The Simpson and Kimberleys trip, 2018, Executive Summary.

Ok now for some stats and observations from the trip to see the Simpson Desert and the Kimberleys. All up we travelled 10,814 km according to the odometer on Blute over 29 days. The fuel economy for the trip was 14.3 litres/100 km with the best stretch being 12.9 and the worst (over the Simpson with sand tyre pressures) was 17.4 litres/100 km. The total cost for diesel was around $2,700. Accommodation was pretty cheap just $170 for the 29 days, probably should add in $160 for the Desert Parks Pass as that allowed us to camp in the Simpson Desert. We stayed in a couple of caravan parks in Alice Springs and Halls Creek and some National Parks in the Kimberleys, otherwise we were free camping at some great little spots. I ate pretty well having taken 10 or so steaks, half a dozen meals of bacon, meat for a curry and chicken for a Spanish rice dish all cryovacced from home. Not to mention all sorts pies, sausage rolls and burgers consumed along the way. The main issue was fresh fruit and veges which caused problems as we were crossing a lot state borders and areas that didn't allow you bring any in from outside. 

It was my first time across the Simpson and found it relatively easy going as I dropped the tyre pressures straight away and never had any problems getting over any of the dunes. The main problem was the cut up French Line from the Big Red Bash Traffic. It was quite enjoyable and we had some great places to camp. The nice soak at Dalhousie Springs afterwards was a great way to relax and remove a bit of dirt and dust. We explored the East MacDonald ranges out from Alice Springs and it was very picturesque. The trip up the Tanami Track was much better than a couple of years ago with the worst bit being the last section from Wolf Creek Meteor crater to the Great Northern Highway. The Bungle Bungles were nice but didn't really live up to expectations but that may be because I needed to walk longer distances to get to the really scenic spots. 

This was my second time on the Gibb River Road (the last was in 2005 on my big trip) and I managed to see things I hadn't had time for in the last trip. The road was in way better condition than what I remembered. The Munja Track was tough in places, especially Magpie Jump-up but there was some spectacular scenery and it was well worth doing, allow at least four days to get to Walcott Inlet and back. Then it was up to Mitchell Falls and Kalumburu where for me, the highlight of the trip was the helicopter flight over the Falls. The road in wasn't nearly as bad as I had been led to believe it would be. Surveyors pool and Walsh Point were also pretty spectacular. After that we pretty much made a beeline for home taking about 4.5 relatively easy driving days, stopping off at a few great spots like Bitter Springs and Daly Waters Pub. 

Blute made the trip pretty easily but some of the third party accessories didn't. I developed a leak in the long range fuel tank, the UHF antenna broke and the nudge bar broke a mount and had to be removed. Along the way the corrugations destroyed a couple of cheapy 12 volt adapters and shook things around in the camper but all up it was pretty good. The Rhino Camper was great, I always had a comfy bed ready to go and the 80 litre water tank kept me going along the way, also as we were moving a lot the 120 Amp hour battery was never under any strain of going flat running the fridge and lights. The longer wheel base of the ute made the rough roads much more comfortable than I experienced in the SWB Pajero. The engine and auto gear box also made the driving experience easy and relaxed. I used the rear diff lock in a couple of places and that was great as it meant I could take certain hard situations a bit slower without relying on momentum. 

Finally, I'd like to thank my traveling companions Brett (for the first half of the trip) and Shane for making it a truly memorable trip. 

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The Simpson and Kimberleys trip, 2018 Day 29

Shane and I were up relatively early and while it was chilly, it wasn't as bad as yesterday morning. After a quick coffee we hit the road returning to Miles and then heading east. Because of traffic and road works this was an even more boring drive then normal. We tried to find a bakery in Dalby but with road works extending through the whole town we couldn't actually get to the one bakery we found. So we ended up stopping at Maccas in Toowoomba it took quite awhile to get our food and coffee so Maccas seems to be no longer good for a quick meal while driving. 

Then we navigated through Toowoomba and continued on east towards home. It was all pretty good driving until Shane turned off the M1 to head home while I ended up in Saturday morning M1 traffic. I finally got home around 1'ish and proceeded to unpack the car and after having a great hot shower, I started putting several loads of washing on. It will feel very strange sleeping in my normal bedroom instead of a 1.5 x 2.1 metre fiberglass box on the back of the car. I now have tomorrow to do some shopping and get myself ready for work on Monday. Another great holiday, thanks to Shane and Brett for being such great traveling companions.

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The Simpson and Kimberleys trip, 2018 Day 28

As usual I was awake as the sun came up but it was too bloody chilly to get out of a nice warm bed, so I slept in until about 7:30 am. Then it was a quick pack up and into Longreach to refuel the car and grab a coffee and sausage roll to eat on the road. It was a good run and I stopped off in Blackall for a vanilla slice and an iced coffee before heading onto Morven for a final refuel and a burger for lunch. 

This part of the trip was still a very boring drive and although I had been planning to stop in Mitchell for the night, it was too early in the day to stop. 

I decided to make for Gill Weir camping area just outside Miles, so continued east. From Morven to Mitchell there were a lot of dead Roos on the road and I was glad I wasn't driving in the dark. From Roma to Miles there were several sets of road works with those bloody unattended traffic lights, at which I sat for a not inconsiderable time  while there was no other traffic around. This slowed me down a bit and I drove into Miles just before the sun went down. The usual free camping area on the western side of the town near the bridge was disrupted by road works so I headed south about 5 or 6 km to Gill Weir camping area and found a nice spot down at the end of the track near the water. I quickly setup before the light disappeared, had a quick bite to eat and then sat back and relaxed. After a bit of blog writing I was going to go to bed early and wondered what it would be like being home again sometime tomorrow.

Then some idiot drove down in a noisy patrol with spotties blaring and parked next to my car and it was Shane. Of course he'd stopped off in Roma for some KFC and had the remains for dinner. So we sat around chatting for awhile catching up on the events of the day.

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The Simpson and Kimberleys trip, 2018 Day 27

Another early start and we were on the road east at around 7:30 am. We stopped off at the Shell Truckstop on the way into Mount Isa for fuel and coffee and sausage rolls. The section from Mount Isa to Cloncurry is quite twisty and hilly compared to the rest of the drive. At Cloncurry we turned south on the Landsborough Highway, stopping for a toilet break at McKinlay and then a burger at Kynuna for lunch. After that it was just boring, boring driving. A bit after 5 pm I was getting a bit weary so we stopped at Dingo Creek just north of Longreach and I setup camp for the evening. Shane was going to continue on to Emerald to catch up with his parents. 

I'll take another two easy days to drive home and get there on Saturday, giving me a day to get prepared for work on Monday.

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The Simpson and Kimberleys trip, 2018 Day 26

We were up with the rising sun and a quick pack up saw us hitting the road not long after 7 am. Shane drove into Daly Waters for some quick photos and then we headed south. It was pretty boring driving and we stopped for morning tea and a toilet break at Renner Springs. A little while later we stopped to refuel at Three Ways Roadhouse before turning east on the Barkly Highway. 

Much more boring driving before stopping for late lunch at the Barkly Homestead and then heading further east when we stopped at the Billabong just outside of Camooweal for the night. 

We had been cruising on roughly 105 kph to conserve fuel and still make good time. We used up my emergency wood for the nights campfire and cooked dinner before heading off to bed relatively early.

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The Simpson and Kimberleys trip, 2018 Day 25

We woke up pretty early and packed up quickly to head into Kununurra to refuel. I got some coffee and a sausage roll from the servo for breakfast and then we headed east. It was a bit of a boring drive and once we crossed the border into NT we lost 1.5 hours. When we got to Timber Creek we stopped down by the creek for a drink and a stretch and then as we were driving through the little township we saw a sign for home made Croc pies so we had to stop and try one. They weren't too bad but also not wonderful. Back on the road until a toilet stop at the picnic area in Judburra/Gregory national park. 

Then more fairly easy/boring driving to Katherine where we refueled and Shane picked up another battery for his tyre monitors. As we were heading to Mataranka, Shane suggested a quick swim at Bitter Springs and this was great. Nice warm crystal clear water flowing smoothly along the creek, an excellent way to relax. 

Back on the road again heading south and Shane's Patrol clocked up a milestone of 300,000 km so he had to stop and take photos. It was getting close to sunset and we wanted to make it to the Daly Waters Pub for dinner. We made it as it was getting dark and had a great meal there, there tons of people there eating and staying in the caravan park. 

After dinner we went a couple of km down the road to the free camp at Stuart's Tree where we simply parked and climbed into bed. I noticed that I had a return of my diesel leak with it coming from around the epoxy filler. It wasn't too bad and I used soap to stop it as much as possible and I'll look at it again in the light of day. It should be fine for the trip home as I'll never be too far from fuel. Then it was time for blog writing and also posting some blogs from the time I was away from civilization.

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The Simpson and Kimberleys trip, 2018 Day 24

We had a bit of a sleep in this morning as we couldn't get fuel until 8 am. Several people lined up at 7 am but we sat around drinking coffee and chatting before heading over at about ten past eight and getting served essentially straight away. While there I ran into the other Rhino Camper people from a few days ago. Then it was out onto the road and 60 km south to the Gibb River Road. It was a reasonably smooth trip with not much traffic. Same thing on the GRR until just short of the Durack river when I got a call from Shane on the UHF that one of his tyres was going down. It just happened to be the one with the working pressure sensor, so he was able to pull over off the road with plenty of time to spare. The problem was a fairly decent sized gash in the inside tyre wall. Shane quickly changed it and we continued on to have some morning tea parked in the Durack river. 

There was tons more boring driving until just before the Pentecost River crossing, where the hills in the background are spectacular. 

Then it wasn't far until the start of the bitumen at the El Questro turnoff where we stopped and put some air into the tyres and continued on into Kununurra. We stopped at the Coles shopping centre and restocked our supplies and had a quick meal at the nearby fast food store. We were also able to pick up some new batteries for Shane's tyre pressure sensors and after fitting them they are all back and working. At that stage I headed out to The Hoochery which makes Ord River Rum. I had visited this place back in 2005 when I was last here and now it looks like they are winning awards for their rum. I had a little tasting and picked up a couple of bottles, one liquor and one Spiced rum. Then I headed off to Invanhoe Crossing which had some water flowing over it but it was only half wheel height so the crossing was pretty easy. 

Shane was already there and he had swapped over his other new spare so it wears the same as the one he replaced earlier. 

We drove down the river a bit and found a nice place to camp, we got the fire going and cooked dinner, keeping an eye on the river in case we had uninvited guests in the form of crocs. 

We also checked the map and tried to work out the best way home, via the bitumen to Katherine or cut across the dirt to the Stuart Highway. We'll have to sleep on it.

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