Made it to Dalhousie Springs by dusk and took a refreshing swim in the warm waters in this oasis in the desert. The dunes were crossed in low range as the extra torque made a big difference in getting over them along with the tyre pressures at 15 psi. We found much harder being in front as the sand had not been compacted by any other vehicles in the last few weeks and the tracks had filled with soft wind blown sand. Also as the top of each dune was crossed blind you had no idea if the track went straight on or left or right. We charged over most first time but on occasion had to back down the dune trailer and all and have another go. The Landcruiser was doing well as it was running in our tracks and getting all the info passed on by us and was not towing a trailer. We decided to see what would happen if we 'missed' giving some information and it immediately ran out of puff and couldn't make it over. There is a track junction where you can take a straight line straight across the desert on the French Line which is the hardest or a much longer route via the Rig Road which still has some clay that was put over the dunes in the 50's which makes it easier. We took the French Line as were up for the challenge!

   

Cresting yet another dune and my tracks through a salt pan

As you head east the dunes slowly get bigger and a couple of times we got stuck when trying to have another go between dunes but never had to resort to the Toyota pulling out the Jeep as just needed to scoop the very hot sand away with our hands and then backed back and forth a bit to pack down the sand. Then just charged at them harder often getting airborne with one time our water jerry bouncing out of the swing-a-away ripping the tap out. As water is very precious out here and this was half of our supply I stuck my finger in the tap hole while Lisa followed the water trail back to where the tap was found. At the end of the second day in the desert we made it to Poeppel's corner which I could just make out in the moon light on the other side of a large salt pan. Thought I would just drive across it as could make out were others had before me but about halfway across I broke through the salt crust and started sinking in the mud underneath. I just floored the accelerator and was doing 80 kmh or 50 mph on the clock but was less than walking pace outside with salt and mud flying every where. Got Lisa to yell over the CB to the Toyota not to follow as that lump of lard would not have a hope in hell making it and didn't want to spend the night digging it out. After about 5 minutes of keeping the throttle nailed we made it up the bank on the other side of the salt pan and the Toyota found a round about way to meet us at the point where the states of Queensland, Northern Territory and South Australia come together.

   

Sleeping in two states at once and the dunes getting bigger

We camped the night under the stars as usual on our double stretcher right behind the corner post as you can see in the photo above with my wife Lisa in Queensland while I was sleeping in the Northern Territory and Jazmyn on the back seat of the Jeep in South Australia.  The next morning I noticed a rattle coming from my front disc brake and was worried that the bolts holding the caliper on had started to come loose after the thousand odd kilometres of rough roads so got out the socket set. I wrenched down on the bolts to tighten them but they weren't loose and I snapped one of the two bolts holding the caliper clean off.   What to do now as had no replacement bolts so decided to drive the rest of the way without brakes. We were two thirds of the way across and should make the small town of Birdsville by night fall but thought it was about time the Toyota Landcruiser should have its turn at the front as would not be able to stop in a hurry for anything. They were not very willing as had been enjoying it being at the back and getting the instructions on what speed and direction the track went along with the packed wheel tracks of the Jeep to follow in. I was also starting to get sick of the comments bagging the Jeep anytime we had to take a second run at a dune as we never new how soft or rough one would be until we hit it first. As soon as they were at the front the tables really turned and we never missed getting over a dune first time again and they had to do many a re-run at one and it was so much easier being in their tracks. Sitting behind it also showed how often it would lift wheels looking very close to falling over with its high centre of gravity made worse by the roof rack even though it was lightly loaded and made from aluminium.

   

Landcruiser arrowed at the foot of this dune called Big Red left and both cars at right.

The dunes were getting bigger and further apart until we came up to the mother of all dunes and hoped that it was 'Big Red' that I had read so often about and is the biggest and last dune to cross in the Simpson Desert. This thing is huge and if you look at the arrowed cars they are dwarfed by it. Well this was really going to be a test between our cars and had kept my comments to myself so far when he had to take two and even three runs at a dune that we got over in one so far today. We had been told that you have to hit the dune doing 80 kmh or 50 mph at the bottom so you have enough momentum to make it over the top. He tried this a couple of times but would always run out of puff two thirds of the way up and a quick gear change only resulted in digging large holes. By about the fifth try he was close to 100 kmh and getting airborne on a small rise just before the dune causing the Toyota to become very un-stable and almost falling over. He had to give in and struggled over a bypass route that went up on an angle over a lower part of the dune just north of this point.

   

Slamming on the brakes but still got 8 foot of air and down the other side

Now it was my turn and I said I would only give it one turn with the trailer on and then have anther go without if I did not make it as by now the dune was badly cut up and full of huge holes from his attempts to get over it. With cameras and video on the ready and the adrenalin pumping ( just writing about it still starts it up! ) I drove back for a run up. Slipped it out of low range and into high range for the first time in two and half days and brought it up to 50 mph and held it there until I hit the dune and then floored it. Well to my amazement it didn't lose any speed like the Toyota but thought I better keep it nailed for the churned up part coming up that was the highest it had got. Can you imagine my surprise when it sailed right over it and still going so strong that I lifted off the throttle as the top was coming up fast. Well it was to late as had way to much speed so I had to use the brakes even though I only had one bolt holding one of the calipers on but had made sure it was the bottom one of the two stop the caliper getting flung off. As you can see above I had all four wheels locked up throwing sand forward but still sailed straight into the air at speed trailer and all. Well I landed quite well on the back side of the dune but still with the brakes on and happen to look in my rear vision mirror only to see the trailer still in the air nearly vertical now and about to go through my rear window. I got off the brakes and on the throttle and floored it which sucked the trailer back onto the dune bouncing it back into the air two or three times more before I could ease off and roll the rest of the way to the bottom.

 

[BACK][1][2][3][4][5][NEXT]