Birdsville to Alice Springs

We would need to know what type of car you are driving to give a fuel estimate as that would vary wildly depending if you are in an economical 4 cylinder diesel or a v8 petrol Cruiser or Patrol. Also whether you are towing or not. The amount of water would be influenced by how many people in the car and how many days you would like to take for the crossing, that is, are you pushing it or camping a lot. If you allow for around 700kms of sand driving plus an emergency margin in case you get most of the way across and are blocked for any reason, (fire, flood), and have to turn back then you will be in the ball park.

And of course what fuel you are using, diesel or ULP . . .you would be able to get fuel at Mt Dare, from BV to there via your Rig Rd route, probably ~ 600 - 650km.
As you are probably going up the Finke - Maryvale Rd to Alice (not out the Kulgera and the highway ?), do schedule Chambers Pillar in there if you haven't been there before, well worth the short detour and camp there.
there is fuel at Finke and Maryvale too, estimate it would be about same or less cost than Mt Dare ??
From our trip through Finke last June, their diesel was 2.10/lt.

Do you have a mapping system like Hema 4WD maps ??
It is VERY easy to plot your route, gives detailed distances etc.

Even free Memory Maps on your home computer is great for planning distances / routes not plotable on Google etc.

Fuel, ensure you know what you use for sand / dunes.
Rig Rd is the easiest crossing line, did it October 2015, it was very fast (2 days from Warburton access, it was hot !) and a bit boring to be honest.
Maybe WAA line would suit you, and go down Knolls Tk to visit Approdinna Attora Knolls as well.


For our 3.0 tdi types vehicles, we always aim to take 170lt or so, in case detours or even turn backs are needed.
I usually use around the 100lt mark for BV to Mt Dare.

My mates old V6 3.0 petrol used 117lt on a west - east crossing in 2014, which was pretty good, 2 of them went very lightweight across, carrying 170lt of ULP.

Be trip prepared, crossings are relatively easy when everything goes right.
It only takes some recent rain, heat, a breakdown, or medical emergency, etc, to really complicate things, and become obvious why some extra special preparations are needed for the desert trips.

We're doing the same route as you Deejay, in early July. Haven't been on K1 yet, but Rig Road is a "piece of p!ss". An ideal trip for first time.

Last June, we did QAA, French Line, then down Knoll's Track to the Rig Road, along Rig to Lone Gum, then up Erabena to WAA Line, then west onto French Line, Dalhousie and Mt Dare.

WAA is heavy going, especially going west, but on refuelling at Mt Dare, only used 103.3L in a 2015 Landcruiser V8 single cab. Did 648.6kms from Birdsville. Don't recall what our companions used in their vehicles. We had about 130L of water with us, and topped the tanks up at Mt Dare.

I'd imagine your planned route wouldn't be much longer, if any, than our trip in 2016. As far as scenery goes, it's all in the eye of the traveller. Bet there's many, many desert travellers that only do it for bragging rights, or to tick off the bucket list. Haven't done the full French Line, but the Rig Road is good, the road is, for most part, in good order. Thought the WAA Line was quite scrubby, and not as easy to get good views.

There's heaps to see, whether it's the different bird species, huge variety of plant life or the chance to see a camel, dingo and some reptilian specimen. Where dunes are further apart, the scenery is maybe better. Plenty of salt lakes on the Rig..........drive on them at your peril!

Is that positive enough? :-)

Bob

DeeJay, we may see you on the track - we are absolute virgin's on these tracks so all of the information provided is very valuable.
Enjoy as I am sure it will be a great trip - we certainly intend it to be

I found Finke to Maryvale rougher than the Simpson. Ruts in sand with corro at the bottom. What a pox.

Mt Dare gives some useful info on preparing for and managing a crossing:http://www.mtdare.com.au/the-australian-outback

Deejay…

Whilst there is no harm asking others to confirm the distances you have calculated for the route, it is critical that you do the planning – after all it is your “seat in the sling” if something goes wrong.

Have you got a set of paper maps that you can trace your route and calculate the distances yourself?

This should be a prerequisite for anyone undertaking remote area travel and I'd encourage you to get a set of the Hema Desert Tracks if you don't already have them.

I raise it because on first read of your post it seems to suggest you are looking for others to do this for you – but accept my apologies if this isn’t the case and it may simply be the way I am reading your request…

So moving on...

The Simpson is an enjoyable trip that deserves more time than a lot of people allocate to it. My suggestion is to give yourself plenty of time to soak it all up, take a couple of days to just set-up camp and explore the local area on foot, especially at night. In fact, being a desert there often is more wildlife on the move at night than there is during daylight hours.

Mind you, that is my preference based on what I look for in this type of trip and it may not be everyone's cup of tea...

A good book to read before heading into the region is “The Simpson Desert: natural history and human endeavour” by Mark Shephard. Or “Crossing the Dead-Heart” by Cecil Madigan (if you can find a copy!).

On the proposed route, most of the tracks are fairly straight forward in terms of navigation as highlighted by others, but clearly conditions can vary.

Fuel usage – I would factor in at least 30-40% above normal consumption for the desert work. It may be greater than what you need, but better to overestimate, rather than underestimate consumption.

And water – it is lifeblood of our existence, so allow at least 4-5 litres per person, per day, with extra for any unexpected delays.

Draw on your experience from your CSR trip; it should give you a reasonable basis for making some assumptions on fuel and water planning.

And that is always my mantra for remote area travel. Plan, have a plan, and review your plan before you drive out the front-gate…

Food for thought, hopefully and above all else – enjoy!

Cheers, Baz – The Landy

Hi Deejay,
Are you travelling alone, as in solo vehicle?

We are planning this trip next year and at this stage going alone. Lots of planning ahead :)

Hi DJ, have a look at Eyre Creek QAA line in places. The Wet has been living up to its name so the creek could be flowing.... W