Following Burke & Wills.
Submitted: Thursday, Mar 14, 2019 at 14:53
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David I1
Hi All,
I am planning to do the above trip in June/July and following the planned route as per the book. I am wondering if anybody here has done the trip recently and if so what are the road conditions like especially the number of back roads that are taken. In particular the route taken between
Broken Hill and
Tibooburra (criss crossing the Silver City Hihway, and the back road between
Innamincka and
Birdsville, (ie Via
walkers Crossing) I have never done these roads so I am unsure of what they are like.
My vehicle is a Landrover D4 which has some mods (bask plates) discrete winch, 18" tyres with LT AT tyres, LR tank. The van is a single axle off road type which I have taken on a number of dirt roads, ie Old Eyre highway, Old coach Road, GCR (or shortcut
Perth to
Brisbane), Gibb, so I know it will stand up to "reasonable" punishment.
Any thoughts greatfully appreciated.
David
Reply By: duck - Thursday, Mar 14, 2019 at 15:45
Thursday, Mar 14, 2019 at 15:45
David
The road between
Birdsville & Innaminka "Walkers Crossing" if it rains is just slop & that will
test you
AnswerID:
624416
Follow Up By: HKB Electronics - Thursday, Mar 14, 2019 at 16:02
Thursday, Mar 14, 2019 at 16:02
Agree we did it about three years ago, it had rained some sections we bypassed.
Rained overnight at Innaminka had to stay another day till the road dried out.
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Reply By: rumpig - Thursday, Mar 14, 2019 at 18:41
Thursday, Mar 14, 2019 at 18:41
If you plan to drive
Wanaaring to
Tibooburra, it's a pretty boring stretch of dirt road IMO, but was in really good condition when we drove it last (September last year, sll that means little now). Do yourself a favour and drive from
Tibooburra to
Cameron Corner via
Sturt National Park, the view from the jump up there is
well worth the detour, and it's just a nice drive (though there are some pretty stoney areas along that route also, so good tyres are a must)....a mate with us towed his Lifestyle van through there without issue.
AnswerID:
624418
Follow Up By: David I1 - Thursday, Mar 14, 2019 at 20:20
Thursday, Mar 14, 2019 at 20:20
I am sure there are large sections of "boring stretches". Reading the book even B & W commented on the deserted landscape and nothing to see but rocks and hot sun!!. But thats what I really want to experience... isolation and the vastness of the landscape to fully comprehend what they must have gone through in 1861!!
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: rumpig - Thursday, Mar 14, 2019 at 21:29
Thursday, Mar 14, 2019 at 21:29
Normally I enjoy driving outback roads, but something about that stretch bored both myself and my mate travelling in his his vehicle with us senseless.....it wasn't even vast openess, it was more just a long tree lined dirt road that gave you nothing to look at but the scrub beside the track.
If you visit the
camp at the weir of
Lake Pamamaroo, do yourself a favour and
camp away from the campgrounds down by the lakes edge.... in a sea of drought the
Darling River Run was last September, it was a stunning green oasis.
FollowupID:
897908
Reply By: Baz - The Landy - Thursday, Mar 14, 2019 at 20:47
Reply By: Bill P - Saturday, Mar 16, 2019 at 23:51
Saturday, Mar 16, 2019 at 23:51
Hi Dave, I went through
Broken Hill to Mootawinji to
Tibooburra then
Innamincka in Jan this year in a SUV. Not towing. OEM tyres. The stones on the road can have hard sharp edges so LT tyres would be handy.
AnswerID:
624460
Reply By: Member - DOZER - Monday, Mar 18, 2019 at 11:49
Monday, Mar 18, 2019 at 11:49
We did the trip many years ago. We started at
Menindee lakes for the wills tree blazed tree. On to Mootwingee, then one tree, across to
packsaddle. That stretch was the most scenic of the trip....i took the caravan, so have fun. Take good tyres, got a flat out front of the caravan park at Tibbaburra!! Big thorns around, especially off the side of the road. Tibbuburra to Cameron is a slow drive, take care the sand hills have blowouts on the eastern sides...other than that, enjoy your trip, take your time and there are also a few different routes, ie bollards lagoon access is via camerons corner store.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Member - DOZER - Monday, Mar 18, 2019 at 13:55
Monday, Mar 18, 2019 at 13:55
I got
Menindee spelling right thou...there is an awsome re-enactment at the national parks office in Tibbuburra
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Member - DOZER - Monday, Mar 18, 2019 at 13:57
Monday, Mar 18, 2019 at 13:57
PS, the
walkers crossing road is rocky up towards
Birdsville, nothing other than using good (new) tyres and rain to worry about
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Member - DOZER - Tuesday, Mar 19, 2019 at 14:55
Tuesday, Mar 19, 2019 at 14:55
Just looked up their route, and it seems they travelled from
Menindee nnw to thargaminda before heading n/w to
birdsville through sturts stoney desert....is this what the book says?
AnswerID:
624493
Follow Up By: David I1 - Tuesday, Mar 19, 2019 at 17:30
Tuesday, Mar 19, 2019 at 17:30
Hi Dozer,
Book says head out fromTibooburra via the Wompah
gate and the Bulloo Downs Rd to
Thargomindah. Then head west via the Bulloo Dev Rd (Adventure way) to
Innamincka. Then head South west and then north via
Walkers crossing and the
Birdsville Track to
birdsville. On many occasions the route taken in the book criss crosses the "actual" B & W route via back roads as the now new roads do not follow the actual route taken. For example between Medindi and
Tibooburra you could take the Silver City highway but the actual route is about 80 Kms to the East, so you miss
Broken Hill and work your way on back roads to
Mutawintji, and as there is no roads to follow the actual route you are forced to go via
Tibooburra. It is a great book and a great read and has very detailed notes and pictures that are dated about 2012. Hence my question on current road conditions, as I travelled that way in 2014 doing the Simpson and heading down to
Broken Hill for the way
home.
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Member - DOZER - Tuesday, Mar 19, 2019 at 20:51
Tuesday, Mar 19, 2019 at 20:51
We were in
Birdsville in June 2018, travelled the
walkers crossing road to
Innamincka, (congee lakes) then dig tree, Nockatunga,
Thargomindah,
Hungerford. Found the roads easy going, lots better than my last
innamincka to dig tree road experience in 1990. North of
walkers crossing is rocky so suggest you invest in the shade cloth stone deflectors that sit horizontal between rear bumper and trailer either side of A frame. These work the best apparently
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: rumpig - Tuesday, Mar 19, 2019 at 21:12
Tuesday, Mar 19, 2019 at 21:12
Amazing how much bitumin is appearing out there now...was surprised how far the black stuff was past the
Noccundra Hotel now when we were there in September. All the roads we drove that trip were in great condition, bit different to the Merty Merty was in June July school holidays after the Big Red Bash, it was badly chopped up then...though when we came back through in September it had all been repaired and was a great drive again.
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