18/8/2007 - Simpson Desert - Alice Springs to Mt Dare
After our Kimberley stint, I returned to Alice Springs for a few days rest before meeting all the participants on our 8 Day Simpson Desert Trip. The first day was a meet and greet and an intro to Alice Springs. On day two we set off down the old south road towards Chambers Pillar. The Finke race was two days away, so there was plenty of traffic on the road, most of it motorbikes. As usual we stopped in at Maryvale station and then went on to the art gallery at Titjikala. The art gallery has been updated and improved, and there was some fantastic stuff there. Most of us bought at least one piece of art, before setting off for Chambers Pillar historical reserve. There had been some rain recently, so parts of the desert were in bloom, particularly around Castle Rock and Chamber's Pillar. We arrived a little earlier than usual, which allowed us to get setup prior to the sunset. There was a cool wind as there always seems to be, so the climb to the base of the pillar was a cold one.
Parks have added gas barbecues at Chamber's Pillar which I am not keen on. They detract from the natural surroundings and who would travel to the pillar without their own bbq? I also hate the bollarded campsite which it seems everyone else hates too because they have been driving around the bollards and over the cables. This actually in my view spreads the traffic and results in less environmental damage. Bollarded campsites cause more damage by funnelling everyone through narrow gaps, and causing them to camp hard up against the bollards to allow access to vehicles. I think National Parks people forget we are all vehicle based campers not hikers. Anyway we enjoyed our campfire.
The next day saw us heading back to Maryvale and then onto the old Ghan railway line which we followed all day. The Finke desert race was going to run in just a few days, so their was a lot of traffic all the way to Finke (Apatula). Our camp for the night was at the Lambert Centre. It was once again a very cold night. In the morning there was ice on my swag and on the vehicles. The Lambert Centre campsite is not one you want to wander away from. The scrub is thick and similar in all directions, so unless you follow the road, you will end up lost for sure. Day 3 saw us head out of the Lambert Centre to New Crown, Charlotte Waters and eventually Mt Dare.
I always enjoy this drive through the gibber plains. If you've never been to this part of the world, it is worth the effort even if you don't intend to cross the Simspon. There is something so amazing about the gibber plains country. from horizon to horizon in parts of outback Australia, there is nothing but but stones, no trees, no shrubs, just stones. I can't wait to do the 4 Corners tour next year, as that takes us back into some amazing gibber country in SA.
It was very windy and cold at Charlotte Waters ruins, but we all strolled around looking at all the new information signs anyway. The new Mt Dare pub is brilliant. Well done to Dave and Melissa. It was great to catch up with Dave again, but Mel was again in Adelaide so we missed her again this year.  Next...into the desert.
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A daily record of the travels of David and Justine Olsen's 4WD Tag-Along Tours and Training.
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