Our first trip to the Simpson Desert was really when the Real 4x4 Adventures concept was born. In doing research for our trip it was really hard at the time to understand what was under prepared, appropriately prepared and overkill when preparing the vehicle and desired route. A desert trip should not be taken on lightly and there is a lot you should do to your 4x4 in preparation for a Simpson Desert crossing or any other remote travel. Regardless of the vehicle a couple of key points are always, have additional fuel, water and a back up plan in an emergency.

This trip started as a three-car convoy but 2 of the cars didn’t make it out of their home cities so it ended up being a solo trip which has its risks and I would not recommend this lightly but luckily we had no issues and learnt a lot from our experience.

We headed west from Brisbane through beautiful and friendly outback Queensland. There are so many great communities and interesting country pups/hotels with amazing characters to visit along the way. After a few days heading west we came across the famous Noccundra Hotel. After staying the night, we went on to explore the Bourke and Wills dig tree site and then on to the famous Innamincka Hotel. We started down the Strzelecki Track before detouring to Cameron’s Corner for a night. Cameron’s Corner is on the Border of South Australia and New South Wales. We backtracked to the Strzelecki Track and then turned off to Arkaroola.

We spent two nights relaxing at Arkaroola Village. On this trip we could not get to Siller’s Lookout which was a big draw card for Andrew. We then continued west hitting the Outback Way at Copley. We headed North through Lyndhurst to Marree. This is the south western side of the Birdsville Track and eastern point of the Oodnadatta Track.

We headed west along the Oodnadatta Track and there is so much to see. Our main stops were Coward Springs, William Creek and Oodnadatta.

In Oodnadatta we filled up the tanks and headed for the Mt Dare Hotel. Another amazing outback pub and a must for people crossing the Simpson Desert. We had some lunch and a beer and then headed for Dalhousie Springs. With campsites and toilets it is the perfect spot to have a swim and think about the journey ahead or reflect on the adventure just completed.

From here you need a permit and a sand flag. The initial drive is very easy and you don’t start getting to meaningful dunes until around Purni Bore. We continued along the French line until the junction to Rig Road, which we chose to head along and it becomes the WAA line. We heard this was more scenic and with less cars travelling this route, the tracks are often in better condition. We didn’t really know what to expect but with over 1100 dunes to cross west to east allows you to ease into things with the smaller dunes whereas from the east they are a lot bigger at the start. We camped along the way on the WAA line and then headed up Knolls track back onto the French line. We continued until the turnoff to Poeppel Corner where the South Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland all meet. From here there is only a short distance left of the French line before heading north to start the QAA line. Along the QAA line the dunes get bigger and further apart. Make sure you monitor your CB to avoid accidents. We eventually made it to Big Red which was really exciting and making it up to confirm the completion of crossing the Simpson Desert.

From here we headed into Birdsville for a beer at the Birdsville Hotel. We were able to have a shower for a donation and then had our beer and went to the Birdsville Bakery for lunch to celebrate the end of this adventure. We then started the long trip home to Brisbane and planning the next big adventure.