Birdsville alice springs

[Chris T]

Hi All
Heading off on Sunday from Toowoomba to Birdsville then down Lake Eyre Coober Pedy then back up Oodnadatta and via the Finke into Alice Springs .McDonald Ranges around to the rock then home along the Plenty Highway.
Was wondering if anyone has travelled these roads recently just to get a bit of a road report
Chris

 

[scottybobcat]

Nice!!!!! I'm jealous. I was going to do a similar trip a couple of years ago. I'll get one day

 

[FatBoy89]

Lucky bastard!

 

[nakedape]

Transport SA outback road report is very good for road conditions and closures.

You lucky bugga.

 

[bullwinkle]

I travelled along the Oodnadatta from Lyndhurst to William Creek in the first week of July. Road was pretty good most of the way - a few corrugated patches, but the worst is the washouts. I found just dropping speed from 100 to 80 was good enough to stop bouncing around through the washouts - they're usually well signed or have white markers. If you get the chance, stay at Coward Springs between Marree and William Creek - it's just an old rail siding converted into a camping ground, but it's well done and only costs $10 a night. If you want a fire you'll need to carry your own wood. Plenty to be had along side the railway around Leigh Creek if your heading that way. I'm hoping to do a similar trip next year. The ruins at Farina are worth a look and supposed to be a good camping ground there too, although we didn't use it.

 

[nakedape]

There is a good (private) camp ground between Blinman and Parachilna too - hot showers, little shop (booze and all), fuel and tyre repair. Might be a good stop over if you're exploring the Nth Flinders.

And here's the link to Transport SA:

http://www.transport.sa.gov.au/quicklinks/roadworks.asp

and take their number too:

1300 361 033

 

[ST-R]

Hi All
Heading off on Sunday from Toowoomba to Birdsville then down Lake Eyre Coober Pedy then back up Oodnadatta and via the Finke into Alice Springs .McDonald Ranges around to the rock then home along the Plenty Highway.
Was wondering if anyone has travelled these roads recently just to get a bit of a road report
Chris

Sounds awesome Chris. Have a great time.

Regards

Greg

 

[Chris T]

Thanks for the advise guy's

 

[Chris T]

Dust dust dust and more dust

Well 1 week out and made it to cober pedy in one piece just one tyre so going okay Birdsville track was great and some unreal things to see .We complain about hard life we have now the people who settled out here were hero's what hard country .Great sight today came upon a camry renta car on the ondadatta track two female drivers and right hand rear was down to rim only (and a well worn rim at that) they were heading towards william creek with only 2 litres of water and didn't know how to change tyre so kept on driving .We helped them change it and talked them into going back to cober pedy with us as no toyota wheels in william creek

Chris

 

[nakedape]

Great sight today came upon a camry renta car on the ondadatta track two female drivers and right hand rear was down to rim only (and a well worn rim at that) they were heading towards william creek with only 2 litres of water and didn't know how to change tyre so kept on driving .We helped them change it and talked them into going back to cober pedy with us as no toyota wheels in william creek

Chris

FFS hey! Nice save Chris!

 

[bullwinkle]

Stories like that shit me to tears. Wouldn't even have a go at changing the tyre? It should almost be an offence to go so unprepared.

 

[terryc]

It should almost be an offence to go so unprepared.

But, but I have NRMA/RACQ membership <vbg>


I hope the drivers were better looking than the sweat old dear that came upon us on Barrington Tops a few years* ago. The thubba-thubba-thubba from the driver rear being shredded caught out attention so we waited to see WTF it was.

"William Holden is up here shooting a movie" was her opening greeting. Sigh. We changed her tyre and sent her on her way through the Dingo Gate down to Moonan Flat and beyond. In fairness to her, she had probably never driven her little car on such a rough road and was totally oblivious to it until we drew her attention to it.

*Okay, it was a few decades and the movie had scenes shot at Upper Allyn for the benefit of the Newcastle lads.

Apart from the obvious lack of skill and preparation, the outwest cousin's opinion of outback roads is that when they are dry, you can drive anything on them and when they are wet, no one is gong anywhere.

 

[Chris T]

the old dears

Well was talking to some other travellers to day and they passed the old girls in Wife said last night that one of themwere surprised that their phone would not work ,Who would buy a ex rents car?

 

[BJ Navara]

More woes

We were driving up to kings canyon and pulled in to a spot to boil the billy. A big Mercedes truck rent a camper was there.

Four female backpackers driving from Adelaide to Cairns so the detoured via the Rock, as you do. Needed to be in Cairns in two days for flights home. Got a flat but it was getting dark and they were frightened.
Middle of nowhere so they turned all the lights on all night and flattened the battery bank and somehow the main.
Next morning put the jack under the cab and jacked it up straight through the drivers floor, buckling it but not lifting the truck.

So a Japanese tourist changed their tyre, it was as big as he was, but they were still stuck.
Got it started and they tore off toward Cairns.

Later same trip got two Swedes with a litre bottle of water and a map drawn on a paper bag attempting to drive from Wilpena Pound to Oodnadatta, Coober Pedy and back down to Woomera as a day trip!

 

[04SilverSTR]

haha foreign tourists have no idea how big this place is!!

 

[terryc]

Ancient tales of a yank bicycle rider found out outback heading to Mt Isa with only one little bicycle water bottle. when ask what he planned to do about water, said "There are all these rivers shown on the map".

Then there is the yank school teacher, one of many they brought out to NSW in the 70/80s, who accepted a posting at Inverell because he thought it looked close to the coast on the map and he could go to the beach every afternoon.