Windorah to Birdsville road conditions
Submitted: Monday, Jun 22, 2015 at 21:46
ThreadID:
119266
Views:
3005
Replies:
5
FollowUps:
10
This Thread has been Archived
Yvonne G
Can anyone advise the road conditions between
Windorah and
Birdsville. Heading out there next week for the Big Red Bash in our Winnebago
Esperance. Very excited!!! TIA.
Reply By: Motherhen - Monday, Jun 22, 2015 at 22:00
Monday, Jun 22, 2015 at 22:00
Sorry, no first hand current experience. Last official report (18th June) was
"Restricted to four wheel drive vehicles only. High clearance vehicle recommended."
AnswerID:
556240
Follow Up By: Yvonne G - Tuesday, Jun 23, 2015 at 09:18
Tuesday, Jun 23, 2015 at 09:18
Thanks for your
feedback. Will
check out before we hit the road. Travel safely
FollowupID:
842388
Reply By: Sigmund - Monday, Jun 22, 2015 at 22:02
Reply By: Kevin E1 - Tuesday, Jun 23, 2015 at 13:05
Tuesday, Jun 23, 2015 at 13:05
Hi Yvonne,
We are in a group also heading to the Big Red Bash. Most roads out that way are open to
4WD traffic at the moment but I can only see it improving as the conditions dry out.
See you at the Bash.
Kev
AnswerID:
556255
Follow Up By: Alloy c/t - Tuesday, Jun 23, 2015 at 15:41
Tuesday, Jun 23, 2015 at 15:41
They can only improve if the graders get on them , just cause they dry out does not mean they improve , the damage has already been done.
FollowupID:
842405
Follow Up By: Sigmund - Wednesday, Jun 24, 2015 at 08:06
Wednesday, Jun 24, 2015 at 08:06
The damage is done by people driving them when they're wet.
FollowupID:
842436
Reply By: Alloy c/t - Tuesday, Jun 23, 2015 at 15:47
Tuesday, Jun 23, 2015 at 15:47
The ONLY true way to get the road report is to phone the council depot foreman at
Windorah if coming from the east or the
police in
Birdsville if coming from the south , the road report web sights are very often not updated for several days ..
AnswerID:
556265
Follow Up By: Sigmund - Wednesday, Jun 24, 2015 at 08:05
Wednesday, Jun 24, 2015 at 08:05
If there's no change, generally they don't get updated. No need.
Doesn't apply to this website however.
An alt to the website I posted above is the Info Centre in
Birdsville. You can call them in biz hours.
FollowupID:
842435
Reply By: Member - Robert1660 - Wednesday, Jun 24, 2015 at 20:41
Wednesday, Jun 24, 2015 at 20:41
We travelled to the Big Red Bash last year and found the road from
Windorah to
Birdsville very good. It is a mixed gravel/ bitumen road. By that I mean that it has many stretches of sealed road with gravel stretches in-between. Of course the condition of the gravel will be determined by the number of vehicles that have travelled on it previously and the frequency of grading. Certainly the weather will also be a factor. Nevertheless in 2014 we found it very good.
AnswerID:
556309
Follow Up By: Yvonne G - Wednesday, Jun 24, 2015 at 20:53
Wednesday, Jun 24, 2015 at 20:53
Thanks everyone for your replies. We will be leaving from CQ ?Sunday and will
check with the right people depending on the weather. Mother Nature, she is not to be played around with. Should be a great road trip. Looking forward to meeting some new friends and seeing some new country. Very Excited.
FollowupID:
842449
Follow Up By: Member - Robert1660 - Wednesday, Jun 24, 2015 at 20:56
Wednesday, Jun 24, 2015 at 20:56
With respect to the Big Red Bash it was fantastic last year. However, a few things that may help you based on our experience. It is best to
camp at the venue. If you travel each day you will soon notice how the road from
Birdsville seriously deteriorates. Although many portable
toilets were available it is best to take your own Porta-Pottie. This will allow you to avoid the queues. We also took our portable shower which does make life a little more bearable. Sand pegs are also essential. An annex or some place to sit out of the sun during the day is useful. It can be quite windy so be prepared and it is cold at night when watching performances. The lake bed where we camped last year had small burrs which were not good with any bare feet. If you are planning to stay in
Birdsville prior or following the concert you should book. The night prior to being allowed to
camp at Big Red some 500 vehicles were are the caravan park.
Check out some YouTube clips by searching "
Birdsville Big Red Bash".
FollowupID:
842450
Follow Up By: Yvonne G - Wednesday, Jun 24, 2015 at 21:51
Wednesday, Jun 24, 2015 at 21:51
Thanks for your important info Robert. Do you think that the venue would be suitable for someone using an electric wheelchair. We would love to
camp out at Big Red, but we have a self contained Winnebago
Esperance and the Navigator uses an electric wheelchair. Is it very sandy, or a firm surface. What do you think? Should we
camp in town and just come out daily or will it be suitable for us out at the site? Would love to
camp out there with everyone else, depending on the weather conditions in the next week. Is there
free camping close to town for the days before the event or must we book in to the caravan park? Still excited!!! Thanks again.
FollowupID:
842452
Follow Up By: Member - Robert1660 - Thursday, Jun 25, 2015 at 07:33
Thursday, Jun 25, 2015 at 07:33
Hi Yvonne. It is certainly very sandy out at Big Red. The
camping area on the lake bed is reasonable but I had to use sand pegs to support my annex. Last year the concert was held at the base of Big Red not towards the top as the previous year. Being at the base made trips back to the
camp much easier however there was still a considerable amount of soft sand to negotiate. I really do worry about whether the wheel chair would manage. You might like to enquire with the organisers about wheel chair access. Travelling out each day has advantages for you but you would need to be careful near the
camping area as there is quite soft sand to negotiate. A 4wd is a considerable advantage in this respect. I cannot remember exactly if there is
free camping close to town. Others may be able to offer advice regarding this.
FollowupID:
842461
Follow Up By: Yvonne G - Thursday, Jun 25, 2015 at 08:04
Thursday, Jun 25, 2015 at 08:04
Thanks for that Robert. Will suss it all out when (and if) we finally get there. Looks like it might be best to travel out daily, might be too sandy. The weather is weird for this time of the year. Just hope the people who need rain get it.
FollowupID:
842463
Follow Up By: Member - Robert1660 - Thursday, Jun 25, 2015 at 17:49
Thursday, Jun 25, 2015 at 17:49
Hi Yvonne. Weather last year was very good. However, it was quite windy during the day. They moved the concert off the top of Big Red to the lower part because of the wind. Days were about 20 degrees, but the nights were cold. Good luck with everything.
FollowupID:
842487