Simpson Desert Trip with The Sea Wolves Scuba Diving Club Aug 2019
Written through the eyes of John Wood (Johno)
Day 1 Friday 2nd Aug
I think there were 10 cars all told and we all met at the Caltex Service Station at Bolivar at 7am, some got there early for breakfast.
We then headed north to just south of Port Augusta and turned right to Stirling North where some of us topped up with fuel.
We then headed to Quorn where we had lunch at a local pub, not much drinking though as we had a bit of driving still to do.
Next stop was Marree where we were able to camp behind the Pub for free if we made ourselves welcome at the Pub for meals and drinks of which we did with pleasure.
It was a long night.
Day 2
Next morning some cooked their own breakfast, and some had breakfast in the Pub, it was a great breakfast, just ask Chalky.
The next part of the trip was from Marree to Birdsville up the Birdsville Track across the Stoney Desert and we found out why they call it the Stoney Desert.
Several of us got punctures of which we were able to repair without changing the wheel.
I had 3 puncture strips put into the hole and it lasted 30Kms another 30Kms and the tyre went flat again from same hole, so another 3 puncture strips were put in and it lasted 50Kms where another 2 strips had to be put in the same hole. (8 puncture strips to fix the tyre) but it got me to Birdsville which was a trip of about 450Kms from Marree.
We booked into the Caravan Park and pitched our tents.
I did at this time decide to change the punctured tyre with my spare wheel.
Dinner was had at the Birdsville Hotel of which we enjoyed the pleasures of the bar for meals and drinks.
Another great night was had by all.
Day 3
Next day we had a look around Birdsville and like a magnet found our way back to the Birdsville Hotel around midday.
Four of us Fingers, Mustard, Graham and myself, went for a flight over Birdsville and it’s amazing how much water there is still around after the floods that they have had, apparently the water was lapping at the door of the Pub but stopped short, it would have been a shame to be stuck inside the Pub for a week or so!!!
After lunch we headed for the Simpson Desert but not before saying hello to the sandhill called ‘Big Red’ of which we all had to get over it to carry on our trip because there was no other way around.
We all got over it quite easily and some of us had to do it a few times, it was fun.
We only did about 70Kms from Birdsville before we made a camp for our 1st night in the Desert, everything went well and we found plenty of wood for the campfire where most of us cooked our dinners then sat around the fire drinking and thinking about the variation of something like a thousand sandhills in the Simpson Desert.
We slept well that night.
Day 4, 5 and 6
The next 3 days were taken up with full on Simpson Desert Sandhills and camping where we could see that there was plenty of wood to collect for a fire.
Some of the sandhills were challenging and some sandhills were made more challenging by some of us because we took the harder tracks if there was a choice.
Some cars had to either dig themselves out of a bog or get towed out, but it was part of the fun.
The track we took along the Simpson was West along the QAA line, South along Hay River Track, West along the French Line to Knoll’s Rd. then South down to Rig Rd. where we travelled West until it met up with the French Line again.
On the way we visited Poeppel’s Corner which is the boundary where South Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland join each other and there is a monument there at the spot.
The last night in the Desert we camped on the edge of it as there were no campfires allowed after this point and we couldn’t do without a fire.
Day 7
The next day we headed for Dalhousie Springs but on the way travelled past Purni Bore camping ground which has a toilet and shower where the water comes from an underground hot spring and I couldn’t resist a shower after 4 days in the desert without one, the water temperature was perfect coming straight out of the ground.
Dalhousie Springs is a fantastic place at the edge of the desert to have a refreshing swim and relax, this swimming hole also has water coming from hot springs and is about body temperature.
After lunch we headed off to a place called ‘Eringa Springs Waterhole’ which is a beautiful waterhole in the middle of nowhere, of course we had to collect wood on the way and had the biggest campfire of the trip.
Day 8
Saying goodbye to Eringa we headed towards Oodnadatta and Pinks Roadhouse where we filled up with fuel and expensive supplies and headed further to William Creek where some of us decided to hire rooms with a proper bed to sleep in.
We had dinner and drinks at the William Creek Hotel and enjoyed our last night on the road.
Day 9
The next morning, we had our last breakfast at the BBQ area of the Holiday Park and instead of taking another night stopover somewhere else we all did the long run home from William Creek, this was a trip of about 850Kms.
We travelled through Roxby Downs and Woomera having lunch in Roxby and getting home before dark.
It was a great trip and I take my hat off to Fitzy for organising the trip, it wouldn’t have been easy organising all the cars that went and the accommodation in the different places we stayed, also keeping about 18 guys happy with his decisions and itinerary that he organised.
