The very remote Geosurvey Hill
In the 1980’s we purchased our first four-wheel drive vehicle, a Toyota SR5 4Runner and from then on have ventured out into some very special and remote locations around Australia. One such destination that lured me in from the very start was the
Simpson Desert. Like any first time traveller through the Simpson, you will be hit by one of two impressions, the first and one we have heard from many people, - “why the hell did we travel through this lifeless patch of red sand and can not wait to get the hell out of there and vow to never return "
Not being disrespectful to city people, but most times the above comments are from people that live in large city areas from around Australia and need the comfort and security of other people around to make them feel safe and hate the thought of being in a remote and isolated location when there are no other people around for hundreds of kilometres.
The second impression that struck me and lots of other people, is the red sand and dust gets into your blood and you just want to keep going back, time after time to experience the true Australian Outback and are always planning another outback adventure. Over the following years we headed back into the
Simpson Desert every year, each time travelling a different track or direction of travel between
Dalhousie Springs and
Birdsville. By the early 2000’s we had then travelled every track that can be driven on in the Simpson and that then got me researching into every aspect of the
Simpson Desert, from the original Aboriginal people that would travel through this area, the first European travellers that tried to cross the desert, and then the push to find oil and gas into this very remote part of Australia.
One book that I kept returning to was the book written by the late Griselda Sprigg – “DUNE is a four letter word”, and one area had me intrigued – the largest
rock covered
hill surrounded by a sea of red sand in the middle of the
Simpson desert that was to be named after Reg Sprigg’s Company, Geosurvey
Hill. As hard as I tried to research the area, it seemed an almost impossible task and then by pure luck, made contact with a very helpful chap in
Melbourne, Ron Smith who had made the trip there in 2003. Over countless phone calls and emails, I was able to see first hand what we would be in for.
Anyone that reads the data recorded when using OziExplorer will gain valuable information about an area that they intend to travel and what Ron’s track file showed me that it was going to be a hard trip from the moment that I started to study his track data. When you see data that shows you are travelling 6 to 8 kilometres per hour, hour after hour told me this was low range country and would be heavy on fuel.
In the mean time I had just read about a new Simpson Track that had just been officially open to the public in early 2004, so while planning for my Geo trip was still taking place, We did the
Hay River trip in 2005 and at that stage were the 190th group of people to experience this northern section through the
Simpson Desert. While camped at Batton
Hill, a vehicle drove in from
Alice Springs, and as you do, I went up for a chat with the solo driver and it turned out that it was Ken Williamson, the chap that actually was the first person to drive and plot the new
Hay River Track. During our chat, I told Ken about my next real adventure and where I was planning to travel, and he asked if he was able to be part of my small group, to which I said yes.
With lots of planning to undertake I was ever searching for further information about this unknown area in the Simpson and I was able to get hold of a very hard book to find – “Walking the
Simpson Desert” by Warren Bonython, and one term that Warren often spoke about, was the term “Sky Highway”. I did not know it at the time, but we would also rely on the ‘Sky Highway’ where possible, which would be in the latter part of the trip when driving conditions were at their worst.
The last part of information and permission was to contact Jo and Robbie Bloomfield who owned
Andado Station, the largest privately owned cattle station in the Southern hemisphere, to get permission to travel through their station and out to the start of our true cross country travels. With everything falling into place slowly, I was now spending hours on the computer with OziEzplorer and plotted a GPS course through trackless
sand dune country from the last know track that was to end at
The Twins. I could not get permission to travel through Aboriginal Land to the Colson Track, so with the aid of Ozi yet again plotted our course to a point on the map where two sections of Aboriginal lands intersected to keep all parties happy.
This trailer did not last the early stages of the KI Line after the Warburton Crossing
One point that I could not emphasise enough to my small group was vehicle reliability and enough fuel for nearly 400 kilometres of true cross-country driving. Knowing what I thought would be a worst-case scenario for my then 1998 2.8 Diesel Pajero, I had to carry a total of 320 litres of diesel and 120 litres of water, plus food for a month and the usual recovery equipment. Our intended meeting point with Ken from
Alice Springs was going to be Mt Dare, so to see how our vehicles would handle the very soft sand; we did a mini normal
Simpson Desert crossing coming in via the
Warburton Crossing, up the K1 Line until we reached the French Line and then due west to Mt Dare, a drive we had driven countless times over the years with never any problems at all.
We dropped into Poeppel Corner where we logged our first Degree Confluence for the trip
The Degree Confluence at Poeppel Corner - it is more than 300 metres from the actual post
A campfire is always great in the Simpson Desert
As it was early May 2006 and the real Simpson tourist season had not really taken off as yet, many sections of the French Line were blown over with powder soft sand that in some sections, completely covers the track and we just guessed where the track was and hoped for the best, with some of the larger dunes having quite large lips of up to 1 metre high from the strong hot summer winds. For those that are not sure what those so-called lips are, it is when the drifting sands form a new ridge over the track and care must be taken not to drop off them and damage your vehicle. It was while we were on the French line that my first concerns were raised, as there were a couple of times I became bogged in the very soft sand in
places that in previous years, the Pajero would just walk over them. On one such dune it was around 3:30pm in the afternoon and try as I did, I could not get over the final lip of a dune. I tried everything and at this point had my tyres down to 10psi. To be fair to the old girl, she was carrying a lot of weight that was never carried on previous Simpson crossings, it was 40° and the warmest part of the day. One thing was in our favour, there was a large flat area at the base of the dune that I was trying to get over, so I called it a day and we set up
camp where I reinflated my tyres back up to 14psi, knowing that the dunes would be more stable early next morning. True to form, the cooler conditions next morning saw the Pajero go over the dune with ease and we slowly made our way to Mt Dare.
This was a great start to the trip, and we were still on the French Line
With everyone’s fuel tanks as full as they could be with diesel we headed to Old
Andado and on our arrival there was greeted with a real surprise. One of my goals back in 2005 when doing the
Hay River trip was to visit one special Gum Tree on the banks of the
Hay River. This was not just any Gum tree, but the tree that
Andrew Harper had attached his small
plaque to when he walked across Australia with his string of camels following the
Tropic of Capricorn back in 1999. With previous emails to Andrew, he was only too happy to give me the GPS Coordinates and was happy that someone had actually followed his venture back then.
What a great place to catch up with Andrew - at Old Andado
Andrew's plaque on the Hay River
Fiona and I when we located Andrew's plaque while on the Hay River trip in 2005
Adding our names to the Visitor Book at The Twins
These plaques at The Twins were first erected by Reg Sprigg
Group photo on top of The Twins
Andrew was helping out with the running of Old
Andado and carrying out small trips from there out into the Simpson. And it was finally great to meet him in person. Back on the road again, we arrived at the Mac Clarke Reserve. Following Robby’s instructions we headed out towards
The Twins. Just like the French Line, many sections of station track were lost to the moving sand, but once back into the gibber country, the tracks were easy to follow. With the last of our station tracks behind us, it was now 100% GPS navigation and the fun began. Stopping for our smoko break, Ken won the award for the first
puncture of the trip, and in typical cross-country track, it was a small Mulga sidewall stake, no bigger that a normal lead pencil.
Fiona at her usual job as Gate Girl on the way to the Mac Clarke Reserve
Stopped for a break to discover Ken's first sidewall puncture
We all helped out each other and we never lost much time, even with punctures
That small little stick went straight through the side wall with ease
The early stages of the cross country terrain still had lots of tall vegetation
Still in the heavy vegetated early sections of the trip
Arriving at the Hale River
Surveying for an easier way down this virgin dune
Travel between the swales was easy early in the trip - and we thought this was slow
Those powder soft dunes just sapped the power from your vehicle
It does not look steep, but travelling down virgin dunes can be a little hairy at times
Looking back at the dune that caused a few issues for some
There we go Stephen, you are the next vehicle to suffer the first of your 17 sidewall punctures
Don't worry Brian, you will not miss out - note that this tyre had 2 seperate punctures at once
Our first camp in no mans land and from now on the only way out would have been down the swales to the French Line
Slow going the next morning heading for our first true remote Degree Confluence
Even today, 12 years after logging this Degree Confluence, no other White person has visited this remote location
This was the swale that we had to drive up to get to the Degree Confluence
We were the first ever group to visit this remote location
After the Confluence, it was country like this until the Colson Track
At the top of a virgin dune, with no easy way down
On top of a larger dune, still heading east towards the Colson Track
The dune were now getting a lot bigger and it was not easy to find the easiest way over
Over the following days, we had logged a Degree Confluence in a remote,
well out of the way in the Simpson heading towards the Colson Track. It was like driving in
heaven when we drove down the last dune and hit the Colson Track, but this was only to be short lived until we reached my next plotted waypoint that was as close as parallel to Geosurvey
Hill, just under 70 kilometres as the crow files from the Colson Track. The moment that we crossed the very first dune after leaving the Colson Track, we all knew it was now the point of no return. The true powder soft virgin dunes made any retreat impossible and in the event that the trip had to be call off for any reason; it would be a slow inter swale drive down to the French Line.
These small moguls were starting to make hard work for crossing from the west
Arriving at the Colson Track was the last man made track we would encounter for nearly two weeks
Time to re group on the Colson before heading to my next plotted waypoint
We added our names to the small visitors book on the Colson Track
Contemplating what will be in store when we leave camp to start our way towards Geosurvey Hill
When you think you are the first person through this area, we came across an old fuel dump
Our second night out after leaving the Colson Track in the remote Simpson and I notice something very special as the sun was going down. A large flock of small birds that I think may have been Zebra Finches. They were very fast flying, circled
our camp once, and then disappeared over a
sand dune. I know that there was no water in the area, so what it told me was there must be a
native well in the very close area. After the trip, I reported my finding to the National Parks in
Alice Springs, both over the phone and via emails, but in true Government fashion, never heard any more on the matter.
Typical scene at the top of the dunes, and we had to find the best way through
Early morning tracks in the dunes
Dunes in the early light look so impressive
We were now encountering more and more new live dunes
Time to take a brake so check tyres
With country like this, you can see why punctures were an every day event
Not another puncture.....
At this point in the trip, punctures were becoming an everyday event, with every
puncture except one being rear sidewall. The main reason for so many punctures was for the fact that 18 months prior to our trip, the northern section of the Simpson that we were now travelling had had massive summer thunderstorm wild fire that burnt out thousands of hectares of land, resulting in sharp burnt off stumps lying just below the soft sand and any tyre that came in contact with it, had no chance of escaping the inevitable. Late on the second day and third night since leaving the Colson Track, way off in the distance was a large desert
beacon that brought hope to our cross-country navigation – Geosurvey
Hill.
Geosurvey Hill stands out from a long way off and was the beacon we were heading for
The original Trig point on top of Geosurvey Hill
It was a very proud time for a group shot at the rock cairn on Geosurvey Hill
Reaching this remote location brought excitement to the group and as we climbed the small
rock clad
hill, we were to read in the visitor book that we were the 17th ever group to have successfully arrived the hard way at this truly remote
Simpson Desert location, with the first successful visit after Reg Sprigg, being the Range Rover Club on the 3rd July 1993. Campfire tea followed by the nightly routine of
puncture mending and over the next two days, the hardest and slowest sand driving we were to encounter, as we made our way north east from Geosurvey
Hill to our next Degree Confluence.
The sun sets on another day out in the Simpson
Looking down to our camp from the top of Geosurvey Hill
Dawn at Geosurvey Hill
Not even 10 minutes into the day after leaving Geosurvey Hill - another soft sand bog
We were now down to low first and second and the moguls were so close together, it would often take up to 20 minutes to cross between swales, a distance of no more than a kilometre. There were a number of times that the Pajero would become beached between moguls, with lack of ground clearance being the only cause and a quick snatch from Ken and we were on the move again. From there it was the long slow haul down to the Geographical Centre of the Simpson and while doing so, relied on what Warren Bonython called his “Sky Highways”
This small claypan is not on the maps - it contained lots of Aboriginal Stone chippings and a grinding stone
Then there was this small hill covered in very small rocks
There must have been something special about this place - it just did not look natural
And now the fun starts - look how close the moguls are and how deep they are
Sky Highway was a term used to describe travelling along the top of the dunes when they were clear of vegetation, rather than traveling down a swale that was covered in moguls. It was also while in this area that we could not find any flat area to pitch
camp, and so we had to make
camp on the top of a small section of flat, clear
sand dune. Heading ever south, each day was the in the regards as, leave
camp, stop to fix a
puncture, on the move again, out with the snatch strap for a quick pull over a mogul or harder soft dune and just keep going. Arriving at the Geographical Centre and directly behind it was a massive, live dune, more than 3 metres on top of a stable dune and no visible way over. Heading south down the swale, we were finally able to find a way over and then headed east hoping to pick up an old shot line. More fun again, being blocked in by a way of live sand, but eventually found a way over. Arriving at the shot line was bliss, and for the first time in countless days, we could select high range and at one point, hit a warp speed of 60 kph. Towards the end of the track, I hoped to pick up the track that Ron had used to take us west back to the Colson Track.
The only way to the other side is straight across, with no easy way at all. This was now 1st Low
The only place to roll out the swag with no moguls was on top of this small dune
High above us, a plane carries its passengers in comfort, while we are stick in what we could describe as Hell
It was still tough going as we headed south towards the Geographical Centre
And now the moguls were getting bigger, I was like a beached whale more than once
Another remote camp, but this time in a nice clear swale
The end of another day in the office
Ken contemplating about what is going to happen during the rest of the trip
Our camp setup was simple, but comfortable
Group photo on top of a dune
No shade for this lunch stop
We found this on a small claypan
How would you tackle driving over dunes like this - hour, after hour, day after day
Back into an area that had been burnt out with lots of new live sand
Well the wind was sucked out of our sails, with a wall of live sand more than 15 metres high and totally impossible to get over, when I tried to climb it, sand was
well over my ankle only 2 metres from the track. We had now come so close to our end destination and reviewing the maps, hoped that old shot lines to the east would help us get out of the desert another way. Slowly making our way east it was so time to set up
camp, so we called it a day and hoped for a better day in the morning. Next morning with Ozi zoomed into 200% we slowly headed down a swale that I hoped would bring us to this so-called shot line. Try as we did, there was no sign of any track, and so out on foot to see if we could see it better at ground level. From past experience, I knew it was better to look towards the eastern horizon for any signs of dune tracks or variation in vegetation. I was sure that I could make out a change, so we had nothing to lose and set off bouncing slowly over the moguls and at the top of the dune and into the distance, were the very old remains of a shot line that nature had not yet reclaimed. Noting our direction of travel in relation to Ozi, we were on track and just used the moving map to head further east. Quite often the track would disappear for kilometres at a time, yet according to Ozi, were driving on a shot line.
This is what is left of an old shot line heading towards the Geographical Centre from the north
The Geographical Centre Tower - note the wall of new live sand directly behind the tower
Adding our names to the Visitor book at the tower
Caught out again by soft sand and a big mogul
The Geographical Centre of the Simpson Desert
We placed our plaque at the exact coordinates for the Geographical Centre
These are the coordinates for the Geographical Centre of the Simpson Desert
Catching up with one of the locals
Walls of live sand like this were totally impossible to drive over - regardless of what vehicle you drove
Trapped in a very small valley with live sand either side
We were all out on foot trying to find a way over
The next main change in desert scenery now had us back into Gidgee country, which meant we could at least have a good campfire at the end of the day. Following these ghost tracks also gave us another surprise when we came across our first, very old survey pegs that were placed out here back in 1972 when they were out here looking for possible oil fields. Another great find on the side of an old shot line was very large pit that had been excavated for some reason, and we put it down to machinery servicing out of the elements, and presume that those working out here would have draped tarps over the pit to protect those working in it. How did we know it was used to service machinery,
well it sounded good and had nothing to do with the large number of littered grease cartridges on the floor of the large pit, so much for cleaning up the desert as they worked.
This old shot line was old, but still in great condition as we headed south before another live dune
We were now forced east after a massive live dune blocked our way west
These were the only signs that it was once an old shot line - so we had nothing to lose
Then two dunes over and proof that we were on track
Then it would disappear as quick as we found it - so it was just keep going east until we found it again
On another very old shot line through the Gidgee
Now back into the Gidgee country, the scenery was ever changing and then there was a very large thump from the front of the Pajero. What the hell was that and pressed the brake pedal to stop and the pedal went straight to the floor…this was a real Oh Shite moment. How I did not ruin my front tyre, but there was a large piece of Gidgee wedged between my front shocker and the wheel, smashing the metal brake line. With brake fluid running down the inner guard, I knew this was something that I had not planned for and as I only carried 500 ml of brake fluid, and no high-pressure tubing or very small radiator clamps, I was now
well and truly up the proverbial creek. Our plans at this stage were to come out at
Kilpatha Aboriginal
well, north of the
Poeppel Corner Oil
Well site, and this was now not going to happen.
While in the Gidgee Country, this large mound caught our attention
Then when we walked around the other side, this is what we found
The pit was massive and well over two metres deep
Cresting another dune and then this.......
This was the only place during our complete trip that we saw two shot lines side by side through this patch of Gidgee
We are actually on a shot line - well according to the map we were
Never trust your co-driver to change your puncture
This Oil survey marker is showing how the sand has blown away over the years
I was very lucky not to drive over this old survey marker that was put down in the late 1970's
Our next safest departure point from the desert would be south out through Thomas Oil
Well and what fun it was driving with no brakes and the only way of stopping was engine braking combined with the hand brake. Safely back onto the French Line, it was like driving on bitumen after days of low range first and second and the ever constant pitch from side to side as we slowly bumped our way over the moguls. Fifteen days after entering the
Simpson Desert via the
Warburton Crossing, we finals drove into
Birdsville and set up
camp for the next few days, where punctures were fixed, my brake line was fixed and best of all, clean clothes and hot showers.
Then out of the blue, two well defined shot lines through the Gidgee north of Thomas Oil well
Over the following years, I have supplied a couple of ExplorOz members with details and track files for the trip and they experienced a very different trip to what we encountered. Unlike 12 years ago when we did the trip, the internet had nothing about Geosurvey
Hill and what was involved for such a remote trip. If only there was the content back then, as I know have found out that we passed very close to a special Aboriginal location, but then again the Aboriginal items we found stil have not been recorded by the professional either.
There were not any tracks on top of Big Red at the end of the trip
My details for the trip.
I used 176 litres of diesel from Mount Dare to
Birdsville (marked every Jerry can with the exact amount of diesel before the start of the trip, so I knew exactly how much fuel I had on board at all times.)
I used 80 litres of water while out in the desert, and this included cooking, washing ourselves with a small tub and sponge every two days and
drinking water.
I had 17 punctures, all rear sidewall stakes with the exception of one stake through the very centre of my front driver side tyre, with the size of the stake fatter than my finger that required 5 plugs to stop it from leaking. Towards the end of the trip I was getting concerned about the usage of the plugs and patches that I carried, but thank goodness I still had one complete box left at the end of trip.
Suffered one broken front brake line that I was unable to fix out in the desert and was not able to be repaired until we arrived at
Birdsville.
My fuel tank had to be replaced when we got
home, as it suffered a couple of very large dents and a very small weep at one of the welds from the constant thumping down on the moguls.
At the start of the trip, I had fitted 6 brand new Cooper ST tyres and at the end of the trip when we arrived back in
Clare, 4 so called new tyres with tread still like new but were ruined and had to be replaced from the countless side wall punctures.
We saw some very special country out in the true remote
Simpson Desert that few white people have ever get to see.
Some of the larger sand dunes out in the remoter parts of the Simpson make Big Red look like Small Red, they were just massive and totally impossible to drive over, no matter how good and setup your vehicle is.
Travel will be very slow for no other reason than the terrain that you will be travelling, with our worst day of travel being 20 kilometres - and they were full on days.
This trip must only ever be undertaken by experienced desert travellers that can use GPS navigation, as there are no
well-formed tracks to follow.
Would not undertake this type of trip with any less than three vehicles and five being the maximum number.
Stephen Langman
January 2018