Hay River - how long did you take?

jwb
Timing is one thing that is hard to measure. Take you time, as there is lots to see along the way. I think we were six days from Birdsville before reaching Batton Hill. The pace is typical Simpson tracks. If you have never travelled the Simpson before, it will take you longer. Once you are at the bottom of the Hay River, if the tracks are dry,it is very easy driving. The desert section has some great dunes to cross. Check out my trek notes here on EO.

Regards

Stephen

Hi Jwb

5 days , a couple of weeks ago - conditions good as dry and not wet

I found I couldn't get enough real info in advance to plan adequately also.
Am rectifiying that with a large comprehensive report.

Could easily have done in 4 but most plan for 6

Start Birdsvile

1st nite Beachcomber well (via Poeppel)
2nd nite Madigan line camp 16
3rd nite about 40km south lake caroline
4th nite In hay river bed at Tropic of capricorn line
5th nite lunch time at Batton hill camp.

Robin Miller

Thanks Stephen and Robin,

I found the trek notes very helpful. Our group did the Simpson last year and will do Hay River next. We wanted to calibrate our expectations against recent experience.

much appreciated.

WE did it last year, and the lower half again last month.
Agree with Stephen and Robin's experience. Like they say, take your time, leave camp late and setup early and take it all in. We spent two nights at Lake Caroline last year as it was full of water - it would be dry again now, unless todays rain had some effect.

You'll need the waypoints or track files to guide you north of the shotline - the tracks get blown away. And the dunes were a lot softer this year, so they may be fun. I prefer to camp away from the features - its nice to find a patch of gidgee and have a nice warm fire.

We've just got back home from our trip down the Hay.
We left Batton Hill on the 30th June and arrived in Birdsville late on the 7th July.
We did take it very slow, camping early and leaving late.
We had four vehicles and took our time doing a few walks at different places along the way. Some days are slow especially on the bit from the bottom of the Hay floodout to the shotline, no tracks to follow at all in places despite vehicles coming up only a day or two before and the dunes were very soft with big high tops on them.
Met a group heading north about a few hours south of Batton Hill and they had done it in four days to there from Birdsville. They also said they just drove all day as well.
It was a shame to see at Mt Winneikie that Richard Craniums are alive and well even in such a remote location as at least one vehicle had been driven to the top of the hill within the previous two or three days, knocking down trees and scarring the hillside.
We erected stone cairns at the end of the track but some idiot will have a go in the future despite them.
We had a great trip and although the Simpson was the dryest we have ever seen it in 25 years and 15 trips across or around it it is still a magic place to be.