Should I stay or should I go? .....Stranded in the Desert

[Sleepy]

I read with interest the report of the women recently stranded in the Mallee in Victoria.

Australia: Motorist Beth Lawrie's Amazing Escape After Being Stranded In Murray Sunset National Park | World News | Sky News (http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16142628)

Walking, alone, 30 hours in 40+ degrees is a dangerous exercise, but she seemed to approach the task with some thought (resting in the heat of the day, water, gps, umbrella etc) and fortunately the story ended well.

I understand many of us would not put ourselves in this position. Satphone, tell people before you go, travel in groups, HF radio etc...

But let's say you found yourself in her position.... Would you stay or would you go?:confused:

[jakeslouw]

Rule of thumb is to stay. Unless you are pretty sure you are FAR away from a normal route and have very little chance of being found.

I would also suggest satphones for those who blunder around in deserts......

A local folklore story says that some German tourists hired a 4x4 in Namibia, got lost in the Namib, left the vehicle and died of dehydration. Their vehicle had by then already been found by a local tour operator.

[Blknight.aus]

ID have gone, She had a motor home, what I dont understand (and its probably because on trips like that I take my hydration system with me and its good for up to 15L of water) is why she only had 4L of water with her.

but she did most of it right so Im not surprised she got out of it ok she had a GPS and a mobile phone, once she got to coverage the outcome was a nobrainer.

[Sleepy]

I have a good Jack Absalom (sp?) book about outback touring. He suggested burning your tyres. Each afternoon, light another one. Makes a helluva lot of black smoke and eventually someone will come and investigate.

Agree Dave, she seemed to put some thought into the journey. Perhaps she only had a 4l water container - or perhaps didn't want to carry too much. (She also carried, Umbrella, Sleeping Bag, GPS etc)

I gotta admit, with water and food, I'd be tempted to stay for a few days - at least until the temperature dropped a bit.

[Sleepy]

Rule of thumb is to stay. Unless you are pretty sure you are FAR away from a normal route and have very little chance of being found.

I am sure this would have played on her mind. She was a fair way off the "main drag" and not a popular spot in summer due to heat. Hadn't told anyone she was there and no comms. I bet she is pricing a SATPHONE as we type.;)

[malleefowl]

I live in the Mildura area and you would not get me out there alone during the heat of summer.Temps can be 40+ for days on end and hot sand is soft sand and very difficult to travel on sometimes even for a 4x4 vehicle.
Spring or autumn is best.The wildflowers are great in spring and autumn is beautiful weather.Not too many venture out when it is really hot so she may have been there for some time.At least she had water ,gps etc but would not have been in good nick had she needed to walk much further.Should always let someone know if you are going out there it is really quite remote

[BigJon]

Why was she there in the first place?

[tonic]

If it were me I would know where I was and what the odds were of more travellers. From this I would determine how far to the next nearest busy track if the one I was on was more remote, then I would make a choice.

I would have coms so would stay, but the above is how I would determin.

Her comment on the news was that there should have been signs saying 4WD only. From what I saw of the footage, someone should ask her if she would drive on soft sand at the beach in a high top 2WD camper. Seeing what she was driving and the sandy track, it is a miricle she drove as far as she did. She had what looked like rubber floor mates under the back wheels to try and get traction, bloody lucky to be alive.

[mick88]

As kids we spent every weekend and most of the school holidays riding our motorcycles and/or driving old bush hacks in the Sunset Country before it became a National Park. Its pretty harsh country in the summer, but now it's a National Park there are Rangers patrolling it on a fairly regular basis. Our local paper mentioned she was stranded at Rocket Lake which is a major intersection, so possibly a good chance of being found there. Had she have lit a fire and made a bit of smoke it would have attracted lots of attention in that country in the midst of a 40C+ heat wave.
She is obviously very lucky to be found after leaving her vehicle and walking.
The "Page" family on the Birdsville Track is one scenario that always comes to mind when I hear these stories.


Cheers, Mick.

[Sleepy]

The "Page" family on the Birdsville Track is one scenario that always comes to mind when I hear these stories.

I had to google that one Mick, a very sad tale. Only made it 12 miles.:(

The Age - Google News Archive Search (http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=MDQ-9Oe3GGUC&dat=19640101&printsec=frontpage&hl=en)

The Age - Google News Archive Search (http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=MDQ-9Oe3GGUC&dat=19640102&printsec=frontpage&hl=en)

The Age - Google News Archive Search (http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=MDQ-9Oe3GGUC&dat=19640103&printsec=frontpage&hl=en)

[Sleepy]

Why was she there in the first place?

Living the dream?

[Gaz69]

I am very familiar with this area as i used to live less than 10 minutes from the park. I have been out there in my old Rangie classis and the sand hills are hard work unless you drop your pressures let alone a 2WD transit like she was driving. I have also ridden my motor bike through there (Registered before anyone flames me), but i would always take my sat phone in case i had an issue. I bet she has learnt a few lessons from this! At least we are not reading about another fatility! As malleefowl said spring or Autum is the best time and for anyone that wants to plan a trip through the area, it is a wonderful area to visit.

Cheers
Gaz

[Basil135]

From what I have heard, the vehicle broke down, and she tried fixing it for about 8 hours, before deciding to go.

Poss a sat phone would have been a good idea, but considering she spent the best part of a day without obviously seeing anyone else, then the odds of another vehicle coming thru were remote at best.

By all reports, she was prepared for the walk, as far as timing, food, water & shelter is concerned.


If i was in the same situation??? Hard call... I possibly stayed put for a bit longer.

The problem with lighting a fire in that situation, is with the wind that was blowing, it would have gotten away very very quickly.

[Bushie]

2WD, isolated track, wrong time of year, very different outcome.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/01/1290.jpg

:(:(

Martyn

[Mellow Yellow]

ID ..... on trips like that I take my hydration system with me and its good for up to 15L of water)......

OK, I'll be the first to ask .. What is your "hydration system" ? Sounds like a pretty essential desert travel item.

[rick130]

[snip]

but she did most of it right so Im not surprised she got out of it ok she had a GPS and a mobile phone, once she got to coverage the outcome was a nobrainer.

Shame it didn't work out for the teenager lost in the Jamison Valley in the Upper Blue Mountains a few years back with his mobile phone.

He's lost in the bush and could give an approximate location, but because he couldn't give the idiot 000 operator a cross street she hung up, he ran out of battery and he died of dehydration :(

[dullbird]

jesus is that really what happened? why didn't they track the location of his phone

[Sleepy]

OK, I'll be the first to ask .. What is your "hydration system" ? Sounds like a pretty essential desert travel item.

A wine cask with shoulder straps and a straw.:p.

Hydration pack - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[THE BOOGER]

jesus is that really what happened? why didn't they track the location of his phone

Unfortunatly it stopped at the 000 operator as they thought the fellow was pranking them when he couldnt tell them where he was:( There was a big inquiry into it after

[Sleepy]

Shame it didn't work out for the teenager lost in the Jamison Valley in the Upper Blue Mountains a few years back with his mobile phone.

He's lost in the bush and could give an approximate location, but because he couldn't give the idiot 000 operator a cross street she hung up, he ran out of battery and he died of dehydration :(

I hope there is more detail that we don't know of. Having met a few 000 operators, they do try hard under often very stressful circumstances. I recall calling 000 from the top of King Billy (Vic High Country) when my wife was having a severe Asthma attack.

I had just gone to bed after polishing off one too many glasses of red and my wife was turning blue! 000 operator couldn't have been more professional and helpful. I wasn't making a helluva lot of sense either.:lol2:
Glad they didn't bretho me after we drove out to Mansfield in the dark. :angel:

[85 county]

"For eight hours she tried to fix her ford Transit Van before deciding"

Puma Power for you

[Blknight.aus]

OK, I'll be the first to ask .. What is your "hydration system" ? Sounds like a pretty essential desert travel item.

Its a platypus pack, originally it only held 3L of water but because of its modular and expandable nature I can get anther 3l inside of it then strap a normal camel back across the top of it for a further 3L of water

I can then attach another hydration pack to the back of it that gives me 3 more liters, that pack also has pouches for 3 1l water bottles. ITs massive overkill when I stack it with the full 15l but normally its more distributed across a proper pack.

In its normal trim the platypus holds up to 5l of water (second bladder only partially filled) a small first aid kit, emergancy blanket, poncho, 48hrs worth of wetpacks from ration packs, lighter, a couple of cylume sticks, led torch, gerber, lighter, notebook, pens, sunblock, hootchie cord, bug repellant and my mobile/gps/2 way. Theres usually some slack in it if I need to add some more stuff and plenty of places to clip stuff.

if shed followed out along her own tracks and done it just right in the conditions she was in in theory she should have been able to average 2.5kph for about 10 hours an evening/night and that would have gotten her out of trouble on morning 2. But thats an Ideal solution (given some assumptions about her age, mobility). in any event Even with an ideal solution the water she was carrying with her was very marginal and not enough if she was carrying dry foods.

Walking in Australia during summer or in the desert on average requires at LEAST 500ml/HR and up to 1.5L/HR less and you're potentially dehydrating your self, you urination is the key, if you cant produce urine at 4 hour intervals you are not sufficiently hydrated.

Personally, Id have done it happily with 5l of water, might still have gone with as little as 3 providing the following conditions were met

1. I knew exactly where I was going and that the terrain was not difficult or overly sapping
2. I knew I could maintain at least 3kph
3. I was fully nourished and hyrdrated prior to leaving
4. I did not have to backtrack
5. I could get reception and call for help at the 25K mark
6. I would not be required to loiter for more than 8 hours before being picked up

[uninformed]

Regarding what Rick said, during the Toowoomba floods, the poor lady and children that were trapped on her car at a set of traffic lights got a drilling by a police officer whilst on the phone to 000. He was lecturing /talking down to her about driving in floods etc. They did not make it.....

[uninformed]

Its a platypus pack, originally it only held 3L of water but because of its modular and expandable nature I can get anther 3l inside of it then strap a normal camel back across the top of it for a further 3L of water

I can then attach another hydration pack to the back of it that gives me 3 more liters, that pack also has pouches for 3 1l water bottles. ITs massive overkill when I stack it with the full 15l but normally its more distributed across a proper pack.

In its normal trim the platypus holds up to 5l of water (second bladder only partially filled) a small first aid kit, emergancy blanket, poncho, 48hrs worth of wetpacks from ration packs, lighter, a couple of cylume sticks, led torch, gerber, lighter, notebook, pens, sunblock, hootchie cord, bug repellant and my mobile/gps/2 way. Theres usually some slack in it if I need to add some more stuff and plenty of places to clip stuff.

if shed followed out along her own tracks and done it just right in the conditions she was in in theory she should have been able to average 2.5kph for about 10 hours an evening/night and that would have gotten her out of trouble on morning 2. But thats an Ideal solution (given some assumptions about her age, mobility). in any event Even with an ideal solution the water she was carrying with her was very marginal and not enough if she was carrying dry foods.

Walking in Australia during summer or in the desert on average requires at LEAST 500ml/HR and up to 1.5L/HR less and you're potentially dehydrating your self, you urination is the key, if you cant produce urine at 4 hour intervals you are not sufficiently hydrated.

Personally, Id have done it happily with 5l of water, might still have gone with as little as 3 providing the following conditions were met

1. I knew exactly where I was going and that the terrain was not difficult or overly sapping
2. I knew I could maintain at least 3kph
3. I was fully nourished and hyrdrated prior to leaving
4. I did not have to backtrack
5. I could get reception and call for help at the 25K mark
6. I would not be required to loiter for more than 8 hours before being picked up

Lucky you live in the "perfect world" hey dave ;)

[Tombie]

What got me was the silly woman said
"They should put signs telling people they need a 4wd on these type of tracks" - Duh!

Evidence of excessive lead in Pt Pirie affecting brain cells...


"Where the Desert meets the Sea"
'Did I mention some great 4WDriving is just 5 minutes from home?'

[strangy]

Lucky for her really.

I have searched for a number off 'lost imperilled" folks over the years.

Some of the situations have been mind numbingly stupid.
One which quickly springs to mind was 4 German tourists in a hired troopy driving on sealed road to Ayers Rock. They decided to venture off the highway into the sand dunes to see what it was like.

After 500m from the highway and behind some dunes they became bogged (couldnt figure out how to engage 4wd)
After some discussion amongst themselves they decided to leave one person at the vehicle, with no water, hats or food (none in the vehicle) while the other 3 walked for help.

Now many of you are thinking "so what" ist only 500m to the highway right?
Well they walked away from the vehicle and its prominent wheel tracks, further into the desert!

After about 5 hrs the remaining tourist decided to walk back to the road and flagged down a car in about 30mins. It took another 4 hours to find the other muppets dehydrated and badly sunburnt about 4 kms away.
At least they survived:eek:

[Sleepy]

A bit more....


the retiree said the biggest lesson she had learned was getting a better vehicle than her Ford Transit.
"I've got to get a more suitable vehicle, which I have been trying to do for a long time," she said.
"But I keep telling people to get a four-wheel-drive, automatic truck, you can't buy them in Australia unless you go a really big 14-tonne truck and they're not supplied to the Australian market."


Lost traveller tells of long, hot walk to safety | Murray-Sunset (http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/lost-traveller-tells-of-long-hot-walk-to-safety-20120105-1plut.html#ixzz1iaMx7wJ5)

I could think of a couple of reasonable options for her that wouldn't be too expensive.


Well sorted Disco 1 or 2 with a camper trailer?
Tdi Hartop 110 with an auto and camper conversion?
Dare I say it, a Nissota auto with a camper? :wasntme:(Well, better than a transit van anyway;))

Or learn to pitch a tent and drive a manual and lots more cheaper options.:angel:

[Blknight.aus]

jesus is that really what happened? why didn't they track the location of his phone

they went back through the logs it turns out that because of where he was they were unable to pin point his location any more accurately than what he was able to give and HAD the operator taken it seriously instead of a prank call (which presumably the operator had been caught out before by other people doing the same) the location was near enough that search and sucessful rescue was likely within 4-8hrs.

[Blknight.aus]

Lucky you live in the "perfect world" hey dave ;)

nope, its called a survival course...

the first thing they teach you if you havent worked it out through all the stuff that you need to do to get onto the course is the 6 P's

Prior Preperation Prevents **** Poor Performance.

from murphys laws for combat

Have a plan
Have a back up plan cause the first one Aint gunna work.


In a survival situation water, options and equipment are like condoms Better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them.

[Sleepy]

a small first aid kit, emergancy blanket, poncho, 48hrs worth of wetpacks from ration packs, lighter, a couple of cylume sticks, led torch, gerber, lighter, notebook, pens, sunblock, hootchie cord, bug repellant and my mobile/gps/2 way

Gerber? Is that a male Gerbil? I'm not going to ask :p:wasntme:

[rick130]

Here's the coroners report for the poor kid in the Mountains.
Pages 25 through 28 of the summary and recommendations make interesting reading.

http://outdoorcouncil.asn.au/doc/Iredalefindings.pdf

[THE BOOGER]

Gerber? Is that a male Gerbil? I'm not going to ask :p:wasntme:

An expensive but quality knife:)

[Blknight.aus]

a multi tool actually, 2 knives, 2 saws, 3 flat heads, 1 phillips, can opener, can/bottle opener, measuring marks, pliers, cutters, 2 files,

Ive just spent ages reading all the different write ups and the media captures.

the only thing they all agree on is that she had 4l of water and some food, sometimes she has an umbrealla, sometimes a sleeping bag, sometimes both.

Shes always "broken down" sometimes shes "broken down and stuck" never is she just "stuck" The video and pics of her vehicle shows nothing more than a transit van down to the diff at the rear and sinking at the front.

in all reports She told no-one where or when she was going or expected to be back. never in her planning did she make any inquiries as to what was needed for where she was going.

By her own admission she was not prepared to drive where she was driving.

IMHO.. Darwin Lucks out again but good on her for working out, in a survival situation, what needed to be done because as with all survival situations its Pass/Fail and you want to pass on the first go because your not getting another one to learn from your experience if you don't. (why does the narcissist in me feel that this might just be a setup for 15 minutes of fame and story rights)

[mick88]

Shame it didn't work out for the teenager lost in the Jamison Valley in the Upper Blue Mountains a few years back with his mobile phone.

He's lost in the bush and could give an approximate location, but because he couldn't give the idiot 000 operator a cross street she hung up, he ran out of battery and he died of dehydration :(

Yes, that was a disastererous error!

[Chops]

I dont get it I'm afraid,,
A couple years ago I had two occasions where I needed 000. Both times I had no reception, and was told it/I was being picked up via "Satellite", this is "reguardless of position". (There are also other numbers which can be used as well). With this they then tracked us down.

How is it that she was out of range of the Sat,, did she even try her phone, or was it just showing no service so she assumed it wouldn't work? Is it possible they dont use the satellite link-up anymore?

For someone who seems to travel as much as she does, she doesn't seem very knowledgeable of our countries dangers.

[Bushie]

The only time 000 will get picked up by satellite is if you are using a sat phone.
When you have no reception -that means no reception from your carrier (Telstra, optus etc) the phone will then fall back to using 'any' carrier available, but if you are out of range of any tower that won't work either.
The 000 network has access to the CNI details of the phone as well
112 will forward to emergency call centre any where in the world

000 or 112 (http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_100581)


Martyn

[goingbush]

She had a phone but was out of range.
SMS will get a message out with less power

Standing on the roof of a the car & holding the phone up on a 2meter long pole
will have got her SMS signal out, giving about 25-30 klm extra over the horizon to the nearest tower.

just needs a bit of lateral thinking

[rick130]

She had a phone but was out of range.
SMS will get a message out with less power

Standing on the roof of a the car & holding the phone up on a 2meter long pole
will have got her SMS signal out, giving about 25-30 klm extra over the horizon to the nearest tower.

just needs a bit of lateral thinking

Does that hold for GSM too ? as 32km is the cutoff for voice transmission, I believe.

[Tombie]

She had a phone but was out of range.
SMS will get a message out with less power

Standing on the roof of a the car & holding the phone up on a 2meter long pole
will have got her SMS signal out, giving about 25-30 klm extra over the horizon to the nearest tower.

just needs a bit of lateral thinking

No it wont... The timing signals wont allow a connection from outside the cells designated range.

Its not like the old analogue system...

Blknight can probably add more to this.. He knows a guy in the telco game....

[slug_burner]

She had a phone but was out of range.
SMS will get a message out with less power

Standing on the roof of a the car & holding the phone up on a 2meter long pole
will have got her SMS signal out, giving about 25-30 klm extra over the horizon to the nearest tower.

just needs a bit of lateral thinking

Not anymore. Once the digital system came in they restricted the cell size so even if you had line of sight your signal would be ignored if it came from outside the cell.

That is why people in the country had to use a different type of phone for a while until they got more cells on the ground.

[Blknight.aus]

She had a phone but was out of range.
SMS will get a message out with less power

Standing on the roof of a the car & holding the phone up on a 2meter long pole
will have got her SMS signal out, giving about 25-30 klm extra over the horizon to the nearest tower.

just needs a bit of lateral thinking


sorry, myth, the power requirements are the same BUT an SMS will go through a lot faster because (for want of an easier term) the handshaking procedure between the tower and the phone is a lot shorter and the amount of data that has to go is nearly insignificant. (ok highly technically yes, because the SMS is shorter you need a lot less overall power but the transmission power remains the same)

The standing on the roof trick or raising the phone on a pole trick does work BUT only if you are in range of a tower and something is blocking LOS. on average most towers have an optimal maximum range of 20km or so and typically its a lot less(lots of variables here) Cellular network - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. in there mentions something about "cell breathing". in a nutshell (since the wikilink to it is useless) as more people start using the cell in order to maintain the data flow rate the cell size shrinks so that less people have access to it, as users stop using data the cell size increases. Along with the atmospherics for radio work generally being better at night thats why your phone usually gets better signal strength and data transmission rates later at night and in the very early morning.

[bee utey]

Not anymore. Once the digital system came in they restricted the cell size so even if you had line of sight your signal would be ignored if it came from outside the cell.

That is why people in the country had to use a different type of phone for a while until they got more cells on the ground.

Dunno about that. My digital phone shows the cell tower name and it regularly connects to one 30km away if it happens to have the strongest signal at that time and location. (intervening hills and atmospheric variations have a big effect in country SA.)

[Tombie]

Dunno about that. My digital phone shows the cell tower name and it regularly connects to one 30km away if it happens to have the strongest signal at that time and location. (intervening hills and atmospheric variations have a big effect in country SA.)

Yes, but only if that cell is allowed to run to that range is it happening.

In the Iron Triangle they put the restriction on tower range because 22km across the water Port Pirie had a tower, which back then, if you connected to it you got cheaper calls to Adelaide numbers as it was "in zone" and Whyalla people were getting cheaper calls!

Its the exact reason why in the Flinders Ranges there are signs on the highway...

"Vodafone starts here"

We tested it, and sure enough as you cross the sign you go from nothing to full signal :eek:

[Barefoot Dave]

I would have thought that remote towers would have an increased range/ access protocol to minimise the infrastructure investment (less towers).
Or is that too logical for Telstra? ; )

[Tombie]

I would have thought that remote towers would have an increased range/ access protocol to minimise the infrastructure investment (less towers).
Or is that too logical for Telstra? ; )

They do, but....

Your little mobile phone only has "so much" oomph...

:)

And on highways the towers use a directional element so they flood along the highway... 50mtrs to the side of the road you may very well get nothing as the towers 'beam' is narrow

[Blknight.aus]

I would have thought that remote towers would have an increased range/ access protocol to minimise the infrastructure investment (less towers).
Or is that too logical for Telstra? ; )

nope they do have better range, they also have highly directional antennae, to the point that in one place north of townsville there used to be a 100M "beam" of reception that runs along the road as long as you stay on the road you get coverage walk off of the road and you loose it. It is, or was just a fluke of directional antennea and topography, the road is raised and stepping off of the road looses you your LOS to the tower, by the time you go far enough off of the road to gain enough height to be back in LOS on one side of the road you get blocked by other terrain on the other you fall out of the normal beam of the antenna.

the tower at the nullabor roadhouse is very directional its got 2 key elements a small omnidirectional that gives the tower about a 1K range in all directions and 2 directional units that let you get phone reception up to 25km away (further if you have vehicle mounted power amp antennaes.

[Allan]

I've listed my Land Rovers on my boats Epirbs registation in case of this type of emergancy. Would not go to remote areas without it.

Allan

[Blknight.aus]

Im liking the new "micro" epirbs bout the size of a pack of cigarettes and hirable good for 8 hours of constant run time.


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/01/1253.jpg
http://images.trademe.co.nz/photoserver/tq/50/138741350.jpg

[uninformed]

Im absolutely amazed she survived at all.....she didnt have 50ltrs of water, nore 6 years of SAS training, no land phone line, no back ground in the use of a sextant......and no gerber.

a bloody christmas miricale I say!

[superquag]

From my cynical perspective, we cannot rely on the GSM - style networks to provide any degree of 'rescue' function when we're out of the 'High $ Return' areas.
- That means any area off the major, well-travelled highways or large urban populations. Phone carriers are only interested in Returns On Investment being as high as they canget away with...

It comes down to a state of mind, ie' don't place any reliance on your $29 mobile to save your life when way out back, or down the valleys in the Blue Mountains.
So its either a SATphone or Personal Epirb, with perhaps a HF or even a well-setup old fashoined SSB CB radio. How much is a life or three worth ?

Cheapest option is making sure that lots of folk know where and when you are...

Or keep Ford Transits on the smooth black tracks...:twisted:

[KarlB]

I always carry a PLB in my vehicle. However such devices are for use when there is a threat of grave and imminent danger (ie essentially for life threatening situations only). Not for break downs. A better alternative for the situation being discussed in this thread is probably a SPOT Satellite Messenger where you have similar alerting capability to a PLB or EPIRB but with the ability to send a short, predetermined, message (see SPOT SATELLITE MESSENGER :: HOME PAGE (http://au.findmespot.com/en/)). SPOT is a prescription service with an annual fee.

Out of interest, I have attached a copy of the Western Australia Police Aids to Survival book that forumites may find interesting and useful.

Cheers
KarlB
:)

[Blknight.aus]

Im absolutely amazed she survived at all.....she didnt have 50ltrs of water, nore 6 years of SAS training, no land phone line, no back ground in the use of a sextant......and no gerber.


or a towel....


And that is a very handy .PDF.

[Allan]

I always carry a PLB in my vehicle. However such devices are for use when there is a threat of grave and imminent danger (ie essentially for life threatening situations only). Not for break downs. A better alternative for the situation being discussed in this thread is probably a SPOT Satellite Messenger where you have similar alerting capability to a PLB or EPIRB but with the ability to send a short, predetermined, message (see SPOT SATELLITE MESSENGER :: HOME PAGE (http://au.findmespot.com/en/)). SPOT is a prescription service with an annual fee.

Out of interest, I have attached a copy of the Western Australia Police Aids to Survival book that forumites may find interesting and useful.

Cheers
KarlB
:)

I agree that EPIRb should be last resort but was not hers a life threatening situation, this regardless of it being a breakdown or her vehicle being bogged. 40+ deg temps with little water and in a few hours youve done your head in.

Allan

[Hoges]

The more mobile phone coverage is expected to be absolutely "everywhere" the riskier the behaviour from those who then "expect" to be rescued... I'm not referring to those who are self sufficient, plan well -which includes taking account of "Where, What time of year and Weather"...

This is a case of ambition outstripping ability and it could have ended up more than a dinner party conversation piece for her...

[Tombie]

I always carry a PLB in my vehicle. However such devices are for use when there is a threat of grave and imminent danger (ie essentially for life threatening situations only). Not for break downs. A better alternative for the situation being discussed in this thread is probably a SPOT Satellite Messenger where you have similar alerting capability to a PLB or EPIRB but with the ability to send a short, predetermined, message (see SPOT SATELLITE MESSENGER :: HOME PAGE (http://au.findmespot.com/en/)). SPOT is a prescription service with an annual fee.

<SNIP>

Cheers
KarlB
:)

Take 2 SPOT trackers and we will find you in the morning? :p


I don't subscribe to such sarcasm :angel:

[goingbush]

No it wont... The timing signals wont allow a connection from outside the cells designated range.

Its not like the old analogue system...

Blknight can probably add more to this.. He knows a guy in the telco game....

Yes it will, with Telsta NextG, not so other carriers.
I know a guy in the Telco Game too, Me. Telecom 1981 thru 2010 (my business website www.groundscope.com.au )
If you use a Yagi on a big enough pole you could get 40+ klm depending on terrain. SMS works on GSM. You don't have to be in a cell.

I carry a Little Devil omnidirectional nextG on a 3m pole for 30+ klm range to connect my ZTE NextG phone as a modem,

Please excuse my personal website http://www.goingbush.com/rig.html#comms
Its a few years old & features LandCruisers, I will update with Defender pics before our next trip, but it shows my antenna


use this calculator to see how much extra distance you can get for antenna height, a typical nextG tower is 50m plus the height of the mountain its on. http://www.qsl.net/kd4sai/distance.html

By All means you definitely must not rely on it, but if you are stuck its worth a try.
There are times Ive set my antenna up expecting a signal & got nothing but other places have achieved 50+klm range via NextG

Personally I ALWAYS have a SPOT tracker in the Defender & carry a sat phone when we go bush.

I think anyone not sufficiently prepared for remote travel should be charged for any costs incurred in their rescue / recovery.

cheers Don

[Blknight.aus]

on this one you're both right...

if the cell is not busy and has the TX ability (assuming of course you also have the TX ability) in theory you can connect at up to about 150KM from the tower without having to resort to illegal repeaters or overpowered transmitters, Thats the hypothetical limit of the Next G frequency with the approved hardware driving some very well made directional antennae.

however if the Cell tower is busy and has shrunk itself then it wont let you connect, your phone may still show signal being available but because you are to far from the tower (which they work out from the signal delay) it will just ignore you untill the load drops off and it start to expand again.

my record for connection to a remote tower is 65Km but that was in darwin (mt bundy actually) on an old analog phone with a 5w vehicle booster and about 500K worth of antennae array that probably should have been doing something other than being used to get mobile phone reception, But hey, I was bored and my vehicle booster could connect to a lot of other types of mobiles.


All of this stuff we're discussing is covered by the first 2P's I wonder if theres scope for a Prior Preperation catagory.

[wagoo]

Im absolutely amazed she survived at all.....she didnt have 50ltrs of water, nore 6 years of SAS training, no land phone line, no back ground in the use of a sextant......and no gerber.

a bloody christmas miricale I say!

Geez, how on earth did people get around and survive in the old days before 4wds and electronic communication ? I don't think I'll go walking in the woods this afternoon because my mobile phone battery is low on charge.:o

The TV footage I saw showed the Transit being winched onto the back of a tow truck.So the Transit had probably broken down rather than just got stuck.If not it appeared from the position the vehicle was in prior to being loaded on the tow truck that reducing tyre pressures would have allowed the vehicle to proceed. Was the tow truck 4wd?
Bill.

[uninformed]

Bill I would only advise to go out into your woods if you have your new dislocation thongs installed....those retained thongs are definitly a city use only aid....

[superquag]

I've had around 40km range on my analogue NOKIA hand-held, standing in mid-paddock out in the WA wheatbelt.. ("Strewth, the nearest tower is 40-odd kays that-a-way...") OK, there was a lot of static, but despite that we conversed for several minutes quite clearly... The beauty of an analogue signal compared to digital's 'perfect - or - nothing'

The farmer reckoned 50 km from his vehicle mounted phonewas normal, though he'd paid a pretty penny for a quality install and roof-mounted antenna.

He was'nt as impressed with his CDMA when Vodaphone had the AMPS system switched off...:wasntme:

[superquag]

Anyone heard more about it ?- specifically what was the nature of the break-down, and whether it was caused/made worse by the sandy track?

And had she let down her tyres?

Sadly, its no longer 'NEWS', but wrapping for the scraps...

[Blknight.aus]

best guess is over heated caused by the slogging through the sand

I strongly suspect that it was just bogged.

[Sleepy]

Great discussion guys, something I have pondered many times.


And had she let down her tyres?
I was wondering about this too SQ.
The vehilce certainly looked bogged. I wonder; Did she have any recovery gear? Did she try airing down the tyres? What about a hand winch? Or winding a rope with a stick etc.

I agree she was a lucky girl. Her outcome could have been much worse. Hopefully she has learnt a vaulable lesson and will go out and buy an appropriate vehicle and comms equipment.

The reason I posted was more about the "what if" situation that we all think about.

Dave has probably answered what is reasonable for an UFB - Ultimate Fall Back.
Survival kit as he described.

Most of us would:
Carry better comms - HF or Satphone or at least CB and Telephone.
Recovery Eq - Winch, Hand winch, rope or shovel (or all ;))
Plenty of Food/Water
First Aid Kit
Capable Vehicle
Driving Experience
Recovery Experience
Companion Vehicle
Tell someone our plans

etc etc

But I always wonder, What if s%^*s are trumps?

What if I....
Find myself a little off course because of the "short cut" someone recommended
Roll and break the vehicle (but not my head) and
Damage Antenna'- including my GPS antenna
Epirb is broken in the rollover (Highly improbable, I know)
Vehicle electrics fail and phone flat (ok this is a bad day)

.....and find myself in her position.

What tactics would I employ?

[wardy1]

Heard an interview with the lady concerned and apparently she 'broke something' after going over some severe bumps.
At the end of the day this idiot woman broke ALL the rules of outback travel. No proper comms, bugger all water, should have stayed with the vehicle (8 hours is really not a long time) and should have had a vehicle properly built and prepared for the terrain.
For her to say that there should be 'Signs'....WTF!
Should we have a bloody sign on the track to say you should drink now.... urinate here...... For God's sake. Can't this bloody idiot READ. There is plenty of info about remote travel available either online or at your nearest RACV (or SA equivalent).
Travelling alone out there in summer is bad enough. Travelling without gaining a proper insight as to road/weather conditions AND letting someone know where you're going is just sheer madness.
Just watch, they'll close the Sunset NP for summer now, just like the Simpson.
Reduce access to the lowest common (idiotic) denominator AGAIN!

[Sleepy]

I reckon you're being a little harsh wardy.
Ignorance = Idiocy ? Not so sure.

I agree 8 hours is not that long. She probably had some food and could have rested in the shade and, as some else mentioned, light a big ol' smokey fire. That'll get the ranger out.;)

[wardy1]

Sorry, but ignorance is no excuse for being an idiot. This 'Lady' comes from SA... driest state in Australia. She could not be THAT ignorant.

[Blknight.aus]

Great discussion guys, something I have pondered many times.


I was wondering about this too SQ.
The vehilce certainly looked bogged. I wonder; Did she have any recovery gear? Did she try airing down the tyres? What about a hand winch? Or winding a rope with a stick etc.

I agree she was a lucky girl. Her outcome could have been much worse. Hopefully she has learnt a vaulable lesson and will go out and buy an appropriate vehicle and comms equipment.

The reason I posted was more about the "what if" situation that we all think about.

Dave has probably answered what is reasonable for an UFB - Ultimate Fall Back.
Survival kit as he described.

Most of us would:
Carry better comms - HF or Satphone or at least CB and Telephone.
Recovery Eq - Winch, Hand winch, rope or shovel (or all ;))
Plenty of Food/Water
First Aid Kit
Capable Vehicle
Driving Experience
Recovery Experience
Companion Vehicle
Tell someone our plans

etc etc

But I always wonder, What if s%^*s are trumps?

What if I....
Find myself a little off course because of the "short cut" someone recommended
Roll and break the vehicle (but not my head) and
Damage Antenna'- including my GPS antenna
Epirb is broken in the rollover (Highly improbable, I know)
Vehicle electrics fail and phone flat (ok this is a bad day)

.....and find myself in her position.

What tactics would I employ?

for starters youd want to hope that youve done bush survival in australia or at least remembered whats in the PDF thats been posted up here and told someone of your ETD/ETA IF you've got all of that and your ready to Improvise Adapt and Overcome then your set.

first off in the aussie outback STOP Conserve Everything, food, water shelter, engery then plan, get some shelter up quickly get under it and work out what youve got and what you can do with it.

ok the vehicles rolled and broken, but youve got an electric winch, some good batteries and recovery gear, can you get it back on its wheels with what youve got? Might it drive if you do? how broken is it REALLY? A landy with broken body work is never more than 8 hours with an Ax from driveable if the mechanicals are ok.

how broken are the antennae? Antennae at the end of the day are just glorified bits of wire can you jury rig that 1/2 wave into a 1/4 wave and get out on that, what about doing a dipole or poor mans yagi?

How dead is the electrics, are all the batteries shot? can you get your solar back on line?

Make your presence known, get yourself into a clearing and spread your stuff out lay out bright and dark stuff and if you can suspend it off of the ground even if its only draping it over tall grass do lots of things with very straight lines that run north and south so that they cut shadows. Make patterns that dont occur in nature, set your camp up in a square 100m x100m eat in one corner, sleep in the next(if youve got the ability to create remote shelter) set your toilet up in the next and have the vehicle in the last. Pin down shiney stuff in the midle, shine tins of food and lay them down in the middle of that 100m square on top of tall stuff.


make a wind chime, you'll be surprised at how far sound will carry and a metalic noise just does not occur in nature searchers on foot will look for something like that.

once your initial shelter is up you do most things very late in the afternoon or early in the morning, The list of what you can do is virtually endless and if you know someones got your plan then all you have to do is wait and survive.

your ability to survive is limited only by your preperation and your ability to improvise adapt and overcome.

[THE BOOGER]

She was in a camper so would have plenty of water in the tank but may have been only able to carry 5 litres, as for survival she probably had garbage bags in the camper they make a good solar still water does not have to be a problem but surprising how people forget to think in a situation:(

[fsfer]

Blknight is always on the money. Great advice. I would like to be able to fit one of him into my spares box.

I like the simple fact that seeing a person from a plane or chopper is almost impossible, where as a car is a much bigger target. Only reason to leave the vehicle should be if you are collecting water or food (presuming it is around), if you do leave the vehicle leave a note and some directions to where you are collecting food and water from.

Remember the easiest thing to do is let people know where you are off to and when you might be back. An alarm will be raised eventually. You can survive on very little for a very long time if you have some descent shelter and are conserving energy. A ships life raft has very few items in terms of nutrition, you will find some barley sugars and some water. People have survived in those things for many weeks.

If a person has left their vehicle, and a search for them has commenced more often that not the search party will find the vehicle first then eventually the persons bones somewhere down a track.

A guy called Jon Muir walked across Australia unaided he was the first to do so, he walked from port augusta up to burketown, he made a doco about it called "alone across australia", the supplies he takes seem like overkill but he nearly dies from starvation during the trip. It is a great film that shows how harsh Australia can be to even the most prepared.

[malleefowl]

To add a little to my earlier post.
Report in local paper and an interview with said lady states that she was making for a farmhouse she noted om entering the park .It appears she had a capable ,reliable GPS,knew she needed to cover 20k's and which way to go .had recharged gps and mobile via the solar panel of motor home and took sufficient water for the trip she assumed.It appears she made it to mobile coverage under the 20 k projected trek.
Was returning to Adelaide via Renmark and thought to take the senic route via the park.
Problem as I see it- NOT at this time of year.
Was pretty well equiped-Knew what was reqd.
Could have been out there for a week or more before anyone found her.
End of story comment
Fill in a statement of intention form aand lodge with someone.EG Hattah Store ring back from Yamba etc when safe
It gets extremely hot out there this time of year and it is best to leave til spring /autumn

[mikehzz]

I have heard that you can pick up a second hand sat phone cheap on ebay, keep it charged and in the glovebox and put a normal POST paid Telstra SIM in it in case of an emergency and make normal calls without an expensive satphone plan. The calls are not cheap but it is apparently doable. I think the phone has to be an Iridium and you have to have a post paid Telstra SIM...will not work on pre paid SIMS. Does anyone have a comment on that? Sorry if it has been covered elsewhere. :) I was thinking of it as an emergency remote comms plan.

[rovercare]

To add a little to my earlier post.
Report in local paper and an interview with said lady states that she was making for a farmhouse she noted om entering the park .It appears she had a capable ,reliable GPS,knew she needed to cover 20k's and which way to go .had recharged gps and mobile via the solar panel of motor home and took sufficient water for the trip she assumed.It appears she made it to mobile coverage under the 20 k projected trek.
Was returning to Adelaide via Renmark and thought to take the senic route via the park.
Problem as I see it- NOT at this time of year.
Was pretty well equiped-Knew what was reqd.
Could have been out there for a week or more before anyone found her.
End of story comment
Fill in a statement of intention form aand lodge with someone.EG Hattah Store ring back from Yamba etc when safe
It gets extremely hot out there this time of year and it is best to leave til spring /autumn

Sounds as though she was well thought out enough, 20 kays and a gps, I'd walk too


Maybe she should of stayed home on the interweb, to over analize her actions, much safer that way;)

[rovercare]

Blknight is always on the money. Great advice. I would like to be able to fit one of him into my spares box.

I like the simple fact that seeing a person from a plane or chopper is almost impossible, where as a car is a much bigger target. Only reason to leave the vehicle should be if you are collecting water or food (presuming it is around), if you do leave the vehicle leave a note and some directions to where you are collecting food and water from.

Remember the easiest thing to do is let people know where you are off to and when you might be back. An alarm will be raised eventually. You can survive on very little for a very long time if you have some descent shelter and are conserving energy. A ships life raft has very few items in terms of nutrition, you will find some barley sugars and some water. People have survived in those things for many weeks.

If a person has left their vehicle, and a search for them has commenced more often that not the search party will find the vehicle first then eventually the persons bones somewhere down a track.

A guy called Jon Muir walked across Australia unaided he was the first to do so, he walked from port augusta up to burketown, he made a doco about it called "alone across australia", the supplies he takes seem like overkill but he nearly dies from starvation during the trip. It is a great film that shows how harsh Australia can be to even the most prepared.

Aside from the fact, if you take a Dave, you also need to take his toolbox, which consists of wheel changer, shop compressor, hoist, pit, transmission jack, then survival kit, including st George appliances, hair dryer and full army dress kit

Problem being is you need an r series Mack to take it all in

[uninformed]

Very easy to sound omnipotent on the internet.........

[rick130]

Very easy to sound omnipotent on the internet.........

I do it all the time.

Mwahahahahahahahahaha :twisted:

[uninformed]

you would have survived Rick....just cut your way out with your dolmar :twisted:

[mick88]

A man who crashed his dirt bike lay injured for days before passing away | News.com.au (http://www.news.com.au/national/a-man-who-crashed-his-dirt-bike-lay-injured-for-days-before-passing-away/story-e6frfkvr-1226236800776'sv=69aaa7bd861edfffeeeebdc02201ca76)

Once again the danger of going bush alone is highlighted.
This unfortunate guy has obviously lost his life whilst just out enjoying the bush.

A similar incident happened a couple of years back in the "Sunset Country" with a local fellow who went motorcycling alone and did not tell anyone where he was going. He hit a kangaroo and incident occured not far from Rocket Lake where the Ford Transit broke down.

Cheers, Mick.

[timaus13]

I travel extensively around Tassie on my own.
My first rule of travel is to inform my Brother Exactly were I plan to drive, Camp, and bushwalk. He knows I have 30 plus years experience in the bush in summer as well as winter. BUT if I were to have an accident he is the one person I know will have my itinerary and if my plans change on the road or i find a walk not in my itinerary I let him know about any and all deviations from my planed excursions.
To this I carry as much equipment/water to be self sufficient and to be able to recover myself or others stuck.
I am looking into purchasing a spot soon so he can also track my movements as i plan to do more challenging trips on my own.
CHeers:D

[rick130]

A man who crashed his dirt bike lay injured for days before passing away | News.com.au (http://www.news.com.au/national/a-man-who-crashed-his-dirt-bike-lay-injured-for-days-before-passing-away/story-e6frfkvr-1226236800776'sv=69aaa7bd861edfffeeeebdc02201ca76)

Once again the danger of going bush alone is highlighted.
This unfortunate guy has obviously lost his life whilst just out enjoying the bush.

A similar incident happened a couple of years back in the "Sunset Country" with a local fellow who went motorcycling alone and did not tell anyone where he was going. He hit a kangaroo and incident occured not far from Rocket Lake where the Ford Transit broke down.

Cheers, Mick.

Exactly the same thing can happen in your own home Mick.

One of our neighbours (400m away) was gored by his goat before Christmas but no one found him for three days.

SWMBO had knocked on his door on the Thursday afternoon it happened to see him, but as there was no answer she didn't go inside.
One of his mates dropped around on the Saturday and found in him in bed, covered in blood and corruption, badly infected and delirious.

He was rushed to hospital 100km away, luckily it has a happy ending.

[wrinklearthur]

What if ?

You have the ultimate vehicle, it goes anywhere, is comfortable, dry, serves up a five course meal at the drop of a hat and has hot and cold running water on tap.

You so are confident in its abilities, you head out to the extremes that our country can offer.

Travelling through country that hasn't even been mapped yet, then days out, something does go wrong ! That almighty vehicle bust into a fireball, with only moments to spare, you get out.

The burnt chassis is totalled and you are left with nothing except the shorts on that you were wearing, what do you do?
to be continued by whoever is game to add to this story.
.

[Blknight.aus]

your going to need to provide a lot more details than that to be able to play the game properly.. (and I'd suggest a new thread for it)

but if that was a desert scenario and you didnt have pre-arranged call in to identify your location and that you were still ok every 24 hours then the most likely outcome is you die. if you're in coastal areas (unlikely as they are all well explored) or up in the tropics where theres good tree growth then we're into a whole new ball game.

the first question is, what exactly is the terrain and climate

the second question is, what else survived, even a totally burnt out vehicle will yield usefull items, metal under body water tanks may still be holding water, tools such as metal handled hammers, axe and shovel heads, knife blades, cutlery things like ceramics, tie wire and metal poles usually survive vehicle fires well enough to be used again.

[malleefowl]

I carry a Spot2 messesger.Has the ability of an EPIRB as well as ability to email/SMS 3 prepared messages to up to 10 recipients.Have set messages
I am delayed but ok
I am broken down need assistance.
Notify police of my location need help

Also acts as a real time tracker so can log OK and folk can access track location via internet.My folks and friends kept up with my CSR progress this way
It's not overly expensive and one can save the log of one's travels to google earth

[goingbush]

Better keep my Les Hiddon field guide in my back pocket, I usually carry it in my first aid kit.

Re the guy crashes dirt bike & dies days later post.

A few yrs ago Bright Police snr sgt received a call from a SPOT tracker sos button press and drove to the supplied gps co-ordinates to find a bloke with a broken limb as a result of crashing his trail bike.

I'd suggest its a must have piece of kit for remote travelling.

Find Me Spot - SPOT Satellite (http://www.findmespot.net.au/SPOT-Satellite.html)

Ive been using my version 1 for years.
As well as a Satellite epirb it can also send daily a sms message or email to your contacts to let them know you are OK or do something like this.
SPOT tracking map at the bottom of this link Going Bush (http://www.goingbush.com/going.html)

[wrinklearthur]

your going to need to provide a lot more details than that to be able to play the game properly.. (and I'd suggest a new thread for it) Well what do others think, is it worth another thread?
Can we have some fun whilst we learn a bit about self preservation ?


but if that was a desert scenario and you didnt have pre-arranged call in to identify your location and that you were still ok every 24 hours then the most likely outcome is you die. ok desert it is, the lost person is now posing the question, Should I stay or should I go? .....Stranded in the Desert.
How much could he carry?
.

[Sleepy]

Nah keep going Arthur. The thread was exploratory anyway.;)

More important than Terrain,,,,,Did Dave survive the fireball?:p

[Sleepy]

Well I think we are up ship creek and the paddle got burnt too.

Using my vast experience of watching Survivorman, I would be thinking Water, Shelter. Given we are uninjured, probably need to get into the shade and have a think, get breath back and make a plan.

Have we got any tools (knife on belt?).

Once the fire is out (and cooled down) I would be looking to salvage stuff. Tools - Items than can be used as tools.
Canned food may not be open and have moisture.
Probably doubtful water containers survived - plastic:mad:

How much daylight left arthur? Thinking about shelter - gets cold out here.

Do we know where we are?

[superquag]

We can't find Dave anywhere, or the mini-TARDIS in which he's imprisoned. (Leaves the door ajar for his fortuitous appearance in a later episode!

So, our first priority is gunna be shelter from cold (its the desert...) tonight, and the blistering heat tomorrow. (its the desert....still)

- Did I mention water? - You were smart enough to have the Les Hiddins Pocket Survival Tin in your shorts as you exited Shangri-La. So.......:eek:

[superquag]

- he found the one and only stainless steel thermos, full of cool water !!!!!:D

[Blknight.aus]

Ok I wont play in this one...

however lets be a little more realistic...

A vehicle that well prepared will have attracted attention AND no doubt you would have told someone your approximate travel itinerary and expected times when you would call them from the real world... Can I stipulate that you had the best intentions but were firmly in stuff it its a holiday mode and did the following

24ish hours before departing you called your mate and left him a vague message about how you were having the time of your life and sometime tomorrow maybe the next day you were going to trundle out across the desert heading to have a look at the NT,SA,QLD tristate border then head for oh longreach, winton, charleville, blackall, somwhere eastish of here. I'll call you again in oh say 7-10 days. the next day you go see the corner marker and after some photos, a couple of drinks and a lunch with some others there (to whom you mentioned the same vagueish plan) you mounted up and proceeded eastish. Google Maps
the disaster occured on day 3 of a 7 day drive (which means its now going to be at least 7 days before anyone even thinks you are missing and more like a 10 before they even start looking for you and its realistically going to be a fortnight before they find you). If given a map you could probably locate yourself to within 100KM given some seat of the pants back nav (I was headed thisish way on thatish track en route to the last big feature I passed was and I covered about this many ks on day 1, this many on day 2 and about ummm thatish today before the truck exploded type stuff) but for right now all you know is that you are somewhere around aboutnear the middle of this map, maybe.

you are wearing

a broad brimmed hat (a guuchi survialists one that was a present from a friend as a joke so its got 10m of paracord wrapped up in its brim as part of the neckstrapping)
a short sleeve safari shirt with 2 button up pockets one of which holds a small tube of suncreen and a lip balm
a pair of sub knee length shorts
boots (relaced with speed lace)
socks
jocks

You have (and this has escaped the inferno unscathed with you)

a 2L thermos full of cool potable water (its a metal thermos)
a pocket survival kit (again a joke gift from the same bloke who gave you the hat )containing

a few waterproof matches.
a thin pencil torch. (single AAA led type good for about 20 hours of light with a wrist lanyard loop attached)
a few caps of Nurofen. (in silver backed foil)
a very thin whistle from an old life jacket. (with a clip hook)
a thin signal mirror
a couple of glucose lollies (again in silver backed foil)
2 condoms
a couple of fishing hooks
some 8lb line
a single sinker
a one size fits all plastic poncho
a 6x4 survival blanket
A small combination folding set of pliers (2 small blades, pliers, light duty wire cutter a small flat head a small phillips head and stone pick)
The tin it comes in


Good luck.

nearby are the rapidly cooling remains of your vehicle. its now sometime after lunchish and you have 5 maybe 6 hours of full daylight left and 45 minutes to an hour of dusk light. The last 2 days have been "bloody hot" and the nights have been "stupid cold"

I'll let superquag/winkleauther fill out the details of the terrain and what you manage to salvage from the truck..

[Sleepy]

I am still sitting under this scrubby tree watching my car smulder. :BigCry::(

Getting dark now, will try and make and dig out a bit of a sleeping area and get some sleep.

Cant sleep .......starting to panic a bit......having a quick drink.....geez not much water....gonna need water......will try and make a still in the morning.....,maybe can use the poncho....gonna rest now.

:eek:

[wrinklearthur]

Barely dawn, the light is increasing as the sun gets closer to the horizon, the flies are starting, at least I had a source of moisture as the flies although small are plentiful, now I have woken I look about taking stock of the situation I stupidly put myself in.

The prickly spinifex the reason of my trucks demise as I now realise, brings to me mixed blessings, now to be gathered for a crude shelter from the direct blast of the days sun and going over to the now cold chassis to find what is left to use for cutting and gathering, careful not to touch anything that is now the black remains of plastic, it could be very toxic, I remember reading somewhere as I don't want to get poisoned.

[superquag]

Hmm, yes, am feeling a bit fragile... realize that its going to take a bit for it all to sink in... Best cure for panic is a directed task, so, with a bit of burnt car I've dug two solar still holes, added some leafy branches and covered with poncho and survival sheet.
Got a container in each.

Scooped out a sand-hole to sleep in, near the still-warm carcase of Shangri-La.

Dozing off I recall seeing the rear-mounted spare tyres exploding from the heat. - Must look for some chunks of rubber for smoke-signalling.

All alone in the middle of nowhere, Dead silence... apart from the noisy Film Production crew's camp down the road....:mad:

[superquag]

Oi ! Slow down ... not even asleep (noisy buggers over the hill...) - and you're awake next day.....:eek::eek::eek:

- Whilst you're up....you can hunt up some nice chunks of rubber....

[123rover50]

When you want a snakes hiss, dont forget to do it on the branches in the still.

[wrinklearthur]

When you want a snakes hiss, dont forget to do it on the branches in the still.

Ah! Too late must be still half asleep, let fly on a spinifex bush, :blush:

Spinifex - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia .

its raining, now I'm really annoyed, stupid place! :angry:

[superquag]

...Looking on the bright side... stills are now collecting water on the top side :)
Turned the 6'x4' Space-Blanket into a waterproof liner into its hole, reckon I've got 20 odd litres by now... got clothes spread over bushes to soak up some rain, then wringing it into the 'reservoir'. Scooped out puddle-holes as well.. Feel like an idiot... probably look worse, - Oi, just realized that the rain has washed some black stuff of the driver's side mirror (cracked in 7 places...) Mirrors can be seen for humungous distances in daylight... another thing to salvage when the rain stops...


Someone was snoring Very Loudly last night....

Thinking about staying with the wreck for now, till we work out exactly where we are... No point in heading off 'somewhere' if you don't know the starting point. - MY obsession for writing down odo readings at every intersection and point of interest finally pays off !

[wrinklearthur]

The rain stopped falling ! The sun is out and I am sweating a lot, I will need a shower at this rate as I am getting on the nose.

How quick can the wild flowers come out? they are everywhere.

[superquag]

Had a visitation last night... from someone calling himself a Doctor.. Dunno Who he was, but he gave me my map with all the running notes and figures.. Funny thing was, thought I'd had them, then could'nt find 'em - Was convinced they'd been burnt up. Sorta Deja-vu...
, Must be hallucinating... (quite possibly 'cos I NEVER notice tame flowers, let alone wild ones!)

Really odd thing was..they were in a large plastic bag with 'Forensic Evidence' printed all over it. Never mind, one more solar still. :p

[Sleepy]

So sorry , slept in .
Is the chopper here yet?

[superquag]

No chopper... sinking in that Nobody Knows where we are....

Worked out from my maps that we're somewhere around 23* 50' 35.85" S and 142* 11' 38.75"E

Think I'll stay put, got lots of rainwater, should last me a week to 10 days if I can stretch it out with a cup or so from the stills.
- The flies are an acquired , um... taste.

Suggestions ?

[wrinklearthur]

Dramatic music, loud from a unseen source.
.

[superquag]

Spare us ! - Its the camera crew back agian... Must mean a rescue in the offing....

[wrinklearthur]

Nah ! it's just the mob of teeny bopper girls from over the road with their phone camera's. :woot:

Back to the plot. :wallbash:

[wrinklearthur]

Dorrie from next door just stuck her nose over the fence and asked 'why are you camping there?'

[superquag]

Heck, we really ARE lost....:imwithstupid:

:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o

[Blknight.aus]

later stages of dehydration and heat stress/stroke. Delirium.