Thread: Who crossed the Simpson, then Byron to Steep Point first - Landrover or Jeep?

It was done by the Sprigg family with there G60 Nissan Patrol in 1962, going by google. And the Landrover Club crossed in 1978 from west to east. Heather

Honourable mention should go to Alan Kemp, Scott Polkinghorne, Evan Green and Gelignite Jack Murray, who skirted the Simmo in a Mini and a LandCrab in '65 or '66 on one of the most ambitious road trips ever.

Originally Posted by 86mud

Hi all

I was reading an article in Brisbane's Sunday Mail (dated 18 June) about how Jeeps were built/repaired/scraped in a shed in a suburb of Brisbane called Salisbury. There's some conflicting dates in the article early on, but it later goes on to say that three Jeeps were driven in the first expedition across the Simpson Desert in a "car" (?) this is in 1969.

I guess the 'in a car' comment was because Tom Kruse was doing the crossing in trucks back in the 50's.


Colin

Actually, I think it depends on exactly what you want to call "crossing the Simpson". As far as i am aware, Tom Kruse did not "cross the Simpson" in the sense of, for example, Finke to Birdsville, although he certainly did some driving in the Simpson, although mostly parallel to the sand ridges.

I suspect this Jeep crossing though may be the first East to West crossing by vehicle.

Although I do not recall any actual crossings, the Simpson was extensively trafficked in the mid sixties for oil exploration (I was there) with a variety of vehicles, and the tracks established for this made later crossings much easier.

Has everyone forgotten the Leyland Brothers who crossed it west to east in 1966 with two Land Rovers and a motorbike from Steep Point to Byron Bay.
One was a series 2 shorty and the other a series one LWB Station Wagon.
See their book "Where Dead Men Lie" I have had a copy for years and got it Autographed.
When I was poking around out there in 1968 in my ex Woomera Ambulance I found the tree they blazed at the centre of their trip.

Keith

Another photo from the book.
remember West to East is the hard way, going up the steep side of the dunes.

Whilst not actually answering the original question, here's an interesting link to previous crossings.

Simpson desert in a bus!

Originally Posted by 123rover50

Has everyone forgotten the Leyland Brothers who crossed it west to east in 1966 with two Land Rovers and a motorbike from Steep Point to Byron Bay.
One was a series 2 shorty and the other a series one LWB Station Wagon.
See their book "Where Dead Men Lie" I have had a copy for years and got it Autographed.
When I was poking around out there in 1968 in my ex Woomera Ambulance I found the tree they blazed at the centre of their trip.

Keith

.......

No, I have not forgotten - I actually appear in their book!

I will seek some clarification to this in a few weeks as I will be doing some travelling with a tribal elder who was born and grew up in the desert before jeeps and land rovers were invented.

I hope to do a west-east crossing in august( with a heinz variety of vehicles) if the Simpson is open. It's currently closed due to Eyre Ck flooding and Birdville police suggest nothing until late July , but but a hell of a lot of rain due very soon which may close the desert to traffic indefinitely.

I have a good friend in SA Police who is in touch with Birdsville Police and will keep me updated.