Some more CSR questions/CSR compared to Simpson Desert

Hi Juergen,

Can't offer any answers to your questions on the sand, we've not been there yet, though you may want to contact the RFDS directly and ask them for specific answers, as they will be the ones involved if a situation arises.

Enjoy your trip.

Cheers,
Wayne & Sally.

The dunes on the CSR mostly do not have straight approaches from either direction, they quite often go along the swale and then turn abruptly to go over the dune. There are also a lot of double headers.
They are generally no harder than a Simpson trip but the big thing is that it isn't a 3 or 4 day trip but goes on for weeks (up to three preferably if you take your time and see all the sights) so if you drive like a loony you will break the vehicle.
Take your time, do the bulk of the travelling in the mornings before the sand warms up and gets softer and drive to the conditions deflating and inflating tyres to suit the conditions. It isn't all sand with plenty of rocky sections along with several million corrugations caused by people travelling way to quickly.

G'day Juergen.

Have a look at this site

http://perswww.kuleuven.be/~u0017608/wijdewereld_en/index.htm

Ann and Hanno Kortleven did the CSR with us last July - they are now home in Belgium so you could contact him and have a talk. We had no difficulties but I must reiterate that speed is the killer on those tracks. We had a fantastic trip. If you want I could send you a .pdf of our journal. Would need your email address.

A 2w UHF is all that is needed on the CSR, but for emergencies hiring a sat phone is very wise.

Cheers, have a good day, David Wilson

Juergen,

Peter and Willem have summed up the dunes very well.

Communications on the CSR can be different to the Simpson.
UHF, HF and Sat phone are about the same but there is another form of communication and that is visual.
Crossing the Simpson Desert I would pause or stop just over the top of a dune and have a quick look at the dunes in front of me. A glint of a windscreen, a sand flag, head lights or the crackle from a low watt UHF is what I would be looking for.

If I or any one else in the convey sees any of these signs I know of on coming vehicles.

On the Canning because the track over the dunes is not a straight line it is very hard to pick up an on coming vehicle. As you crest the dune the track might go to the left or right for up to a kilometer before it crosses the next dune.
Unlike the Simpson Desert the dunes on the Canning are very different. This is how I would describe the crossing of a dune on the Canning.

The track would be flat and sandy with corrugations, as the track gets close to the base of the dune the track takes a sharp turn, the sand is soft and deep.
The track now starts to climb and the scallops on the dune are deep. From almost a standing stop at the base of the dune the vehicle has to power up, but not too fast. You vehicle will be heavy and the tyres will be at a low pressure.
Vegetation will be on either side with a build up of sand as the track pass through a small cutting leading too the bowl.
Have one vehicle on the face of the dune at a time and when the lead vehicle has made it up to the bowl, call the next vehicle and describe which way the track goes.
When the vehicle has made the top, the track could turn in either direction or go straight ahead. You will not know until you get there which way the track goes.
Follow the track through the sand bowl on top of the dune, this bowl could be big enough to hold a small convey, and then exit off the dune in much the same way. It is almost a blind crossing.

Calling each vehicle through on the UHF will allow other vehicles to hear your call and they should try and call to find out where and in what direction you are travelling.
One thing that I do find annoying is after I have made contact with another convey is that they have no idea where they are. When asked what was the last Well or how far from it they have no idea.

Another form of communication that I have found that works is the bush telegraph. When you meet another vehicle stop and have a chat. Vehicles going in the opposite direction can tell you what the track is like and any thing to look out for or if there is another convey ahead of you.


The Simpson Desert has some vegetation usually off to the side of the track, on the Canning in some places the Grevillea shrubs almost cover a vehicle.

Landing a plane or helicopter along the track becomes a problem. They can't land just anywhere and the distance that they might have to fly in search of a stranded convey might be too far.

On the southern end of the Canning there are cattle stations that can help and the same on the northern end.
Kunawarritji (Well 33) has a landing strip the same as Cotton Creek (Rudall River National Park)
So the ends and the middle are alright for medical emergency but to get to those place could be a couple of days driving.

Wayne

The sand dunes on CSR and Simpson are somewhat different in shape and nature. The CSR dunes tend to be a little flatter and wider with many multiple headed dunes. Often the track travels between the heads or on a crest in the CSR where this is rare in the Simpson. On the CSR the track wanders about and straight run ups are not that common and travelling between dunes is common. The sand gets softer in the heat on the CSR.

The comms issues are identical. Line of site for UHF, no mobile access, sat phone and HF work ok.

Evacuation by helicopter would be problematic because of the distances involved. In the case of an emergency any airstrip is usually available to RFDS. If you need them you call them (sat phone or HF) and they will tell you what you need to do and where you need to go. I would suggest a good first aid course. You need to care for the casualty until help gets there. For example in the case of a snake bite you can get ~15 hours by using good first aid. Remember it will likely be hours and in the worst case it could be a great number of hours before help arrives. The best course is to be cautious so you do not require RFDS assistance. The most likely cause of serious injury for travellers in the bush is vehicle accident. So drive with due caution.

Steve

Hi @ll,

thank you very much for your excellent comments!

Cheers,

Juergen

German by Birth, but Aussie by Heart!