We did the run from Old
Andado to
Birdsville June 1st to 8th.
4 vehicles, my
Ranger, Bob Y in his 79, Joe in his cruiser, and Trev in his Prado.
No major issues, I recall about 4 stakings only.
Route Mac Clarke - behind Marshall
Bluff via station tracks to try and go through passage between the 2 Aboriginal lands, then Colson down a short way to the turnoff west of Geo Base A.
Reality.
No way through there apart from very hard virgin dunes, we lost a good 5 or 6 hours trying.
Day 2 we drove north again to pick up
Madigan Line, and up to
camp 5 junction on Colson, then down from there.
Turned off and drove towards Base A to
camp.
Day 3 we camped about half way to
Geosurveys Hill.
Day 4 we made
Geosurveys Hill by lunch time, and camped just south east of it.
Day 5 was a run to Willem Kempens marker, and then ENE to old fuel drum about 5km east, and camped in that corridor south towards the Geo Centre turnoff. Camped about 12km short of the centre.
Day 6 we bagged the centre, then back ~ 5km east to the approach corridor, and down to
camp in one of the many beaut Gidgee patches, a bit over halfway to French Line.
Day 7 made French Line and camped just east of Mirranponga Pongunna Lake turnoff.
Day 8 into
Birdsville about 1800.
Our original plan to drive as direct route as possible from the centre to Beachcomber (on
Hay R Tk) was abandoned due to fuel use, much like we abandoned the
Hill coming the other way back in 2015 and bailed out down to French Line to exit to the west that trip.
I have loads of stats on fuel use, and an immense number of "Good Gidgee camps" marked along with the gpx route files, should anyone have a desire to head really remote in perhaps some of the most isolated country you will find.