Thread: Simpson Desert In a SIII?

(1)no
(2)hell yes, tho I wouldnt do it in a petrol due to the range limitations and cost but if you nut out your fuel consumption for the expected terrain and dont come up close or shy then you're good to go.

As Dave says.
But do it. It is different and now it is wet the wild flowers will be out and the variety changes as you go through. Carry your own firewood as it is scarce and it is taboo to collect on the way. We went from west to east in a 2B in the late 80,s on our own and had a great time. The Desert Pass tell you what to do and where to collect your wood etc.

As Dave says, assuming that the vehicle is in good condition there should be no problems with the vehicle. Fuel consumption is likely to be a problem, but that applies to any petrol vehicle. Main points are driving technique and tyre pressure - get some sand driving experience first.

I have not crossed the Simpson, but worked in the middle of it in the 1960s. It is very much less remote now than it was then, but I am sure is equally interesting. I suggest doing as much reading about the area as possible ahead of time (history, nature, climate, sociology etc as well as recent crossings). There is quite a lot of relevant material on this site.

John

Knew someone once who did it in a Rag top 2A. Only word of warning was the red dust gets everywhere (and I mean everywhere )

Ivan

My first crossing in 1983 was in a 2.25 litre petrol Series III LWB. No problems except that I had to have a second go at a couple of the sand ridges - probably due to lack of experience at the time. Averaged around 16 or 17 MPG from memory but this can vary greatly depending on conditions

I ran 7.50 x 16 highway tread tyres at about 18psi and apart from the necessary fuel, water and spares, we travelled pretty light. The guy travelling with us had a Stage I Series III with a 3.9 litre Isuzu diesel and was running wide tyres and had a lot more trouble negotiating the ridges than we did.

Originally Posted by JDNSW

As Dave says, assuming that the vehicle is in good condition there should be no problems with the vehicle. Fuel consumption is likely to be a problem, but that applies to any petrol vehicle. Main points are driving technique and tyre pressure - get some sand driving experience first.

I have not crossed the Simpson, but worked in the middle of it in the 1960s. It is very much less remote now than it was then, ... ...John

Even Big Red is smaller than it was in the 1960s when John was there and 1970s when I crossed it last.

John's sand driving experience recommendation is a must and you would want to have a lot of on-board fuel for a petrol vehicle.

If you check the exploroz site individual reports suggest distances of 600 km to 900km and fuel consumption of up to 153l ULP for a 6cyl GU Patrol.

Originally Posted by Lotz-A-Landies

Even Big Red is smaller than it was in the 1960s when John was there and 1970s when I crossed it last.

John's sand driving experience recommendation is a must and you would want to have a lot of on-board fuel for a petrol vehicle.

If you check the exploroz site individual reports suggest distances of 600 km to 900km and fuel consumption of up to 153l ULP for a 6cyl GU Patrol.

In 2003 Big Red was about 30 to 40 ft lower than when we crossed it in 1983.
You can now park about 100 vehicles on top of Big Red whereas in 1983 it was simply a double knife edge crest. coming down th

After coming across the Madigan Line and down the Hay River in 2007 and experiencing the red of the sand in the northern Simpson, we renamed Big Red, Big Brown as IMHO it is not red at all.

Got a Desert Parks Pass on my s3 109 panelvan.
I'd say do it, you'll kick yourself if you don't.

Take the usual plenty of water and fuel, spare parts etc, and have fun.