Simpson Desert via Geosurveys Hill

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.

When travelling through SA Desert Parks, a valid Desert Parks Pass is required. A Desert Park Pass can be purchased online directly from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources SA here: http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/Park_Entry_Fees/Parks_Passes 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.

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 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