navigation will not be enough, and the moving map will help you to navigate safely around some of the larger dunes that will be impossible to cross. First and second gear low range is the usual gearing, showing how slow your progress will be. Also recommend a minimum of 2
GPS units and 2 laptop computers, as well as a standard compass in the group, in case of
GPS failures.
Vehicles must be in first class condition, as well as
tyres, and
suspension. Make sure that you carry extra tyre plugs and tubes, as you will be guaranteed many punctures, mostly side wall type. It will be the first few vehicles in the group that take the lead that are going to be guaranteed punctures, clearing the track for the following vehicles.
Your vehicle will need to be extensively prepared for remote area travel, with all fuel, water, food and vehicle repair equipment and spare parts.
All travellers should read the
4WDriving Topic for related articles and checklists for
vehicle setup and driver awareness. We advise that you refer to the latest information and advice about outback
communications in the
Communications Topic.
Fuel Supplies & Usage
 | Mount Dare Hotel, Birdsville |
Diesel | 4cyl 109 litres |
ULP | 4cyl 125 litres |
LPG | 4cyl 155 litres |
|---|
| 6cyl 119 litres | 6cyl 140 litres | 6cyl 136 litres |
| 8cyl 121 litres | 8cyl 128 litres | |
Usage is averaged from
TrekFuel (* specific to trek) submissions and calculated based on trek distance.
Note: For safety reasons, carry a minimum of 300 litres of diesel per vehicle
Best Time To Visit
May to October
Closest Climatic Station
Oodnadatta Airport
Distance from Trek Mid Point 252.66km SW
| | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Mean Max. °C |
37.7 | 36.6 | 33.7 | 28.5 |
23.2 | 19.9 | 19.5 | 22.0 |
26.5 | 30.2 | 33.8 | 36.4 |
| Mean Min. °C |
22.8 | 22.3 | 19.2 | 14.4 |
9.8 | 6.6 | 5.8 | 7.4 |
11.4 | 15.0 | 18.5 | 21.2 |
| Mean Rain mm |
24.6 | 32.2 | 12.3 | 11.2 |
12.8 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 7.8 |
9.3 | 14.1 | 11.3 | 16.5 |
Best time to travel Ok time to travel Travel NOT recommended
Services & Supplies
The following locations have various services and supplies:
Mount Dare Hotel,
BirdsvilleBasic supplies are available from Mount Dare, with nothing available until the finishing point of
Birdsville, nearly 2 weeks later.
Camp Sites & Accommodation
Distance is GPS recorded driving distance (not straight line), Direction is straight line from start to end, Time is calculated from actual GPS driving data.
