fun trip #2

Phil
Nice rig mate.
One point to remember about travelling CSR in early October is that it's already beginning to get hot up here. I don't think it will be an issue but speaking from personal experience it can be very uncomfortable out there if you do happen to break down and people have perished (last October actually).
Having said that your rig is more than capable and Well 23 is not that far in.
Will you have Satphone?
Take plenty of water and let people know where you'll be on what days, then contact them as soon as you hit civilisation again at Newman.
If you like I can be a point of contact up here as it's right in my backyard

Hi Phil ,
I just came up the CSR from the Neds Creek road to the turnoff up to Rudal NP in August in a Landcruiser 100 TD decked out like yours but with the addition of front and rear diff locks . ( I did not require the diff locks on this track )
I would have no fears about doing it by myself . If you did manage to screw up somehow , there is heaps of people "doing the CSR "( too many actually ) that could give you a hand .
I never had to have two goes at any dune in 2500 klm of meandering through the Little Sandy and Great Sandy Deserts , in fact my car was named "The Queen of the Desert " by my fellow travellers because the auto did everthing so effortlessly .
It was quite cool in August in fact below freezing at night quite often . However , Coops is right on ,when he says that it will be warming up in a hurry and to take plenty of water , and organize your fuel .
Regards ,
Willie

THANKS WILLIE...I REALLY DO APPRECIATE THE HELP...I DO HAVE DIFF LOCK BY THE WAY THANKS BUD....

You must be as silly as me spending untold dollars on your bloody car !

1. YOU THINK 50 LITRES IS ENOUGH WATER FOR 2 PEOPLE WILLIE ,PLUS ALSO A LITTLE OF THE AMBER LIQUID AND SOFT DRINK....

I think it’s enough if you only drink with it . You can get good water from many of the wells although some are buggered.

Somebody on this chatroom will be able to tell you which ones have good water . We were able to pick up water at Derba Springs and this is permanent water although we put it through a filter .The Calvert Ranges had water in most gorges ,
but these will start to dry up soon . Great for using to wash your clothes in or for showers in fact the water in most Gorges we just drank without filtering . Just depended if we thought people had been swimming in them .

2. ANY IDEA HOW MUCH FUEL I WOULD EXPECT TO USE FROM NEDS CREEK TO WELL 23/24....

You might think I’m crazy , but I kept no details about fuel consumption as we had two dumps set up and I held 280 litres anyway - which was much more than the other four cars with me could carry . So I just figured they would all run out before me so “ why worry “. That’s a bad attitude but take into account that I was on a Tagalong with Murchison Safaris and they knew exactly what was required .

We did not seem to use any more fuel at our 25 kph average than we did at highway speeds – that was interesting .

3. I CAN IMAGINE IT STARTING TO HEAT UP ...YOU THINK THE NIGHTS WOULD STILL BE COOL AND IS THERE HUMIDITY...

There was bugger all humidity and the nights will still be very cold for you , even in October .

SORRY ABOUT ALL THE QUESTIONS...AS MUCH AS IM EXCITED ABOUT DOING THE TRIP I ALSO WANT TO BE AWARE OF THE DANGERS...

CHEERS WILLIE

Whatever you do , don’t go roaring down the stock route without stopping to look at the Calvert Ranges . We spent five days there exploring the gorges and looking at all the aboriginal art in the caves . The CSR is as boring as batbleep. We went up to the Rudal NP ( fantastic place ) and finally ended up at Marble Bar .

Be prepared for really bad corrugations on the stock route . They are an absolute bastard . I know how you must be excited .

I spent a month packing and re-packing my car – I just could not wait to get away . I ended up doing 11,500 klm on the trip . 9000 klm for the boring trip over and back and 2500 klm through the desert .

I had no mechanical problems . My only problem was staking two tyres in 15 minutes while trying to make a new road into The Upper Carrawine Gorge .

Email me if you have any questions – I am retired and have oodles of time , but I leave for Canada this Sunday .

Have a great time ,

Willie .

Phil ,
I was apprehensive about the sand hills myself . That is why I went on my first trip through the desert on a Murchison Safaris Tagalong . I did not have the confidence to go by myself . I learnt so much on my four week trip with them - driving in sand etc , where to look for art sites , how to repair tyres , bush cooking and so many small bits of bushcraft and so much info on the bird / animal life , aboriginal customs and on the history of the area
There were very few flies in August , but by October there will be heaps . I would definitely take those daggy looking nets to put over your hats . They might look dumb but they are a real saviour . We had a few mozzies because there was a lot of water in the gorges - I never got bitten so they were not a problem except if you are sleeping without mesh .
Regarding your lack of response from the site . It has happened to me on occasions , but other times I have been absolutely swamped with info - so don't give up . I have found though , that most people seem to be more interested in discussing gear than places to go .
Vacume pack your meat in the quantities that you will need for each meal . Take
plenty of garlic , onions , tomatoes , carrots , potatoes as they all last well .
We took heaps of eggs to make hard boiled eggs for lunches and we had a couple of slices of salami , cheese , olives , dill cucumbers ,tomatoes and asparagus for lunch every day with dried fruit as a desert . It was important not to leave any of the fruit or veges in plastic bags as the bags made the stuff go rotten ..
Cheers ,
Willie .