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Crossing the Simpson Desert


Boydie

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https://www.facebook.com/iain.boyd.752/videos/vob.100003553206155/729685343826566/?type=2

A young East German couple Anna and Jan asked Julie and I if they could "tag" along with us over the Simpson Desert last November 2014, they filmed this video with their GoPro - cheeky buggers edited out the three times I towed them and left in the two times they towed us, Oh well thats editorial privilege I guess.

We left Birdsville November 5, arrived Mt Dare November 9. Total distance about 420 k's, 1140 sand dunes 11 salt pans and 7 dry creek beds. Water temperature at Dalhousie Springs (where the kids are swimming) 38*C all year round.

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Great video, really captures the spirit of the journey. You could see that Cruiser was having it's problems...

I loved the Simpson Desert, though I went in from the Dalhousie end and only went about half way in before turning back. I was expected in Perth and that was the wrong direction! The dunes are much easier at that end but it was still fun. There had been lots of rain earlier (Lake Eyre was still full) so the desert was covered in blooms. I'll try to find a photo.

Dalhousie was an intense disappointment. After doing the Oodnadatta, to suddenly find a hundred or more people crammed into one spot, many of which were noisy and had bad toilet habits, was a shock, though the water sure is nice there! I remember someone asking if I was worried, travelling alone in a 22 year old Range Rover? It had never crossed my mind I should be!

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Great vid and thanks for sharing - if the Germans had to pick a Toyota for the trip, at least they picked the best model - given the 80 series drivetrain and suspension is a copy of a Classic Range Rover.

Looks like a great trip.

Cheers

Garry

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What time of year Deep? we arrived at Dalhousie on November 8 and we had the entire place to ourselves, mind you it was getting to the warm side of the year, but I prefer 45*C to 24* so no complaints from me there.

The only hassle we encountered were the mosquitoes at dalhousie, big enough to fly off with you and the only way to kill the buggers was to hit them with the fly spray, not with the aerosol mist but with the can itself ! The other thing was that there was no water there, both tanks were bone dry so we had to use our filter and purify the bore water, good enough to drink but not the best taste. Oh, and the shower water was bloody freezing - colder than the water in the spring lake !

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What time of year Deep? we arrived at Dalhousie on November 8 and we had the entire place to ourselves, mind you it was getting to the warm side of the year, but I prefer 45*C to 24* so no complaints from me there.

The only hassle we encountered were the mosquitoes at dalhousie, big enough to fly off with you and the only way to kill the buggers was to hit them with the fly spray, not with the aerosol mist but with the can itself ! The other thing was that there was no water there, both tanks were bone dry so we had to use our filter and purify the bore water, good enough to drink but not the best taste. Oh, and the shower water was bloody freezing - colder than the water in the spring lake !

Must have been late July. Pretty cold air temp but the spring was warm, off course. Months later, in northern WA, Darwin and into Kakadu it got into the mid 40s and muggy and I loved it!

I never even used the shower at Dalhousie. People had defecated all over the floor and I wasn't going near the place. I moved on next day to Purnie Bore (I think that's the name). Stunning place. Not another soul there but I got seriously harassed by a grey ghost type of bat!

I got used to drinking bore water. It rarely tasted good and I didn't have a purifier but I mostly just drank tea and I was fine. Actually, my first bought meal once I left the Great Central Road on the WA side made me crook and nothing in the bush did. Clearly born to be wild!

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