Googs track questions

Submitted: Saturday, Aug 22, 2009 at 11:55

ThreadID: 71710 Views:4149 Replies:6 FollowUps:6

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Googs Track

A most adventurous short-cut for those travelling from the west to Coober Pedy & the Alice. Excellent views and plenty of wildlife, featuring memorials dedicated to Goog and Dinger,

Googs Track

Section: Treks

A most adventurous 4WD short-cut for those travelling from the west to Coober Pedy & the Alice. Excellent views & plenty of wildlife, featuring Goog's Lake & Mt. Finke. No dogs permitted.

Graham Watson

Folks
I am looking at doing googs track in October and have some questions.

1. How long should I allow for the drive from Ceduna to Googs lake? The distance is about 80km only half of which is on the track proper. I estimated 2.5 hours but a magazine article I read suggested 4 to 5 hours.
2. How long should I allow for the drive from Googs Lake to Mt Finke?
3. The perennial favourite - to tow or not to tow. I have a heavy duty off road trailer so I am confident it can take the corrugations. My car is a 90 series turbo diesel prado automatic. I would be looking at dropping car tyre pressures to about 16psi and the trailer to about 13psi. The trailer has effectively the same wheel track as the car. The general reading I have done, and the people I have spoken to are fairly evenly split on whether it is a problem or not. I will be travelling with two other vehicles, neither of whom will be towing a trailer.

Thanks
Graham

Graham Watson

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Reply By: Member - Mick O (VIC) - Saturday, Aug 22, 2009 at 12:01

Saturday, Aug 22, 2009 at 12:01

Graham,

have a read here

Googs Day 1

Googs Day 2

Did it towing a camper south to North.

Cheers Mick

''We knew from the experience of well-known travelers that the
trip would doubtless be attended with much hardship.''
Richard Maurice - 1903

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Follow Up By: Muddy doe (SA) - Saturday, Aug 22, 2009 at 15:19

Saturday, Aug 22, 2009 at 15:19

Sounds like you did it pretty tough there Mick.

I have done that trip twice now with our club. Both times we did it from the North. Reason being is the roughness of the approaches that you mention on the southern sides of the dunes from all the north bound traffic that use full tyre pressures and too much right boot.

We just drifted up the smooth northern sides and then stood on the brakes and ploughed down the southern sides rocking side to side wondering just how bad it would be trying to get up those approaches. I think we even left the track a bit better as we smoothed those lumps a bit.

It is a tight track and I can see why Parks want to avoid people passing on the track but we managed it ok with the use of sand flags and UHF monitoring. The South to North thing IS only an advisory.

Anyhow, glad you enjoyed the trip - a lovely part of the SA Outback.

Cheers
Muddy

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Follow Up By: Graham Watson - Monday, Aug 24, 2009 at 00:04

Monday, Aug 24, 2009 at 00:04

Thanks. Your blogs were part of the reading I'd already done and were valuable information
Graham

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Reply By: Member - Mick O (VIC) - Saturday, Aug 22, 2009 at 17:40

Saturday, Aug 22, 2009 at 17:40

Graham,

I just had Pete and Sandy (EO member OZHUMVEE) here last night and they have just returned after spending 10 days in the area. I've sent him a message and hopefully he will post some info in regards to the latest track conditions. He is still on the road though and not due back home in NSW for a week.

Cheers Mick

''We knew from the experience of well-known travelers that the
trip would doubtless be attended with much hardship.''
Richard Maurice - 1903

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Follow Up By: Graham Watson - Monday, Aug 24, 2009 at 00:18

Monday, Aug 24, 2009 at 00:18

Appreciate that
Graham

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Reply By: Ozhumvee - Sunday, Aug 23, 2009 at 09:29

Sunday, Aug 23, 2009 at 09:29

Graham
As has been said the southern approaches can be pretty bumpy but if you drop tyres pressures as you have stated then you should have no problems with the slow approach with the correct momentum.
We had a troopy towing a Tvan in our group which had no problems walking/waddling over all the dunes.
We also had 5 Prado's and only occasionally would one belly out on a soft crest and have to back down for another attempt, mostly due to zero experience in sand driving.
Only a couple of hours from Ceduna to Googs lake, the sand doesn't start till the Conservation park boundary, good dirt to there.

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Reply By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Sunday, Aug 23, 2009 at 19:18

Sunday, Aug 23, 2009 at 19:18

Peter has said most of it above. We were away on the same trip.
Good to see you made it back home safely, Pete!

My friend with the TVan has been away on many other trips with up - he is very experienced, carried very little weight, and had his pressures below 20. We all walked over the bumpy dunes - you can drive them in first gear high at low speed - grip is not a problem. We saw 90% of other travellers taking run ups and charging at the dunes - getting air on the bumps and having no idea of how easy they were if you lowered your pressures and walked over them. By October the dunes might be a bit softer though.

Before Googs lake, there's a turnoff to the left to the rockholes. 2 weeks ago, this was a nice lake brimming with tadpoles in the granite. Might be drier by Oct. Take in the rockhole, and it will take the best part of 4 hours.

Do Googs to Mt Finke in a day.
I've owned two 90series Prados like yours. You'll have no issues - they have more clearance than the later models. Your pressures sound good.

AnswerID: 380180

Follow Up By: Graham Watson - Monday, Aug 24, 2009 at 00:16

Monday, Aug 24, 2009 at 00:16

Thanks. The turn off to the rockholes must explain the extra time in the magazine article.

Graham Watson

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Follow Up By: Ozhumvee - Monday, Aug 24, 2009 at 16:54

Monday, Aug 24, 2009 at 16:54

Phil
We're not home yet ;-)) still on the wallaby, only a few days left now.

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Reply By: jeep cherokee - Monday, Aug 24, 2009 at 12:21

Monday, Aug 24, 2009 at 12:21

Hi Graham,my wife and i did Googs in 2004, South to North in our T.D 2.5 XJ Jeep.Apart from one dune that we had to attempt twice it was a non eventfull trip. We were towing a Cameron off road camper trailer which weighed in at approx 820 kg.Tyre pressures were down to 17psi on the car and 20psi on the camper.We spent one night at Googs lake and one night at Mt Finke.A really enjoyable trip and it would have been better if we were able to spend a few extra days at each location.Enjoy.

AnswerID: 380260

Follow Up By: Graham Watson - Monday, Aug 24, 2009 at 23:43

Monday, Aug 24, 2009 at 23:43

Thanks. How did your trailer cope with the corrugations etc. Our trailer is also a Cameron off road camper trailer which we picked up second hand a couple of years ago. By the stickers on the back it has done quite a few trips to places like the Gibbs River Road etc, but this is our first trip into real off road territory with it.

Graham Watson

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