Posted to a thread previously somewhere on the
forum, but wanted to point out here in the Trek notes . . .
http://www.exploroz.com/TrekNotes/RedCtr/Simpson_Desert_via_Geosurveys_Hill.aspx
The Open Street Map route overlay in the
Simpson Desert via
Geosurveys Hill trek . . .
Don't follow these shot lines up top from Mirraponga Pongunna Lake (itself very dodgy driving, soft even at some fringes), they are no longer driveable.
Although you can see faint outlines of them very rarely, all the terrain is 'mongulated'.
Better to go up the corridors from French Line (a little east of Erabena Tk), or come down from Madigan.
We tried going from Geo Centre to Geosurveys, but with only 6km to go recognised we had to bail out as the East - West direction was just too fuel sapping to keep going west (unsure if anything like a track from the
hill to Colson), and trying to make the Colson crossing, going out via Madigan 2, 1a, Mac Clark, Old
Andado, etc to Mt Dare.
We bailed back to Gen Centre corridor, then south as best we could to FL as above.
The main issue was fuel.
3.0TDi duel cabs that normally use 17lt/100km normal desert crossing maximum, were using more like 30, maybe 40lt at times !!
The mongulated terrain was the issue mostly, with speeds of only 10km/hr possible most of the time, 3 days in there we managed between 50km and 70km for a while day driving, just about idling, too much on / off pedal with terrain, using fuel in vast amounts.
I made Mt Dare with ~ 10lt of fuel out of 205lt I left
Birdsville with.
Will be going back in a couple of years, do that route in reverse though until making
Geosurveys Hill, Geo Centre(s) again, then either down to FL or up to Madigan.
Cheers,
Les