Adelaide/Birdsville/Longreach Crisis meeting
Submitted: Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 09:14
ThreadID:
80959
Views:
4809
Replies:
5
FollowUps:
10
This Thread has been Archived
Fab72
Hello all,
Last night our friends and our family met for a "Crisis Meeting" to discuss a back-up plan for our Sept/Oct holiday.
The original plan was to leave
Adelaide on 27th Sept, spend a night at
Leigh Creek, another at
Marree, 2 nights at
Birdsville, 1 at
Windorah, then onto
Longreach.
Unless you've been in a
cave for the last few weeks, you can all appreciate that this area is a bit damp at the moment. So, we thought it best to start work on a back-up contingency plan.
Our goal would be to get to
Longreach in minimal time, (eg: 2 days driving, one over nighter somewhere), where we have accommodation booked and paid for.
Here in lies the question.
If travelling enroute to
Longreach from
Adelaide, via
Broken Hill,
Wilcannia,
Bourke etc, where would you recommend an overnight stay. Prefer caravan/cabin type accommodation as first option, Motel as a second option.
Our initial thoughts were
Bourke. Is there a caravan
park there and what's it like? Or is there another town in that region that you'd recommend?
Thanks in advance....Fab.
Reply By: Mikee5 (Logan QLD) - Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 09:24
Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 09:24
We have done
Adelaide (
Gawler) to Burke in one day in a Commodore not towing - it was a big day. Others will probably recommend Kidman
Camp at Burke, I have heard it is good. We stayed at a motel at North Burke on the river - it looked like they had cabins - we had the Spa Suite LOL.
AnswerID:
428483
Follow Up By: Fab72 - Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 09:46
Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 09:46
Thanks Mike...exactly the sort of reply I was after.
I have been told and gauged from previous threads on here that
Bourke is more "user friendly" than some of the other towns in that region.
1300kms in a day should be fine for us. We comfortably do
Adelaide to Alice in a day which is 1584kms. Also, using
Bourke as a launch pad means there's only 980kms to do on the second day.
We won't be towing either.
Thanks again Mike.
FollowupID:
699188
Reply By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 09:48
Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 09:48
Hi Fab
Firstly you have one thing in your favour - Time! I don not want to be a pessimist, but 2 days to
Longreach is a very big ask for some on the single lane bitumen roads up in Queensland as
well as the distance to cover. It has just taken us 3 long days to escape the rain and travel from
Birdsville back to
Clare via
Windorah,
Quilpie,
Bourke etc.
Good Caravan
park at
North Bourke - Kidmans
Camp Caravan
Park. My only advise is if it looks like rain on the
Birdsville Track, keep clear of it. We have been caught out 3 times on a very wet
Birdsville Track and when the most blackest of cloud bands came in on out free day in
Birdsville, it was the quickest pack up and to head for
Windorah and back to good roads, even though a very long detour home. We tried to talk others from heading down the
Birdsville Track, knowing what would happen and it did and it is still closed.
Keep your original plans in place, with your back up plans as a last resort.
Cheers
Stephen
Image Could Not Be Found
AnswerID:
428488
Follow Up By: murrayman - Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 13:05
Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 13:05
hi steven, i am staggered at the amount of ks that people drive in one day. i went
mannum,
broken hill, nocundra, quilpy,
windorah,
longreach towin my van in 5 days and gee that was a big drive. 2 days, bugger me dead. mark
FollowupID:
699202
Follow Up By: Member - John B2 (VIC) - Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 14:06
Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 14:06
Hi Stepehn,
Is that photo taken in the
Birdsville Caravan Park??
Cheers,
John
FollowupID:
699207
Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 14:08
Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 14:08
Hi Mark
As you know, those single lane roads in Queensland may be bitumen, but they slow you right down. When we got back into NSW it was fantastic.
Cheers
Stephen
FollowupID:
699208
Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 14:16
Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 14:16
Hi John
Yes you are correct, it was the
Birdsville Caravan Park. The morning started off slightly overcast with a small breeze. Then in the West the sky just went jet black and the wind picked up and that band of very dark clouds went right across the sky. I know most of the
camping vehicles that all did the same as me when the clouds came in. I know at lease 6 vehicles headed east to avoid the rain and of the 4 that headed south, I tried to talk a couple of vehicles travelling with campers not to head south, but they said that they would take their chances and I reckon that they would still be out there in all that mud.
Cheers
Stephen
FollowupID:
699210
Follow Up By: murrayman - Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 18:12
Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 18:12
hi steven, hear 2nd hand from a mate stuck in
birdsville that a few hours after the cars and campers headed south that the tow truck went out heading that way. sounds like they didnt get very far. mate says he could be stuck for 10 days in
birdsville. cheers mark
FollowupID:
699221
Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 18:47
Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 18:47
Hi Mark
I wonder if it is the boys from Loxton?
Cheers
Stephen
FollowupID:
699226
Follow Up By: Spiderbesideya - Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 21:06
Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 21:06
Hey there travellers. The Cordillo Road through Innaminka, Strezlecki, Maree is an option. Certainly more likely to be open than the nothern end of the
Birdsville track. Always worth thinking of the 150 years since
Bourke and Wills as one passes, just for some added interest.
FollowupID:
699248
Reply By: Mikee5 (Logan QLD) - Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 10:16
Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 10:16
I would not compare
Adelaide to Alice with
Adelaide to
Bourke. The roads are worse and they are policed for speeding (on vehicle mobile radar that you can't see coming). At an average of 90kph (including comfort stops) you would be travelling 14 hours. It would be unrealistic to expect to get to
Longreach in 2 days safely. Qld rural roads took a hammering in the floods - I don't think they have all been repaired yet.
AnswerID:
428492
Reply By: whisky_mac - Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 14:14
Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 14:14
The Kidman
camp was good. Do you really need it, you have a month for it all to dry out and it is not being feed by top end rain coming down the drainage channels. Local rain should dry up soon enough.
Jim
AnswerID:
428507
Follow Up By: Fab72 - Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 17:09
Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 17:09
Well I'm hoping I won't need it, especially since all my accommodation up the planned route is already fully paid up....LOL.
However....everyone knows that Prior Planning Prevents Peas Poor Performance, so I don't want to blindly lead up to the departure date without having at least explored one other fall back plan.
I'm pretty aware that the rain is only local falls, but having recently been up the track as far as Etadunna, I also know that the ground is pretty
water logged and a decent splash in the trough is enough to close the road.
Fab.
FollowupID:
699217
Reply By: Dave B ( BHQ NSW) - Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 22:26
Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 22:26
Fab, your possible schedule from
Adelaide -
Bourke can in no way be compared with a trip up the Stuart Highway.
Wilcannia -
Bourke along the river road is 300 kms and all dirt. It would not be a good drive at night.
Alternate
Wilcannia -
Cobar -
Bourke is about 600 kms
There are a lot more roos out there than on the Stuart Highway after dark in my experience.
You really need to be fully alert to avoid the roos, and 1300 kms at an "average of 100 kph" is 13 hours.
You work out what you think your average speed will be and how long it will take you..
Your eyes will be further out than your bullbar after a drive like that.
Then what about the next days drive?
Dave
AnswerID:
428561
Follow Up By: Dave B ( BHQ NSW) - Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 22:55
Thursday, Aug 26, 2010 at 22:55
I made a bit of a blue there.
Wilcannia -
Cobar -
Bourke is about 400 k's not 600.
But you also lose half an hour due to the time difference CST to EST.
Dave
FollowupID:
699267