Any Birdsville ExplorOz members?

Submitted: Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 08:26

ThreadID: 143689 Views:6433 Replies:6 FollowUps:12

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Member - John

Good morning, just wondering if there are any ExplorOz members or readers of the forum in Birdsville that I may prevail upon?
Reason, planning a Simpson crossing trip in early September, coming from Melbourne, but wish to do some touring up to Cairns, Lawn Hill etc, before the crossing. I will be using 6 plastic jerry cans on the roof rack for water during the crossing and rather than cart the empty jerry cans all around Queensland was wondering if I could store them in Birdsville prior to my Queens land touring? I already have the jerry can's, so don't really want to buy new ones in Mt Isa or some where on the way back to Birdsville. Hope the above makes sense? Thanks in advance.

John and Jan

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Reply By: Member - Jim S1 - Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 09:03

Reply By: Member - Duncan2H - Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 10:02

Reply By: ExplorOz Team - Michelle - Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 17:20

Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 17:20

Hi John, nice thought but Birdsville and surrounds only has a population of around 100 people and they are station workers etc. No need for them to be Members as they aren't "travellers" as such. We do have a long history with many of the Birdsville business owners and local families however as residents they don't need the services of ExplorOz to do their jobs. At one time about 12 years ago, the previous caravan park owner (Ruth) had listed on ExplorOz as a "business member" for advertising benefit but we don't offer that these days because all the ads come from Google.

I do agree with some other comments here that 120L of washing/ablution water is a lot to carry, and especially on a roofrack for a desert crossing. It is common to scrimp on water usage in remote locations to avoid the need to have an increased weight load. 10L total water usage per adult per day including drinking, cooking and washing should be the aim. That's not a lot so most people will relax the "washing" requirement to reuse as much water as possible and not fill up tubs/sinks and use wet wipes or use a wet facecloth for a quick AP&C wash of the body at morning and night. Also - most roof racks are not rated to carry above 100kg and there's centre of gravity issues to consider, as well as the increase on fuel consumption. The "problems" that can arise from overloading your vehicle with water are concerning...

Michelle Martin
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Follow Up By: Member - John - Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 17:51

Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 17:51

Michelle, Thanks for the reply, I thought I may as well ask the question as one never knows.

As to the amount of water carried, we are going to spend a couple days of days at Kuderee Waterhole, so all up our crossing maybe 8-9 days, about twice the length of the average crossing. 10lts per day x 2 persons x 8/9 days = 160/180lts so 120lts is a fair way under the recommended requirements, with nothing for contingencies.

We do use wet wipes etc and are fairly water use conscious. I also know about roof rack limits etc, but as a "one off" see no other option. The plan was to head off from Birdsville with two of the jerry cans inside the vehicle and as soon as practicable, transfer a full one inside, so all up 80kg on the roof rack for a limited time, which I don't see as a serious problem. The comment about 6 jerry cans on the roof rack was only while transiting, so they will be empty. Cheers.

John and Jan

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