The simpson desert consists of a sea of parallel red sand dunes covering an area of 170,000 sq km as large as england and wales. This closure is to ensure public safety as temperatures can exceed 50 a breakdown during this time could be fatal. The simpson desert is the last refuge of some rare australian desert animals, including the fattailed marsupial mouse. Taking your own fuel and water is a must when crossing the simpson desert. Sam purcell is back from the hardest crossing of the simpson desert, across the madigan line. Madigans trip was actually a double crossing of the simpson. The desert comprises red dunes, saltencrusted lakes and vast stretches of grasslands.
The simpson desert is a large area of dry, red sandy plain and dunes in northern territory, south australia and queensland in central australia. For a lot of people, the simpson desert is the final frontier when it comes to 4wd adventure and exploration. Oct 22, 2019 in the dusty red heart of australia, where queensland, south australia, and the northern territory meet, lies the simpson desert. This is the true story of one of the epic adventures of desert exploration. After winning the 2009 comic strip superstar contest, she developed the strip phoebe and her unicorn originally known as heavenly nostrils, which is now syndicated in newspapers worldwide. South australia archives travel videos of australia. Enter the simpson desert regional reserve overnight camp on the edge of the simpson desert. The crossing is closed completely between december 1st and march 15th due to the extreme heat. Simpson desert 4x4 tagalong tour no limits 4x4 hire. The simpson deserts facts and checks as one of the driest places on earth, the simpson deserts annual rainfall is recorded at only 150mm200mm.
The indigenous people of this country walked across it, what is the point of this discussion. It is a unique landscape that captures your imagination, but this is no place for the faint hearted. The simpson desert is probably the most traveled desert in australia. Mungathirrisimpson desert conservation park and regional.
Crossing it east to west is the most challenging, as the eastern dune faces are generally steeper due to the wind direction. The simpson desert is the worlds largest sand dune desert, of 170,000 km. Following cecil madigans 1939 expedition as closely as possible from abminga siding to birdsville, he covered over 900 kilometres in fourteen days in his trusty defender. Unfortunately, shephards very enjoyable book its a must for all simpson desert fans. Call john or amanda today on 02 4739 8034 or mobile 0408 245892 for all enquiries or bookings. The most enjoyable times to visit the simpson desert are autumn, winter and spring. What links here related changes upload file special pages permanent link page information cite this page wikidata item. For water, the recommended amount is 7 litres of water per person per day, plus enough water to sustain you for an extra 7 days in case of emergency. We were lucky another year to be able to cross warburton creek to exit the desert. We have crossed the simpson desert many times since that first time. The parallel sand ridges of the simpson desert have both. Desert info the simpson desert consists of a sea of parallel red sand dunes covering an area of 170,000 sq km as large as england and wales.
In the simpson desert youll find some of the best fourwheel driving in australia. His only companion was eringa peter of the antakurinya tribe pictured in one of the photographs in the distance on a camel. Cecil madigan had made an aerial reconnaissance in 1929, which proved that the desert was composed of numerous parallel sand dunes, with no evidence of permanent water. If the simpson desert park is closed for some reason and we cannot make the crossing, we will take the alternate route of uluru desert express tour 1450km 6 day tour.
The outdoor journal and legendary explorer mike horn cross the simpson desert in australia. Situated in the far north of south australia, it straddles the sant border and spills over into far western queensland. Features, conservation and tourism information for mungathirri. We used the detour, travelling 30 kilometres north to cross at a safe spot. The binns track runs parallel to the stuart highway from south australia to timber creek, nt where it connects with routes into wa. The former homestead of a cattle station provides welcome services to all travellers especially those crossing the simpson desert. If youre planning a crossing, youll absolutely need a wellprepared 4wd and. Madigans crossing of the desert by camel in 1939 is often cited as the first by a european, although some references note an earlier one by edmund albert colson in 1936. Min min encounter at the visitor information centre in boulia there is an. The simpson desert over 170,000 square kms of vast open space, the largest. Largely uninhabited, with dunes stretching as far as the eye can see, the simpson desert. We will be offering two simpson crossing tours where you can not only ride across the desert, but also spend 3 nights in birdsville to experience this unique event as well. Straddling three states, the simpson desert is the largest parallel sand dune desert in the world. Image 1 of 15 for archive first crossing of australias simpson desert by ted.
Edmund albert ted colson was the first nonindigneous man to cross of the simpson desert in 1936. Unsealed 4x4 10 things i learned crossing the madigan. The best time to be in the simpson desert is april to october when the daytime temperature will be comfortable. The weather varies wildly during the day it may reach up to 50 celsius, while during the night it may drop to subzero celsius. The book led to the choice of south australia as the site for a new british settlement. On this tours end you will be flying out of uluru, it will by your responsibility to book your own flight out of uluru.
Leaving dalhousie we had a quick check from the ranger that we had the appropriate permits and off we went on our voyage to cross more than 1100 sand dunes for the next 500kms of nothing but desert. The first european to see the grandeur of the simpson desert was the explorer charles sturt in 1845, but the desert was not fully recognised and named until the 1930s when another australian explorer and geologist, cecil thomas madigan, named it after. The making connections book is still available at various bookstores and at the strehlow research centre in alice springs. Spend 3 weeks exploring outback queensland, south australia and northern territory. Aboriginal people have lived there for thousands of years, and the early europeans attempted in vain to traverse it. Desert crossing by elise broach is a great novel which combines perfect amounts of mystery and romance. This book was written to entertain teenagers and young adults with amusing scenes and mysterious dilemmas.
At poeppel corner it meets south australias simpson desert conservation. Mar 20, 2020 crossing the mungathirri simpson desert takes four days on average, depending on the number of stops and weather conditions. Crossing the simpson desert, australia with mike horn. Dana claire simpson, a native of gig harbor, washington, first caught the eyes of devoted comics readers with the internet strip ozy and millie. This expedition across the simpson desert in apr 1939 was deliberately chosen at this time. It is the fourthlargest australian desert, with an area of 176,500 km 2 68,100 sq mi the desert is underlain by the great artesian basin, one of the largest inland drainage areas in the world. For more information on any of the tracks we mention or any of the other routes. Simpson desert tours from adelaide return to adelaide 9 days. Madigans crossing of the desert by camel in 1939 is often cited as the first by a. On his crossing, he carried a movie camera and a pedal radio. Simpson desert, largely uninhabited arid region covering some 55000.
We drive big red sand dune and head west, over dune after dune, with another thousand to cross. People have been crossing the simpson desert for over 100 years in vehicles of some sort. Today we embark on the first leg of our simpson desert cro. Exceptional rains had at least fallen on the queensland side of the desert, so that there would be feed for the camels, just as their condition was deteriorating, and which the conditions would be ideal for a madigan was a well organised geologist used. It is situated mainly in the northern territory, with parts in south australia and queensland. Once in the groove of dune driving, there were no other difficulties in crossing the desert.
Simpson desert fuel the longest stretch of no fuel on the simpson desert is approximately 500km. I want to come back to the simpson desert in my gwagen truck that i will bring from europe. Dashing across the simpson desert with a haval h9, great. It lies across the corners of south australia, queensland, and the northern territory.
Mt dare is actually in south australia and part of witjira national park. We compiled our top 10 essentials for crossing the simpson desert list to make sure nothing important was left behind. Old andado track follows the desert s western edge to the town of finke. Average monthly maximum and minimum temperatures in birdsville. Largely uninhabited, with dunes stretching as far as the eye can see, the simpson desert is the ultimate outback adventure. The simpson desert occupies about 160,000 square kilometres of the arid centre of australia. If youre planning a crossing, youll absolutely need a well. In fact, wed advise that you buy this book before you go to do all of your trip planning. Crossing the simpson desert, australia with mike horn youtube. Like any desert, youre going to need to be well prepared to do this on 2 wheels. This site is dedicated to my australian overlanding project. Thank you for accepting me i love the desert have only just arrived home after another trip out ther.
Crossing the dead heart by cecil madigan goodreads. Travelling west to east is easier than east to west. In 1936 edmund ted colson and his aboriginal companion peter ains made a successful crossing. Simpson desert crossing from adelaide with birdsville track. To get to the simpson desert, first book your flight to australia. Uluru simpson desert june 2021 madhat 4wd adventures. Alice springs to birdsville via kings canyon, uluru, dalhousie springs, simpson desert. After winning the 2009 comic strip superstar contest, she developed the strip phoebe and her unicorn originally known as heavenly nostrils, which is now syndicated in newspapers worldwide there are eight phoebe and her unicorn book collections.
Crossing a total 1,162 dunes, he reached heights up to 40 m 1 ft. Simpson desert, largely uninhabited arid region covering some 55,000 square miles 143,000 square km in central australia. The simpson desert by motorcycle is a dream of many riders and weve decided to create a guide to help 1sttime riders traverse the simpson safely. This book is about as young lady named lucy martinez who travels with here brother jamie and his friend kit. In fact, it is the biggest parallel sand dune in the world shaping into long red waves from the wind. About mungathirri national park parks and forests department. Copeland and george complete the longest latitudinal crossing of. The full and extremely interesting story can be read in madigans book. Crossing the worlds largest sand dune desert should be on your bucket list. In 1939 dr cecil madigan led his party of nine men and nineteen camels into the trackless and waterless simpson desert on an exciting mission never before attempted. Eight 1500 x 1600mm images seven desert crossing images and one homestead image and four 500x500mm. So youll need at least 50l of fuel carried on your motorcycle remembering that youll be doing slower speeds of around 30kmh. Always wanted to do the simpson desert crossing but not on our own.
Day 4 heading into the simpson desert we cross the floodplains of spring creek delta then moving into numerous salt lakes and higher sand dunes. Archive first crossing of australias simpson desert by. A trip to the simpson desert is the ultimate outback adventure. For many people the simpson desert is the final frontier when it comes to 4wd exploration. If the simpson desert is closed due to an act of god if the simpson desert park is closed for some reason and we cannot make the crossing, we will take the alternate route of uluru desert express tour 1450km 6 day tour. Dalhousie springs the start of the simpson desert crossing. Mungathirri simpson desert regional reserve and conservation park are closed annually between 1 december and 15 march. It is a popular destination for those looking to experience a desert crossing.
Simpson desert crossing from adelaide with birdsville. These northsouth oriented dunes are static, held in position by vegetation. Nights will be cool to cold so make sure you carry plenty of warm bedding. On another trip, eyre creek was in flood at the usual crossing. The road from mt dare to get to the simpson desert was even worse and at times we were wondering if wed make it to the start of the desert or if all our tyres would blow out on the sharp gibber stones that make this road in. Located within the driest region of the australian continent, the mungathirri simpson desert conservation park is in the centre of the simpson desert, one of. Archive first crossing of australias simpson desert by ted. There does not appear to be any new information contained in the notes, but the general tone confirms the. So when packing for our solo twoway trip crossing with our family of 5, we were sure to take many things into consideration. Limited places please book now with an email or phone call 0 763. Vast areas of the desert have been given protected status along the borders of queensland, northern territory, and.
The ultimate adventure ride across the simpson desert on a ktm excf off road motorcycle. We learnt a lot from paul and were extremely glad we went along with tagalong tours. More than 1,100 dunes, shaped into long red waves by westerly winds, roll from birdsville in. Simpson desert ultimate guide travel outback australia. The simpson desert is an erg that contains the worlds longest parallel sand dunes. Simpson desert near alice springs northern territory, australia. The parallel sand ridges of the simpson desert have both threatened and fascinated generations of australians. Throughout the book, the reader can enjoy entertaining character dialogue as well as a unique and well designed plot. Access wetland mapping in pdf and kml format by selecting the desired 100k map tile below or download the data via the queensland government information service the below map is for visual representation purposes only. They set off on the back roads to phoenix to go see their father.
Simpson desert aboriginal culture travel outback australia. Travellers must have sufficient fuel to enter the desert and return to mt dare or oodnadatta as all eastern exit points are closed due to the flooding. Apr 22, 2016 his first crossing of the simpson was in july 1977, when he set out from cape byron to make a double crossing of the continent. We have travelled the french line and the waa line. Simpson desert crossing alice springs to mt dare dalhousie. Although a number of explorers had probed the simpson desert from the mid 1800s, including charles sturt and peter warburton, none had made a successful crossing on foot. The conventional crossing is approx 545km crossing of the desert whereas expedition simpson is a 900km crossing taking in the best of the desert environments not only through the eastwest traverse but also the south and north of the desert as well.
The simpson desert consists of a sea of parallel red sand dunes covering an area of 170,000 square kilometers as large as england and wales. Our experience driving across the simpson desert is a bucketlist trip for any keen 4wheeldrive owner. For fifty years, the 1969 expedition known as the impossible journey was the first and only easttowest vehicular crossing of the center of australias simpson desert. The largest dune, nappanerica or big red, is 40 metres ft in height. Crossing the simpson desert the largest parallel sand dune desert in the world, the simpson puts 16 dunes in your path. The fact you are basically on your own, crossing numerous dunes means you will need to be well prepared. Swim option at dalhousie springs in 3843 deg c water. Relatively easy access is barely forty years old, and makes use of the survey lines and equipment tracks of oil prospecting and drilling teams. Its similar but easier than the popular canning stock route crossing and is possible to do solo, as long as you plan. Paul staffords tagalong tours was a fantastic way to achieve the crossing with the safety of a small group and pauls excellent leadership and knowledge, not to mention his sense of humour.
Temperatures exceed 50 degrees in summer and can fall below zero centigrade in winter. It lies across the corners of south australia, queensland and the northern territory. Though its not for the faint hearted or the inexperienced, with scorching sun even in winter, extreme remoteness, and nowhere to stop for fuel or water along many of the tracks, you need to be a prepared and experienced 4wder. All the preparation to the vehicle and planning of supplies were now about to be. The ultimate guide to the simpson desert redarc electronics. The simpson desert is a large area of dry, red sandy plain and dunes in northern territory. Dec 03, 2020 you have certainly picked the best time of the year for a crossing and will have no problem going solo if you stick to the main tracks there are plenty of people at that time of year. Aug 03, 2012 simpson desert history remade history was repeated and birdsville celebrated over the july 2122 weekend when sister and brother marg and doug sprigg crossed the remote simpson desert in an early model, short wheelbase nissan g60 patrol 50 years after their pioneering trip in a similar nissan in 1962. His photographic studies of the polar regions, assembled in books. It is a popular destination for those looking to experience a desert crossing australian 4x4 tag along tours simpson desert call john or amanda today on 02 4739 8034 or mobile 0408 245892 for all enquiries or bookings.
Simpson desert expedition tag along outback australia. On reaching eyre creek, we discovered that the bypass. Discover necessary information and major route details for crossing the simpson desert in a 4wd safely. It crosses the longest parallel sand dune desert in the world. He was the first person to make a radio broadcast from the simpson desert. Simpson desert ibra subregion facts and maps department. Around christmas time we decided wed make it happen this year. The biggest dunes are on the eastern side of the desert, diminishing in size as a trend to the west. We eventually arrived safely at dalhousie springs which marks the start of the simpson desert.
Complete guide to crossing the simpson desert by motorcycle. Desert crossing ted colsons expedition across the simpson desert in 1936 although a number of explorers had probed the simpson desert from the mid 1800s, including charles sturt and peter warburton, none had made a successful crossing on foot. Fastest crossing of the simpson desert on foot guinness. Its been on the cards for us since we did our trip to cape york roughly 12 months ago. Crossing the simpson desert by fat bike cyclingtips. You are not allowed to take any animals into the simpson desert parks, either in s. Archive first crossing of australias simpson desert by ted colson. He had planned for the eastwest crossing of the simpson to be entirely crosscountry and to pass close to the centre of the desert. Broken hill to birdsville via maree, oodnadatta, dalhousie springs, simpson desert. The simpson desert over 170,000 square kms of vast open space, solitude and a place with the largest parallel sand dune desert in the world and one of the most remote places in australia.
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