Water ideas for walking the Trans-Access Rd

Submitted: Wednesday, May 28, 2014 at 19:03
ThreadID: 107994 Views:2444 Replies:6 FollowUps:11
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Hi, I'm walking Perth to Sydney starting in August. I'll either go the highway or the trans-access rd. I'd much much prefer the trans-access rd, but the highway is much safer in terms of water and food.
Supposing I can carry 100kg in my trolley/cart that I've rigged up, does anyone have any ideas about getting water?
Do places like Forrest and Zanthus have water at all?
If worse comes to worst I'll walk the highway, where 190km is the furtherest distance between fuel stops. That'll be no dramas.

Cheers,
Patrick
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Reply By: Motherhen - Wednesday, May 28, 2014 at 19:24

Wednesday, May 28, 2014 at 19:24
You can contact the people at Forrest Patrick, by I think Zanthus is an abandoned settlement.
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Follow Up By: Member - Boobook - Wednesday, May 28, 2014 at 19:28

Wednesday, May 28, 2014 at 19:28
A good person to ask would be Robin at Maralinga. He used to work on the railway, and may know the station stop water situation. He also has a couple of hundred thousand liters of rainwater at Maralinga.

Look up Maralinga in places for his contact info.

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Follow Up By: The Explorer - Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 10:29

Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 10:29
Hi

There appeared to be people in residence in Zanthus when I went past in Feb 2013 (several cars and trucks present)...which is not to say they are there now.

Cheers
Greg
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Reply By: Peter_n_Margaret - Wednesday, May 28, 2014 at 20:01

Wednesday, May 28, 2014 at 20:01
The trans access road might be tough on your cart.
Would be a problem if the wheels fell off....

Cheers,
Peter
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Follow Up By: Echucan Bob - Wednesday, May 28, 2014 at 22:37

Wednesday, May 28, 2014 at 22:37
Peter, yes it is rough. We went from Kal to Forrest at Easter and gave up and headed down to the bitumen. If I were walking I'd make a barrow with a wheel that could run on a train Line rail. You would need to jump clear when a train came along.

We camped beside the track near Haigh. The trains thundered through all night and were awesome. The first one woke me and the incredible rumbling was pretty scary. We were camped right at the western end of the 477km straight section. The light of an approaching train lit us up for several minutes before it rumbled through. I wonder what sort of globes they use?

Water is available at Tarcoola, Maralinga (according to the above), Cook, Forrest and Rawlinna. If you had a barrow running on a rail, you could carry enough to make each refill.

Bob
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Follow Up By: Les PK Ranger - Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 14:36

Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 14:36
He won't be walking fast :D
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Reply By: Echucan Bob - Wednesday, May 28, 2014 at 22:43

Wednesday, May 28, 2014 at 22:43
Patrick, how about a bike with flanged wheels and an outrigger wheel for riding along the train line.

Bob
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Follow Up By: Member - Duncan W (WA) - Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 09:51

Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 09:51
Bob just how slow a drive was the Trans Line? We will be driving it as far as the Cable Haul Rd in July and was hoping far a reasonably fast drive as far as that turn-off.

Thanks

Dunc
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Follow Up By: rocco2010 - Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 13:53

Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 13:53
Gidday Duncan

It is a few years since I was on the trans road but the bit you are talking about, presuming you are heading east, was a pretty good road.

Lovely drive through the woodlands too.

Cheers

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Follow Up By: Member - Duncan W (WA) - Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 14:44

Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 14:44
Thanks Rocco, Bob's comments above had me a little concerned as the timeframe we've got to do our trip is constrained and the first couple of days we will be putting in some long hours and as much distance as we can muster, but with time to smell the roses and me to take photos along the way.

Cheers

Dunc.

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Follow Up By: Echucan Bob - Sunday, Jun 01, 2014 at 23:05

Sunday, Jun 01, 2014 at 23:05
Dunc, from Rawlinna to Forrest we managed about 20 kph but slowed to walking through sections of white rock.

Bob
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Reply By: Krooznalong - Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 13:20

Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 13:20
Patrick - you raising money for something or is this just for fun?
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Reply By: theperthvan - Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 14:18

Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 14:18
Thanks to everybody for the advice, please keep them going.

Nah I'm not doing it to raise money, it's just to do something difficult and perhaps for some isolation.

Rail-wheel idea: I can't visualise how this'd work. Would there be one wheel sticking out the side of a cart that could plop straight onto the track?

Cheers Echucan Bob, that's an encouraging list. Still, that gets up to 300km between water, which'd be 50kg of water as a pretty optimistic estimate.
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Follow Up By: Dave(NSW) - Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 23:12

Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 23:12
I would get the railway line idea out of your head unless you want to pay a massive fine, If I remember right your not allowed to even use the track right next to the line.
Cheers Dave.
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Follow Up By: Echucan Bob - Sunday, Jun 01, 2014 at 23:17

Sunday, Jun 01, 2014 at 23:17
Theperthvan,

If you had a cart with two axles and four pneumatic wheels you could have a flanged wheel in the middle of each axle. (like a train wheel but with a flange on both sides of the wheel). The walker would need to balance the cart so the pneumatic wheels were just clear of the ballast gravel.

Dave, you get so much warning of impending trains you could be well off the track minutes before the driver could see you. So much time you could even cover yourself in branches and bushes.

Bob
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Follow Up By: Dave(NSW) - Sunday, Jun 01, 2014 at 23:38

Sunday, Jun 01, 2014 at 23:38
Bob,
I know how far away you can see the trains coming, Back in the early 70s I spent 19 months working out of Kitchener replacing wooden sleepers with concrete ones. I still wouldn't advise any one going on or near the rail line.
Cheers Dave
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Reply By: Barbera72 - Friday, May 30, 2014 at 17:01

Friday, May 30, 2014 at 17:01
I personally would stay on bitumen and fill many containers of water when I can and ask motorists to drop them further along the way at agreed intervals, on the side of the road for you to collect. There are enough nice people travelling willing to do so. This system works for desert walkers.
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