This topic contains 71 replies, has 0 voices, and was last updated by 
-
Alice to Mt Dare
332kms : 8 hours (about 2 hours for stops).
The day started awesomely (is there such a word)
We read all our info on the Old Andado road & the Old Ghann road & in the end it was decided on the toss of a coin. Heads we went the Old Ghann road.
It’s also the road that runs alongside the Finke race route. The Road was fantastic. Nice & wide smooth hard surface. For about 70 kms.
We collected firewood along the way as new restrictions are in place for collecting once you get to the NP near Mt Dare.
For the next 160kms the road conditions varied from really soft sand to sand & rocks.
I am pleased to say Mark was the first to drop his bike negotiating the soft sand.
I was only 1km out of Finke & I fell over on soft sand. Damn. Bugger. I’d almost made it. Now it’s 1 all.
We drove through Finke for about 10kms til we found a nice shady tree by the Finke river bed. Lunch was great. Had our energy bars & drinks & with the road decidedly better rode on to Mt Dare. What a welcomed site that was.
Some of the country was so barren with nothing but rocks & spinifex.
The 5kms of road before Mt Dare is rocky as.
The camp ground had about a dozen campers & by the visitors book this place is definitely an outback oasis, at this time of year. With many making the pilgrimage to the Birdsville Races.
A group of bikers turned up about dusk on 525’s WR450’s & 1 DR + 2 support vehicles with all their gear. They are heading the same way as us.
Camping here then Dalhousie Springs tomorrow.
Fuel price @ Mt Dare … A surprising $2.21 ULP
Both of these were supposed to be photos … Will try uploading soon
From 8km east of Knolls track To approx 5km west of rabbit proof fence. Total km = 117
Total k’s to date 7,000 !!
Great effort.
What a contrast in weather. Our first day hit 39 degrees with steady north westerly. Yesterday 33degrees with steady south easterly. Much cooler breeze.
Having said that our first desert night was quite hot while last night was probably around 2 degrees.
The other item to note are the rats .. Well they have taken a liking to black thongs …during the night one of Darryl’s favourite thongs was ratted. It was found some 20 metres away hanging out of a rat hole. In surrounding rat holes were chewed pieces of thong. After much laughter & photos the thong was retrieved. Still wearable. An effort was made to smoke out the rat & then out came the shovel then & tent pole … but no rats.
It’s amazing everyone’s interpretation of where they’ve come from (in relation to the sand dunes). A few we’ve passed mentioned that further east had soft sand & big dunes, however when we get there we’ve noticed it’s almost 90% easier than the dunes previously covered.
In our experience the dunes coming from the west were easy to the Wonga corner where the sand was more hard packed. As you head toward Knolls track they were closer together with all sand stretches in between with the average height between 5 to 10 metres. After Knolls the can average 15m while the dunes start to get further apart with hard packed dirt stretches between. Still some gnarly dunes & multiple dunes, however the riding and driving time picked up in the last 2 hours today. Of course I’m sure these conditions do change all the time, it is just an observation of our time on the road.
We saw our 1st Simpson Desert Camels. Wow. Big & fast walkers.
& you can’t beat the feeling of being in the desert, it is very special. Some of the views from the sand dunes are truly spectacular.
My foot is getting better should be able to fit it in the boot tomorrow.
[attachment=3549]367583020.588170.jpg[/attachment]
Last camp in the desert – the morning we leave
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.