crossing the simpson desert for the first time

Hi Warren
Any trip across the Simpson is rewarding, but the first will get you in, and like other Simpson devotees, will not be your last if you love the red and open country. For a first timer, the most important thing that you must do is drop your tyre pressures. Start around the 18psi mark as a general rule and take it from there. Do a mixture of all tracks, that way you can decide what is your cup of tea. Do not rush the trip, allow a good 4-5 days for the first time, longer if you have the time and want to explore most places and tracks. For a first timer, you would want to take in the Lone Gum and the Knolls.
Take extra fuel and water, and a good height sand flag and sit on channel 10 on the UHF.
Read as much as you can to get a feel of the area before you get there.

Enjoy your first trip and we all look forward to hearing of your fun when you get back.

Cheers

Stephen

Any route is good. QAA, French Line, Knolls, WAA & the Rig Rd makes an interesting diversion.
Not many spares required if car is new or well maintained. Tyres should be better than 50% tread & pay special attention to bearings & ensuring suspension is A1. A selection of metric bolts, fuses, tie wire, fuel filter, air filter, silastic, tapes & glue may all come in handy. The majority of issues on outback trips are often the assesories we fit ourselves not the car it's self. A tubeless tyre repair kit may also be needed particually on the roads to & from the desert.
Have fun. Cheers Craig.

Hi Warren
Further to my reply above, take a look at the pictures that Ruth has taken this morning. Seeing that this is your first Simpson Crossing, it will be advisable to come from the west to Birdsville.
Make sure that you take some MaxTrax and a long handle shovel - you need them. May is still early in the season and the sand is still going to be very soft, so as a added measure of safety, do your sums correctly for fuel consumption and take extra water.

Cheers

Stephen

The biggest problem this year will be tackling Eyre Creek - all the water that is falling at Camooweal/Urandangi is heading south via the Georgina River which becomes Eyre Creek in the south. At the moment it is around Lake Muncoonie - it is the biggest volume of water seen for many many years. To give you a better idea on it - go back in the Posts and see LUCKOS Post with video footage a few days ago. The footage is excellent. In the past Eyre Creek (where we cross) can be 14 sand dunes wide with 14 water courses in between - there is no way to predict how wide low long or when at this stage. Have a look at the flood photos of Bedourie (which is completely surrounded by Eyre Creek).
In the past trips into the SD have been from the west, round trip and back out the same way - maybe that will happen again.
Remembering that the Diamantina water becomes the Warburton just south of Clifton Hills Station - we have 7.150m of water here in Birdsville - so that probably going to put the K1/Warburton Crossing out for a fair while.
Mother Nature is amazing - anything could happen - so don't stress yet about the trips, after all, making plans is part of the fun and watching your plans wrecked. Make Plan B,C & D etc. - just in case.