Back from Simpson

Submitted: Monday, Jul 11, 2005 at 09:22
ThreadID: 24606 Views:2880 Replies:5 FollowUps:12
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Just got back from our Trip!

Melbourne - Sunset National Park (Mopoke Hut)
Mopoke Hut - Willow Springs
Skytrek Track
Willow Springs - Cowards Springs
Cowards Springs - Dalhousie Springs
Tourist Day - Dalhousie
Dahousie Springs - Rig Road
Rig Road - Knolls
Knolls - Gidgee
Gidgee - Birsdville
Tourist Day - Birdsville
Birdsville - Innamincka via Cordio Downs
Innamnicka - Camerons Corner via Bore Track
Cameron Corner - Tiboobarra - Broken Hill
Broken Hill - Mildura
Mildura - Melbourne

We bumped into to JohnR in Innumincka on his way to Birdsville get-together.
Got stuck in Tibooburra for extra 2 days because all the roads there closed due o rain... We got out abot 9am yersterday morning as there were changing signs
from closed to open. Then has very fun drive through some very muddy section
of the road on some part of the road to Broken Hill. Got home to Melbourne yersterday about 11:30pm.

Stan
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Reply By: Member - iMusty (VIC) - Monday, Jul 11, 2005 at 11:35

Monday, Jul 11, 2005 at 11:35
How long to get from Camerons corner to Melbourne? and can it be done in my bus?

iMusty
AnswerID: 119746

Follow Up By: Member - Stan (VIC) - Monday, Jul 11, 2005 at 12:11

Monday, Jul 11, 2005 at 12:11
iMusty,

Melbourne to Cameron Corner is around 1350km...
Normally a 2-3 day trip, but we were driving from 9:15AM
till 10:30pm with 1 hour total for stops, cruising at 110km/hour
the rest of the time...

The road from Broken Hill to CC is about 50/50 sealed/unsealed and
you should have no problems getting there in the bus in dry
weather... The roads turn to mud in wet weather so if you get
stuck I am not sure if someone will want to pull the bus out...

Hope this helps,

Stan
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FollowupID: 374832

Reply By: Outnabout David (SA) - Monday, Jul 11, 2005 at 15:54

Monday, Jul 11, 2005 at 15:54
Good to see your back Stan. Seems everything went Ok with the Prado.
AnswerID: 119782

Follow Up By: Member - Stan (VIC) - Monday, Jul 11, 2005 at 16:58

Monday, Jul 11, 2005 at 16:58
Hi David,

Most of 5.5K were relatively trouble free. We met with Darren's group
on the Big Red and then traveled with other LCOOLers from Birdsvile to Cameron Corner and then ended up stuck in Tibubarra Pub for
2 days :).

The tally so far:

1 x stuffed MTR which only done ~3000K. By the time I realised that it is flat the tube trashed the sidewall...

While crossing Simpson on the French Line a small distraction on my part seen the front of the Prado flying up and landing it's nose very hard on the ground, which resulted in cracked Windscreen on the passenger side. I wonder if I can claim it from Toyota under warranty...

Other than that it performed excellent. Still need to work out what the fuel consumption was like, but the Oodnadatta - Birdsville part it
used 150 liters of unleaded fuel...
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FollowupID: 374871

Follow Up By: Outnabout David (SA) - Tuesday, Jul 12, 2005 at 16:03

Tuesday, Jul 12, 2005 at 16:03
Geez,

You must have hit hard tyo break a windscreen. For it to break I would suggest the fender has pushed into it so it might have something else bent. I remember Joe hit sand hard some time ago and Darren had to do some straightening. Would be worth a good look over to make sure.
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FollowupID: 375037

Follow Up By: Member - Stan (VIC) - Wednesday, Jul 13, 2005 at 21:21

Wednesday, Jul 13, 2005 at 21:21
Hmm.. You might be right David. The steering wheel was pulling to the left a bit and when I looked at the wheels from the front the left wheel is on a bit of angle (| /) which is notisable... Been in Toyota dealer for a service today and asked them to do the wheel alignment and the LH wheel is still on the angle... I'll probably have to wait till Darren get back to get it fixed properly.
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FollowupID: 375291

Reply By: 120scruiser - Monday, Jul 11, 2005 at 20:39

Monday, Jul 11, 2005 at 20:39
Gday Stan.
Just reading your rig profile and noticed a bull bar on the wish list.
Not sure if its winch compatible but might be worth a look .
FYI
120scruiser
AnswerID: 119857

Follow Up By: Member - Stan (VIC) - Tuesday, Jul 12, 2005 at 13:25

Tuesday, Jul 12, 2005 at 13:25
120scruiser,

Thanks for the info. After doing the Simpson trip I think the ARB bull bar
will be more suited if I go there again, with all the kangaroos and emus
trying to run under the truck....
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FollowupID: 375009

Follow Up By: 120scruiser - Tuesday, Jul 12, 2005 at 15:16

Tuesday, Jul 12, 2005 at 15:16
I know what you mean.
I am heading out there on the 17th September. I am just waiting for my ARB bar to be colour coded. Should be here any day now. Funny thing is I had the bar ordered 2 weeks before I bought the Prado.
Oh well I have had it for 4 days now so its time to play. In goes the lovells etc $$$$$$$ Oh it hurts.
These things are so expensive on after market bits.
I was talking to Toyota today as when I read my owners manual it has a spot in the dash for a factory diff lock switch. Toyota can supply the switch but there is no diff lock. Great aren't they.
Catch ya
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FollowupID: 375030

Reply By: Disco200Tdi - Tuesday, Jul 12, 2005 at 14:03

Tuesday, Jul 12, 2005 at 14:03
Hi Stan,

Just got home yesterday from the desert. Did some tourist things in Broken Hill and Mildura.

The road south of Tibooburra to Broken Hill was fun.

John D
AnswerID: 119960

Follow Up By: Member - Stan (VIC) - Wednesday, Jul 13, 2005 at 11:37

Wednesday, Jul 13, 2005 at 11:37
Hi John,

It certanly was fun drive. We were the first group to get out of town after they opened the roads. On some section of the road to Broken Hill all cars there doing the huge eights... Two prados actually run off the road (if it can be called a road) probably too much power, LOL.

Stan
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FollowupID: 375163

Reply By: AndrewW - Tuesday, Jul 12, 2005 at 19:50

Tuesday, Jul 12, 2005 at 19:50
Wow, we just did that exact same trip, except we were a day behind you I suspect, as we got stuck in Camerons Corner.

Did notice a lot of LCOOL guys in Bridsville too.

Its an awesome part of this country thats for sure.

Andrew
AnswerID: 120016

Follow Up By: Mad Dog (Australia) - Tuesday, Jul 12, 2005 at 20:02

Tuesday, Jul 12, 2005 at 20:02
Andrew, how much water was in that big claypan between CC and Tib, that's if you came down that way.
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FollowupID: 375067

Follow Up By: Member - Stan (VIC) - Wednesday, Jul 13, 2005 at 11:29

Wednesday, Jul 13, 2005 at 11:29
Andrew,

Yes, there was around 14 cars from LCOOL at Birdsvile on 5th of July.
10 of them thent back to Poeppels corner and then through Hay river,
which by this time would have water in it after all the rain...
We then travelled with the remaining guys to Innumincka and
then made a dash for Tibooburra for the hotel rooms as we knew it is going to be a heavy rain overnight and some of them had 2 y.o. kids...

Stan
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FollowupID: 375158

Follow Up By: AndrewW - Wednesday, Jul 13, 2005 at 22:00

Wednesday, Jul 13, 2005 at 22:00
Mad Dog, if its the one I am thinking of, it was about half wheel height, most of the way across. It was a huge expanse of water as we rounded the corner. It was nothing compared to the bore track a few days prior, now that was wet.

Stan, we also spoke with the SA Land Cruiser club at Poeppels corner, they have just come down the same route from memory.

Andrew
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FollowupID: 375301

Follow Up By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Thursday, Jul 14, 2005 at 10:09

Thursday, Jul 14, 2005 at 10:09
Hi Andrew, good to see you and the other Overlanders got to Camerons Corner OK. We chatted at Peoppels Corner and had just come down the Hay River. We got out of the desert just as the rain was falling.

Cheers
Phil
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FollowupID: 375354

Follow Up By: slave - Saturday, Jul 16, 2005 at 16:12

Saturday, Jul 16, 2005 at 16:12
We travelled from Innamincka to CC on theSunday that the roads were opened then CC to Broken Hill on the Monday. The lake in the middle of the road between CC and Tibooboorra was big then and at least half wheel height. The Hilux followed by the 60 (?) series LC that tagged along from CC and naturally the GQ did it well. The LC ( petrol) did have a bit of a problem with water in the engine bay.

Mrs Slave
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FollowupID: 375748

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