Bloomfield Track & OTT to Cape

Bloomfield Track will be no issues that time of the year.

Have not been up to the OTT this year - but in August you should have no issues.

It will still have heaps of traffic up that way at that time.

Regards Tony

I am just on my way back from a trip up the Cape. As mentioned the Bloomfield is not a track and should be upgraded to a road. With the exception of a couple of creek crossings you could drive a car up there.
Re the OTT water depth is not a problem but the banks are a mess with deep holes and washouts due to the amount of rain they had this year. We gave Gunshot a miss and didn't even see it. Quite a few vehicles were sustaining some panel damage from slipping into washouts etc and heard of one F 250 blowing a motor due to water ingress. Glad we did it early as the amount of vehicles going up is beyond belief. Hope you have a safe and trouble free trip.

Just arrived at Weipa after retracing some of the OTL today. The difference one week makes on this track, mainly some of the creek crossings, is amazing.

To give you an idea of the changing condition of some of the crossing the following may be helpful:

- Palm Creek. The first and possibly the hardest crossing we found this trip! Last week was a nightmare on the track with news stories mentioning the numbers of vehicles in the area. Palm creek changed from a simple yet technical crossing to one that requires more control in the decent and a good action to exit the crossing. We stopped back in today, one week later, to see how it has changed. i expect it to be the challenge by the time you arrive due to the large boulder at the start becoming exposed to a large degree and the exit being churned up by sheer numbers of 4wds. We met another family in a stock lancruiser petrol (highway tyres, no snorkel, full tyre pressures etc) who followed with us along the track. (no gunshot or nolan's though) so it was not that bad.

- Gunshot. One week ago there were vehicles lined up at all routes waiting for many others to be pulled out etc. Today there is a newish run on the descent (to the extreme right) which all vehicles easily descended (almost all with trailers). My wife would even have driven down the side track today.....that's saying something LOL. No problem today, tomorrow a different story. One vehicle descended Gunshot main with a simple trailer (ball connection) only to leave with a new roof ornament :)

Advice i would give is to check out all crossings on the day, and in cases like gunshot, take the bypass if needbe. One man's drive in the bush will be another man's epic adventure requiring endless recounting even though both took the same track on the same day in the same vehicle model....go figure ;)

Now i just need to work out why some people wash ALL of their vehicles at the crossing of Dalhunty river.....can't they see 20m in front of them LOL

See if can get some photos up...

Andrew

As far as the Bloomfield Track is concerned, I would think it wont be all that long before it will all be bitumised and another iconic track will be no more.

A bit like the drive from Wilpena to Blinman which is now all bitumen and no joy at all.

I understand even the great tracks like the Tamami Track and the Mereenie Loop are progressively being sealed.

Boo I say. Takes all the fun out of driving these tracks in the different weather conditions and the abrupt changes that can occur.


Bill.