would their be more or less people going to the simpson

keeping in contact with birdsvile police and Mt dare for updates . nice people to talk to but i dont think it is in their interest to keep people away from the area but the more info from travelers the better.are considering changing plans and going to robe in SA and doing the coast and a bit of fishing instead.it will be a fair drive for my mate as he is coming from the sunshine coast

Hi Darian

As of this morning, it looks like the Rangers at Birdsville are going to open another bypass track so people can start to cross the Simpson.

All reports so far from people who have either gone out from the west or came down from the Hay river track is that the French line is very difficult at the moment, so take care.

Yep it's definitely open, they have extended the track from Goonamillera Crossing 11.7 ks west onto the new track then 25.7ks south to the QAA line.

do you have to be so negative with people all the time even when you have something good to say you cant help yourself .i have said we will be going somewhere on the 19th for a couple of weeks and dont mind where i am just getting as much info as pos.some info i get on this site is good some has no relevance to what i ask but i dont slag of at them for it.you are the first to have a go at people going bush unpreped .you should change your bedroom around becouse you seem to get out of the wrong side of the bed alot cheers warren

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no problem with carrying extra as with two vehicles one d40 with tray and one gu patrol and only 3 men self employed and no real set time in leaving or getting back going we have plenty of room. the others have not seen any part of oodnadatta or SA side for that matter but apart from the simpson i have traveled most of that area .dont mind being a tourist guide but the reason for going to me was to do the crossing having been up that way and not done it .thanks for reply cheers warren

Just did a quick search of your previous posts Warren to get an idea of your trip & what options you may have. If the Eyre creek crossing is opened in the next week or so it will still be very wet requiring mud tyres, a winch & ideally travelling with others for recovery. There will also be a 70 odd KM detour requiring extra fuel.
Another option is to go to Birdsville, slip out to Big Red for the day then loop around to Dalhousie having a look at Lake Eyre on the way. Carrying an extra 40% more fuel (approx) one could do a loop of the desert via the Rig Rd up to Poepels & back accross the French Line. This is about 4 days. There will be far less people out there in the desert but suspect by late May you'd see at least one group every couple of days doing something similar. I know a couple of crews intending head out via the Hay river from the West if the water doesn't stop but that would be a considerably more challenging route & probably too late for permits anyway. Plenty of shorter loops that can be done if your range is an issue.
Anywhere in the desert is good & not being able to cross this year is just an excuse to have to go back again :-)
Cheers Craig.............

The Simpson & Cape are iconic trips that both provide adventure & a challenge. In my book they would rate amoungst the best 4x4 touring destinations in Australia & it's no wonder there is an obsession to do them 1st.
The Cape was my 1st big trip back in the mid 80's with the Simpson shortly after & have been trying to fill in "everywhere else" ever since :-)
Cheers Craig..................

Craig

The two places you mention are only iconic as they are readily accessible to the majority of the eastern states population. Much of the challenge has gone out of these places as the tracks become easier through constant use. In 'high' season the QAA, French and WAA lines get rather busy as does the road up the Cape. To my mind the Simpson is more sparsely vegetated and is probably more of a desert than the western deserts which are regarded as 'green' deserts. Still, it is an adventure. I don't think anyone will be travelling from Birdsville to Mt Dare for a while yet.


Cheers

I certainly wasn't knocking the Simpson or the Cape.....maybe it's because most city type 4x4 "adventurers " go there because they think they're the only 2 places in Australia ??