Mt Dare/Dalhousie Roads....

[ramblingboy42]

anyone else been to these points from southern approach recently?

IMO , the worst roads I have ever driven on.

if you're planning on going there , be prepared for bone shuddering , suspension crashing, teeth chattering , almost uncontrollable corrugations , ruts , holes , ironstone rock outcrops and dust possibly as bad as you have ever experienced.

you think I'm kidding?

and guess what?

there are no plans to do any road upgrades in the foreseeable future.

that is from the mouths of rangers.

anyway , unless you have some great fixation to visit those areas give it a miss....btw....speeding up/slowing down doesn't help....it's just painful travelling.

[The Cone of Silence]

I second that Ramblingboy,

In April I drove up to Dalhousie Springs from Oodnadatta and thought it was horrific.

I tried everything from crawling along to cruising and trying to find the sweet spot. It's harder to find than a mermaid. This is the stretch of the track that you want the soft suspension of a Rolls Royce and monster truck tyres at about 12psi.

It was probably the only part of the Simpson trip in which I failed to enjoy the driving itself. Gibber is certainly not my best friend by any stretch, albeit beautiful in its own right. Its as I imagine driving on Mars to be.

Relentless, tiring, noisy and stressful - as a lone vehicle I was really worried about breaking something and ended up taking it very slowly indeed.

I suppose in the eyes of an optimist, it does help you to enjoy the better roads and it certainly makes the spring a worthy reward at the end if you're heading W-E across the Desert....so I disagree that people should avoid the area - it's part of the experience and somehow makes the trip seem more of an adventure. You'll certainly never forget it!

Bobby

[numpty]

Travelled that road from North to South on our recent Edjit adventure and it's no better that way.

Really, it's a part of the outback experience, just drive to the conditions and grin and bare it ;),even though it's no fun.

[Bushie]

At the time I decided that would probably be the last time I would enter the desert from either of those directions, even the french line is (was) so chopped up that it was no longer an enjoyable drive, hence I can't see the point of doing it again.
There didn't appear to be any speed that worked over the corrugations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEeSwMyMwbk

East of Dalhousie



Martyn

[inside]

Really, it's a part of the outback experience, just drive to the conditions and grin and bare it ;),even though it's no fun.
Exactly! You haven't been outback unless you've driven on some truly horrible roads. It's an experience you can talk about when you come back.

[DiscoMick]

Thanks for the warning. Now I know what I have to look forward too. What tyre pressures and speeds seemed to work the best out there?

[ramblingboy42]

I was running 25psi

the 2 LC200's I was with were running 36ish

Hobbsies 100series was running about 28

nobody faired any better

[TwoUp]

I find 18lb suits me best and going slow, (up to 60Km/Hr on the good bits), note also that there is a 40Km/Hr speed limit O'er most of it.


Cheers,
PeterW

[ramblingboy42]

I find 18lb suits me best and going slow, (up to 60Km/Hr on the good bits), note also that there is a 40Km/Hr speed limit O'er most of it.


Cheers,
PeterW

huh? where is the 40kmh speed limit?

[scarry]

This time last year we came down from Alice to Finke,then across to Mt Dare and Dalhousie.The road between Alice and Finke was the worst road i have ever been on,the corrugations were unbelievable.
It was much worse than the Mt Dare/Dalhousie area,but the roads have probably deteriorated since we were there.

[PTC]

We traveled over the Simpson and then from Purni Bore to Dallhousie and that road was shocking. Everyone we passed warned us. So we had some idea of what to expected. Just never as bad as what it really was. Then most coming the other way said to take the Blood Creek track to Mt Dare. Its a long drive but very smooth and fast going compared to the shorter road straight there.

Later on in the trip we asked people about the track conditions further up and then down the Oodnadatta track. Everyone said it was really shocking and rough. Well we had a nice smooth drive. Yes there were corrugations but nothing like we had just come across. All those cars will be in for a shock in a week or two's time :P

[DiscoMick]

I was thinking of dropping my MTRs to mid to low 20s.I run them at 36 on the bitumen. Does that sound reasonable?

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[mikehzz]

I did it a few years back in my Freelander 2... it was a shocker then, my brain hasn't recovered, still trying to find my marbles. Scouse would be ok, he has a hovercraft...

[edddo]

Did Oodnadatta to Mt Dare to Dalhousie to Birdsville this time last year. Rough as can be. My mate in his cruiser was quite sure he'd done damage but was also ok.
I ran the tyres at about 23 and he at high 20's. Just take it easy, stop and inspect the car every hour or 2- it is really impressive remote country.

[mark2]

On that road last year thanks to the gibbers, I managed to punch one of the front shock mounting nuts cleanly though the mounting washer and plate, resulting in the shock coming adrift at one end. Fortunately I had some spare hardware to sort it out - It would not have been good doing that road and the Simpson minus a front shock.

[boa]

Did that road a number of times in early 1990s was rough then but i was in a series 3 wagon. To me the worst the road is the better experience and hopefully will keep people of it. Did it in the wet once now that was interesting a local station owner drowned one of there vehicles we lent them a grill plate to cook on, got back the best steaks ever. I asked one of yours ,na we never kill our own.

[Bushie]

Did that road a number of times in early 1990s was rough then but i was in a series 3 wagon. To me the worst the road is the better experience and hopefully will keep people of it. Did it in the wet once now that was interesting a local station owner drowned one of there vehicles we lent them a grill plate to cook on, got back the best steaks ever. I asked one of yours ,na we never kill our own.

The trouble is these roads are in this condition due to the sheer numbers of vehicles that are currently using them. I have no issues with rough roads, but severe corrugations are just plain tiring, and vehicle damaging.

Martyn

[boa]

The trouble is these roads are in this condition due to the sheer numbers of vehicles that are currently using them. I have no issues with rough roads, but severe corrugations are just plain tiring, and vehicle damaging.

Martyn

Simple don't drive those roads if vehicle damage bothers you. Agree, to many people but how do we deal with that. I think I was lucky to do most of my 4wd before it was a way for companies to make money.

[ramblingboy42]

The trouble is these roads are in this condition due to the sheer numbers of vehicles that are currently using them. I have no issues with rough roads, but severe corrugations are just plain tiring, and vehicle damaging.

Martyn

they are in that condition because they are not maintained and the traditional owners have no concern about it

I spoke to park rangers and they said there is no budget for road maintenance in the foreseeable future.

All the station owners in the area....with whom we stayed , drive on inside station roads rather than the main roads......they all grade their own roads regularly.....we tried to drive on their roads most of the time but at times it was unavoidable.

[Beckford]

Swimming in the warm springs and amazing bird life is worth it.

Another shocker is the road out to Lake Ayre South.

[vnx205]

In 2006, I visited Owen Springs NP, SW of Alice Springs.

The visitors' book at the northern end was full of suggestions that the road should be graded.

As there were signs indicating that the track was suitable for 4WDs, when I left the track I left a suggestion in the visitors' book at the southern end suggesting that the road should be left the way it was so that it would only be visited by people with appropriate vehicles who could read the sign describing the track.

In the Defender, the track was a doddle. In a soft-roader with limited clearance, it would have needed care.

I think there were more important things on which to spend their limited resources.

[Benz]

I recently traveled down from alice spring to Mt Dare and on to Dalhousie Springs.
The road up to Mt dare was fine, just took it easy and enjoyed the view.

From Mt Dare we took the shorter track to Dalhousie and that was quite bad. rock rock and more rock! must be one hell of a doozie to send a grader over.
Again we just took it easy and enjoyed the remarkable view of nothing but flat open land with nothing but rocks as far as you could see. It felt like we were on mars.
I think the longer way is better.

from there we drove east across the desert taking the WAA to the lone gum and the driving the Rig Road to the K1 line then across the QAA to Birdsville.

The WAA was great with blankets of flowers covering the dunes.

The Rig road has been graded recently to about the half way point where there is a airstrip. This section was very easy as all the loose sand hand been pushed off the tops of all the dunes. The salt pans looked awesome.

The K1 was pretty slow going but you can see it doesn't get much traffic.

The QAA however was pretty chopped up with large deep corrugations (i think they have a better name but I has slipped my mind) going up the western side of all the dunes. the eastern side was far batter.
I kind of wonder why the dunes have gone this way. I drove up all of the dunes on the QAA bar 2 (one of those was big red) in low range first to avoid all my gear flying around in the back of the ute.

Do people power up them crazy fast or something? Do they think they are hard to get up and think excessive right for and speed will help?
makes me think of a certain folk who say "Give 'em the berries"...

All up we had a blast and didn't see a many people on the the WAA Rig or K1 lines.

Sorry went a little off topic.
These are remote roads used by only tourists...
I guess you hope the $150 bucks you pay for a desert pass would go into doing just a tiny bit of work to the really really bad roads

Cheers, Ben

[strangy]

At the risk of upsetting a few folk, I hope they do nothing to the roads and let them deteriorate. While tourism to these parts brings some dollars to the area, the shear numbers and fact that most are absolute idiots, is causing huge wear and tear on a very limited and sensitive infrastructure.

The sensible explorers will continue to make the effort and plan, prepare then drive accordingly. The amount of damaged vehicles, trailers, vans showing up here during April to September is incredible and increasing.
So many travelers with more money than sense attempting to do a 5 day trip in 3 etc.
Plenty of stories to tell, as many others do I suppose, but if not maintaining the roads stems the majority flow of 4WD action wannabe's, I'm on board.
The alternative is closures.

Sorry haven't meant to head off topic, if you weren't into 4WD ing and spent the tourist season here going about your daily business, you'd be very supportive of the anti 4WD movement.

[Bearman]

Yes, it's called "drive to conditions" and don't be in a hurry to get anywhere. Let's not forget all these roads were traversed by 2WD vehicles for ages way before most 4WD's appeared on the scene. I enjoy driving on these type of roads solely because their condition deters most people from going on them and the traffic is negligible.

[goingbush]

At the risk of upsetting a few folk, I hope they do nothing to the roads and let them deteriorate. While tourism to these parts brings some dollars to the area, the shear numbers and fact that most are absolute idiots, is causing huge wear and tear on a very limited and sensitive infrastructure.

The sensible explorers will continue to make the effort and plan, prepare then drive accordingly. The amount of damaged vehicles, trailers, vans showing up here during April to September is incredible and increasing.
So many travelers with more money than sense attempting to do a 5 day trip in 3 etc.
Plenty of stories to tell, as many others do I suppose, but if not maintaining the roads stems the majority flow of 4WD action wannabe's, I'm on board.
The alternative is closures.

Sorry haven't meant to head off topic, if you weren't into 4WD ing and spent the tourist season here going about your daily business, you'd be very supportive of the anti 4WD movement.

could not agree more.

Ive been camped in one of the Alice Springs caravan parks for two weeks, and at least 2 flat tops a day leave this park with 4WD's on the back, and often also with a caravan or CT in tow , no doubt Heading back to a capital city with tail between their legs.


Yes, it's called "drive to conditions" and don't be in a hurry to get anywhere. Let's not forget all these roads were traversed by 2WD vehicles for ages way before most 4WD's appeared on the scene. I enjoy driving on these type of roads solely because their condition deters most people from going on them and the traffic is neglible.


I avoid any of these iconic roads / tracks - because of the number of people ON them.
if its been in a 4WD magazine I avoid it like the plague.

[sdt463]

anyone else been to these points from southern approach recently?

IMO , the worst roads I have ever driven on.

if you're planning on going there , be prepared for bone shuddering , suspension crashing, teeth chattering , almost uncontrollable corrugations , ruts , holes , ironstone rock outcrops and dust possibly as bad as you have ever experienced.

you think I'm kidding?

and guess what?

there are no plans to do any road upgrades in the foreseeable future.

that is from the mouths of rangers.

anyway , unless you have some great fixation to visit those areas give it a miss....btw....speeding up/slowing down doesn't help....it's just painful travelling.

Done it in both directions in 2007 sounds like it hasn't changed.
Cheers Dave

[Naviguesser]

I asked at Mt Dare and was advised to go the longer route to Dalhousie via Blood Creek in August. All maps show the road to Dalhousie via Pedirka as unamaintained and generally rough.
The worst corrugations were Dalhousie to Purnie Bore though.

Mind you around Innamincka was shocking as well. The road to Cullyamurra Waterhole is very bad. Was intending to go to the pub for dinner that night, the road in changed my mind, doing it two times again that night was out of the question.

[DiscoMick]

Five days is our plan. Why rush.

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[Chenz]

I have no issue with driving on bad roads and doing it rough off road however that section of road between Mt Dare and Purnie Bore is a Barry Crocker.

I understand that there is a section of the 4WD community that think that all roads should be like the F3 and do not change their driving style, tyre pressures or speed to match the conditions.

However, with the number of persons in that part of the world that spend the greater majority of their lives doing nothing at the tax payers expense, it would seem reasonable for them undertake some form of work on the roads to run a grader over them to at least get some of the worst sections of corrugations to a level where they do not shake your fillings out.

We were down to 10kph on some sections and one of our party had an oil line shake off almost ending their trip.

[jonesfam]

When I first came to the Gulf Country in the late 80's most of the roads were either rough dirt or skinny, rough tar.
To drive from Doomadgee to Burketown (100k about) could take 3 or 4 hours when dry, some of the bull dust patches were 3 or more K long. If it was wet, & not very wet, it was very hit or miss, if it was fairly wet it was impassable.


These days it tar all the way to Mt Isa, only 90k of dirt to Normanton & most of the tar is wide enough for 2 Roadtrains to pass.


It has taken a lot of the adventure out of living here, used to be we never knew when the truck would get in, sometimes we would have to try & go look for it. We never knew if we could get to where we wanted to go without at least 1 flat tyre & I discovered that leave sprung Toyotas ride like they have no suspension at all!
You would be in the dust from trucks for miles & then nearly run up their bum before you saw the truck, if it rained, then it really became fun.


I like all the paved & well maintained dirt roads these days...............but.
Jonesfam