Brief trip report of Simpson crossing in diesel Pajero

I've just completed an 11 day trip from Melbourne to Dalhousie Springs and across the Simpson to Birdsville then home via Innaminka and Tibooburra. I travelled with two other vehicles. The Pajero performed faultlessly, ticking over 200,000kms just before Marree. It was relatively lightly loaded with only me on board, 60 lit of diesel in 10 lit jerries (only needed one but it was good to have plenty to spare), 30 lit of water, and recovery gear. For the whole trip it returned 10.6 lit/100kms and for the crossing it returned 13.5, using 97.3 lit for 720kms from Oodnadatta to Birdsville (this included 3 trips from Big Red to Birdsville for mechanical problems with another vehicle). I ran about 18psi in the front and 20 in the rear. I used high range initially but put it into low as we headed further east and into softer sand and higher dunes. The lack of traction control in my 03 GLS was not a problem, but I did have to back down for a second attempt on a hand full of dunes. There was traffic going both ways and it seemed to me the eastern approaches were smoother and less rutted. Temperatures reached 37 during the day (pretty hot for late August/early September) and about mid teens over night, which was a real surprise as I'd taken so much clothing and bedding I never used (lol). It was a fabulous trip and the nights in the desert were spectacular.