Just a passing observation.

Another Sth. Aussie here,

The country areas in SA are not being funded by the Govt. sadly.

The Govt. has screwed that up many times by miss management of priorities, they now can only afford to spend where the votes are,
inAdelaide & the immediate adjoining vote grabbing areas area.

Sad, a beautiful place, but if travelling avoid the city & surrounds, stick to the Pennisulas, Limestone Coast & North of Crystal Brook.

You will have a ball in the country SA , with great people.

Happy travels
Nick

Gday John,
If you "saw no evidence of ‘improvements’ and interpretive facilities" then you must have crossed the desert with your eyes closed!

Hi Phil.

We used the French Line. There was a big detour for the Creek and it had not been signed. If we hadn't had good mapping we wouldn't have been very confident of the general route - just no signage at all...

The track was pretty cut up; no evidence at all of any $'ss going in anywhere. (note, I don't mind that - it's just that if I pay an exorbitant fee then I expect to see evidence that it's being spent on something other than keeping a couple of punters employed in Birdsville who weren't particularly useful in anything other than providing advice on joyflights).

There were some markers placed at intervals that guided the visitor as to how far down the track they were but these weren't put in by Gov't. There was signage at some key places like the Corner, admittedly.

All in all, compared to prices for access in WA, the DPP price is a total rip-off.

So...pls let me know what I missed in the ‘improvements and interpretive facilities' department. I am dead keen to make sure I don't miss them next time I get ripped.

Cheers.

Agree with you John - did you get a reply back?

I went across the French line in late 2005. These days I don't think your even allowed at that time as it is too "dangerous".

Unlike you I only stayed in the area for 1 night and 1 day - I don't think I even went to the toilet (bush toilet) and I took all my rubbish out with me. The fee then was $90 from memory and was a total rip-off though I payed it.

Can't really comment on Phils post as I did my own research and didn't really need any signs to tell me where I am anyway.

The permit came with all these high quality maps and info that I didn't need and to this day sit at the bottom of my map-box unused.

Cheers
Alan

PS - Your probably right Kanga though lack of road stop facilities wouldn't affect my decision to visit SA. At least the road-stops are clean.

I too am keen to hear if they replied back, maybe we should all send the same letter in, it may create a Movement.

Gday John,

last time I looked Birdsville is in Qld and has nothing to do with the SA Desert Parks Pass.

Like it or not, for a simple tourist trip the user pays.

When I travel in WA, I don't whinge when I pay $100 for track access for 2 weeks on the CSR. If I go back again it's another $100.

When I travel in the NT - Hay River, I don't whinge when I pay $200 to travel down the Hay River

When in NSW, I don't whinge when I pay $38 per night for a bush campsite with no showers in Ben Boyd National Park

When it comes to desert trips, for some people it's all about the driving but these days for me its all about the destination. If you only want to spend 3 nights in the desert, that's your choice.

I hope you weren't suggesting they should maintain the tracks in the Simpson Desert!

Cheers
Phil

Hi Phil.

I definitely wasn't suggesting that the authorities should do track maintenance but better signage wouls be a plus; I note you haven't responded to my request that you provide some examples of effective expenditure on the track...

I mentioned Birdsville 9it was the Tourist Centre) because that is where they insisted I pay for a pass; coming from the east to return to WA, B'ville is where the issuing authority is... I expect that the SA gov't pays them for the 'service'.

You can't compare the PPP with the CSR fees. The former is a bureacratic revenue raiser for the SA Gov't; the latter is a fee levied by Traditional Owners for the right to pass through Aboriginal lands and the fee is administered by a relevant voluntary organisation - ANFWDA.

I can't coimment on the other fees you mention as I haven't been to those sites.

Cheers.

Hi Alan and Bonz.

I did get a response and I have been trying to exhume it from the archives. If I find it I'll put it up.

Cheers.

Here 'tis; hope it works.

And...Alan...yes, those dinky packaged maps are also at the bottom of my maps drawer; they're actually not too bad but are not as good as the HEMA series I already had




Cheers.

Thanks Priscilla for your constructive comment and relevant people to send information too, we will most definately send an email to the people you have suggested, I'm sure they would be horrified if they stopped in at a few to make a Jam Sammy. It is good to see the sides of the road in general very tidy of rubbish (cans bottles etc) Just a real shame about the lack of facilities for " calls of nature" at roadside rest stops. Thanks again< Kanga. ( Perhaps they could supply a Shovel for the 2 wheel drivers).

Hi Crackles, I couldn't agree more, in remote areas individuals should take responsibility for their waste tidy up. Generally we find the bush to be one of the best places to be regarding this issue. Wouldn't have thought the Eyre highway was all that remote and we didn't notice any cars other than 4WD's with shovels on their roofs for clean-ups. Bottom line is, I am a tourist in this State, and first impressions do have an affect on opinions. Cheers, Kanga.

OK first up I am from WA.
I do tend to agree with Craig on the matter of the outright pigs that seem to think that it is acceptable to treat roadside stops and anywhere else the mood takes them as their personal rubbish tip and toilet. Not sure the Eyre Highway could be considered remote as Kanga observed, more like a main arterial highway.
I know on WA's main roads there are crews continually patrolling, cleaning up rubbish and emptying rubbish bins even at stops hundreds of kilometers from a town. Now all of this I believe is the responsibility of Main Roads WA and I suspect comes at a pretty high cost. This no doubt comes out of state coffers and here in WA the state government have a few pretty good cash cows to milk, and I mean apart from the long suffering rate payers like me. The royalties from our booming mining industry contribute literally billions to "consolidated revinue". My point being that AFAIK SA does not have quite so generous a revinue source and also the Eyre Highway is probably used more as a route to get from WA to the eastern states and vice versa. Certainly for heavy transport. If they do not already do so maybe the federal government should loosen the purse strings a little for a state like SA, and before you jump all over me I don't mean that to sound condersending in any way.

Cheers
Pop

Hey Crackles, I was not talking about remote areas. I was talking about the main tourist routes between Adelaide and the Flinders and back down to Whyalla. Tar roads mate.

We actually asked the people in the Craddock Hotel if we could park in their carpark for the night as it was very late afternoon and we were in unfamiliar territory. Luckily for us they allowed us to do so.

Perhaps more such establishments could do that but I suppose the authorities would have some bylaw which would probably by contravened.

Admittedly many rest stops in NSW leave much to be desired in many places but they are there for the traveler to use, and sometimes abuse.

Back in the Seventies Queensland was way out in front in this regard utilising the sections of tar roads where bends had been straightened out. They set up the redundant section of road for overnight camping with picinic type shelters and even cold showers in some instances. Back in those days NSW was still providing concrete fireplaces and nothing else. A bit like SA today. But that's 40 years ago.

SA is a great place with plenty of things to see and do but travellers need some basic facilities if they are going to keep coming otherwise SA is going to be known as the cesspit of Australia.

It does not cost much to place an old 44 gallon drum at these sites and a pit toilet is a fairly inexpensive facility. Cleaning and maintenance are about the only ongoing costs so SA authorities are standing on some pretty shaky legs as far as I can see.

Cheers, Bruce.