Andamooka to Mugaria Station

Well, this is one of those posts that will raise more questions than it answers!

I can't answer even one thing here, but I got LOTS of questions...

What sort of quad?
What do you carry for say 3 night trips?
What sort of mileage through sand?
What is the legal aspect of these things on roads, like aren't they illegal? ( who cares...)
What sort of camera are you using?
How do you transport the quad & trailer to Andamooka?
Have you got a eab site so we can see your set=up?

I've always wanted to do this sort of thing, but I'm not REALLY sure if I want to spend the serious money.... maybe you could enlighten me....

Cheers

Wolfie

Hi Lone Wolf.

I'm new to this group so am not too clear on where the limits lay. I'm not sure if this kind of vehicle should be discussed. I just wanted some insight about the sand dunes. Also not clear on how long posts can be.

Bike is a Kawasaki Bayou, mid 90's with 20 000 km up. 300cc. All I could afford. Belonged to an ageing farmer and is in good condition.

I've never camped with the bike before but i'm an experienced camper. I'll camp one and two nights.

On the trailer I have 40 liters of fuel, two spare wheels, sleeping bag and tent etc. and a few odds and ends.

On the bike I have 15 liters emergency water plus regular water, 10 liters fuel, ammo box of emergency gear(tools, jack, recovery gear, puncture plugs and pump etc.), ammo box with cameras etc., small gas stove and billies. That's all on the rear rack. On the front I've made a wooden box for some tripods with extra, small compartments for GPS and the like.

A large part of South Australia is pastoral lease. The station roads and tracks, as opposed to the public roads, are privately owned. In some cases you can get permission from the lease holder to access their land.

ATVs are not regiserable in NSW or SA so you can't take them on a public road or any other public place. That includes forrestry tracks.

I get 10 km/liter on firm ground riding on forrestry tracks fully loaded with the trailer and all. I expect my fuel consumption to double in sand country.

My serious camera is a Mamiya RB67 medium format camera. That means it has a negative 6cm x 7cm for detail and sharpness. I also use a small digital camera and will take a nikon 35mm camera on my coming trip.

My son works at Olympic Dam mine and lives in Roxby Downs. My wife and I will stay with him for a couple of weeks and I'll venture out into the desert as appropriate. I've built the small trailer so I can remove the wheels and fit it in the big trailer under the bike. I've been comunicating with some station managers and will leave the car at their homestead complexes for safety.

You can pick up an ex farm bike about this age and capacity for about two grand or a bit more. A larger 4x4 bike would be great but we've all got to live within our means.

To venture into the desert more than a couple of kms the way I'm doing it is not to be undertaken lightly. I have GPS, EPIRB, satellite phone. I've been studying maps and satelite photos for 12 months. I've drawn up a safety plan detailing hazards, risks, controls and emergency responses. I have an emergency person and will call in twice a day. I've built the trailer such that should I have to abandon the bike and walk, a handle goes in the drawbar so I can trolley my water, food and sleeping bag. I can walk 50 kms in two days.

I don't know what an eab site is but I have a couple of websites with some pictures and blurb. uk.geocities.com/laurie_m48/ and www.geocities.com/laurie_m48/ Hope I'm allowed to include these links.
link text
link text
Regards,
Laurie.

Hi Trevor, thanks for the info.

I'd like to confirm that we are talking about the same track.

The propper, official track goes fairly closely around the northern tip of Lake Torrens. You can turn off to the north and go to Stuart Creek Opal Diggings.

The map shows a fence line which is the boundry between Andamooka country and Mulgaria country and which crosses Lake Torrens about 10 km south east of the official track.

An Ausat 7 photograph shows some markings in about the same line as the map shows the fence. Obviously you can't see a wire netting fence from space so I reckon there must be a bit of a track along the boundry fence. This was confirmed by the author of an archived post. This is the track I'm enquiring about.

I suspect you are referring to the official track, in which case it sounds like I'd get through that way but would miss out on the experience of crossing the lake.

Edward John Eyre was the first white man to explore the area from Adelade up the Flinders ranges. He made three attempts to cross Lake Torrens. On his third and most valliant attempt he got 10 miles into the lake but turned back sooner than loose the horses which were bogging up to their bellies. Presumably, if he lost the horses he'd have perrished with them.

Regards,
Laurie.

Bega,

Please get permission from the property owner before doing this trip and abide by his decision.

It takes forever for tracks on salt lakes to disappear and this main track has only been opened up again in the last couple of years because of people not doing the right thing by the property owner. The contact no is in a previous reply so give hime a call.

Well, G'day again.

I must bring peace to the hearts of those who are conserned that I'm about to do the wrong thing and thus contribute to spoiling it for everyone.

I am planning a photography trip on an ATV to Andamooka Station, Arcoona Station and Bosworth Station. I have communicated with the management of all three stations by snail mail and e-mail and have received permission with some conditions attatched. I've also spoken on the phone with the manager of Andamooka Station.

In my reserch I've noticed the things described in a previous post along the boundry of Andamooka and Pt. Mulgaria Stations. Pt. Mulgaria Station is controlled by Mulgaria Station and a fair bit of the Andamooka to Farinina track goes through Pt. Mulgaria.

I came across The ExplorerOz sight and said to myself "A bloke could tap into a vast pool of knolledge and experience here", so I signed up. Good move!

When I got into the forum archives, I found a post telling how the author had, following directions from the manager of Mulgaria Station, followed the fence line across Lake Torrens.

Now there's a big difference between a thumping big 4WD and a little 2WD 300cc ATV weighed down with a trailer, so I thought I might get the benefit of some of this vast pool of experience before I annoy the gentleman from Mulgaria. I would think that wasting his time with stupid phone calls would do as much harm as hoonining around his place in the wet. Can you just see him putting the phone down and saying with disdain "The stupid, flamin' idiot thinks he's going to follow the fenceline over the dunes and across the lake on an ATV towing a trailer? That bloke will be feed for the wedge tails".

I'm aware that lake Torrens is a National Park and that driving on the lake is prohibited. It may well be that irrespective of a fenceline and wheel tracks already there, that driving this track is a no no.

So with all that in mind I'd be pleased to hear from anyone with local knolledge. If it sounds feasable I may try and plan it into my next trip, seeking permission being an integral part of the thorough planning process along with taking a drink of water and checking the oil.

I trust that after this explanation the wheel shimmy in the thousands of 4WDs that criss cross this great country will steady down and the drivers will sleep soundly tonight, ready for another day's trecking.

You may like to have a look at some desert images from my previous trip to the Andamooka area. link text link text

Here's a link straight to one of my favorite images: [ View Image]It's sunrise through the window of the ruins of Phillip Ponds Homestead, north of Woomera. The black line at the bottom is the horizon rather than the window sill.

Kind regards and many thanks,
Laurie.

This thread is now on page 4 so unlikely to be monitored.

I would like to be updated as to how you get on so perhaps you may like to post a new update thread at some stage advising how you ulitmately got on.

As an aside, one of my colleagues took some interesting tree photos (in the firelight) on our trip and from looking at your website this is the sort of thing you are into. If you are interested, email me at trevorm at kewnes dot com dot au and I will send them to you.

Cheers

Trevor