How tough is the CSR compared with .....

Richard,

A very hard question to answer, a lot would have to do with how you are prepared for the trip.

So far you have made it hard by travelling at this time of year when the track would be at its worst, travelling alone and the day time temperatures will be getting hot plus there will not be too many other vehicles about.

The track it self is not that hard, with the right tyre pressure and common sense approach to driving over sand dunes.

The track would be like a combination of all the other tracks that you have already been on all rolled into one.

It can be enjoyable but it can also be life threatening, it is a pity that you can't do this track in the cooler months and with another vehicle or two.

Wayne

Hi Richard

I have not driven the CSR but a couple of queries about what you have just said....

"I have travelled the Gunbarrel, Connie Sue, Garry Highway, Ann Beadell, Sandy Blight and all the other central tracks. They have been tricky in places and very hot at the time of year I can take off but nothing really compares to the Simpson".

I have driven all the above that you said they were "tricky in places" and then when you say a south to north Simpson trip.....this then tells me you have driven "PURE CROSS COUNTRY" for the north south bit. How did you find the Beadell tracks tricky, as they are all straight forward except the great low range steep section on the Sandy Blight to the top of the Sir Frederick Range.

When driving in that fashion for the south/north crossing, you would have been in the swales all the way, not unless you had to change your direction of travel. From my cross country affairs with the Simpson, yes we have been out through Geosurvey Hill and the Geographical Centre, so I know what I am talking about, you are putting your skills to the test and have to learn how to read the nature of the dunes and the swales that you are driving up.

From our driving experience, there is no way on earth that you can compare pure cross country travel, with that of a well defined track in front of your nose.

Like I have just said, we have never done the CSR, but after true cross country travel, the CSR, just like all the tracks that you have said and the usual Simpson tracks are walks in the park.


When travelling when it hot, the sand will be very fine, so you will have lot lower tyre pressures than you usually do as well as talking lots of water for safety reasons and of course if you are travelling solo, MaxTrax as your number one companion. So to answer you questions, if you have done the cross country south/north Simpson you will find it easy.




Cheers


Stephen

Of course it can be done. You sound like an intelligent man. You have some experience that is obvious. Just take it easy and carefully. Canning and his team cut tracks, cut down timber and sunk wells in the middle of summer. Carnegie walked most of the way, again having to locate his own water.
Be prepared and take it easy. There should be no need to rush you will have the place to yourself. The only thing you will need is company. Do not go alone unless you are desperate.
Have a nice trip. I envy you!

The CSR isn't technically hard at all Richard , if you have done Simpson South to North (presume thats the Hay river track not Colson ) then its easier.

Also its easier than a standard Simpson crossing and different.

The CSR is more an endurance test with lots of corro's in places.

A few small dunes to but nothing like the Simpson ones.

Its not rough and slow like Madigan line either.

It was mostly 2wd for us, until it rained, then the flat tracks filled up with long mud puddles which made the drive worth doing.

One of the problems with the Canning, particularly in hot weather when the sand is softer, is that the tyre pressure needed to get over the sand dunes is not the ideal pressure for the following several kilometres of severe corrugations until the next sand dune.
Keeping in mind the weight of the recovery gear, fuel, supplies and so on, there is a good chance that your tyres will overheat, especially with the hot sun helping, unless you take it very slowly or else keep inflating and deflating your tyres to match the terrain.
I had this problem a few years ago on the Canning and ended up changing to a larger tyre with an increase load carrying capability. The Simpson is much easier on the tyres because it does not have the long stretches of corrugations between sand dunes.

I done the CSR in OCT 2002, travelling Nth to Sth is easier, my patrol ute weighed 4.2 tonnes gross, had no problems, apart from 2 new shockies I put on, melted the nylon bushings out, better off with older shockies, not as tight as the new ones. Enjoy your trip, Cheers, Peter.

G'day Richard,
Have you looked at the recent Mercedes G Wagen trip and the problems they had with shockers. (the speed they travelled at would be the main culprit). So carry enough spare bushes and a front & rear shocker, I shredded my front upper bushes. I insisted when my shockers were fitted, they used 2 lock nuts and not nylex type nuts. It's very hard to get stop the shocker turning when trying to undo the nylex nuts. Have a practice at changing one at home. We had one vehicle that ripped off the front shocker from the chassis, which required welding back on using 3 batteries. Carry some rods and a welding lens, even if you can't weld someone passing can help if you have the gear. The dunes were not very difficult, but as with all oz trips, the weather could change everything fast.
Enjoy the trip.

Cheers,
Bill

Richard it is not worse than others as far as road/track conditions go, but due to the distance between supplies you will be much much heavier than what you needed to be for all the other trips. That places more stress on your running gear. We had bullbars, fuel tanks crack and replaced more shocks than on other tracks, I think it was because of the load.
CJ