The Outback - 1000km - Day 7

The Outback 2014 trip was coming to an end, which meant that we had two days to travel 2000km from Birdsville to Sydney. A 1000km of empty roads were ahead....

Sunrise on the road to Windorah

The Outback - Poeppel Corner to Birdsville - Day 6

My tent leaked last night!  Dark clouds started rolling in around 7pm and by 11pm, lightening and thunder boomed across the dark desert sky.

Rain pelted down, soaking the red sand and giving the two 4x4s a very good clean.  Our restless minds were buzzing with anxious thoughts on the track condition and especially crossing Lake Poeppel.

Breakfast was rushed as we packed our gear and discussed the option for the day as Doug and Ruth were continuing West across the Simpson Desert whilst Neil and I were doing a u-Turn and heading back to Birdsville.

The Outback - Birdsville to Poeppel Corner - Day 5

Map names were becoming real places and waking up in Birdsville was one of those moments overland travel is all about.

Simpson Desert - on top of sand dune known as 'Big Red'

An outback town with a population of 100 people (+/- 7000, as the sign says) is a town used to an influx of city 4wd owners and tourists yet the local town folk do not have this 'harassed by tourists' mentality. I loved the fact that everyone we spoke to had a smile and a willingness to talk and share information on the road conditions and the Simpson Desert.

A special shoutout to Kelly Theobald, author and journalist. In 2012 Kelly and her partner completed a crossing of the Simpson Desest in a VW Beetle.  I managed to spend time with Kelly and hear her story on how she arrived in Birdsville and what life is like in the Australian Outback. Kelly bubbles with enthusiasm causing all around her to smile and dream big. Kelly recently published a childrens book titled "Onslo" named after her Beetle.  

Kelly Theobald & Onslo

The Outback - Haddon Corner - Day 4

Corella birds provided the most natural alarm clock needed. The sun was peeking over the horizon as the gas cooker burst into flame and the kettle started heating the water.

Sunrise at the Burke & Wills Dig Tree

There are four people in our group, split evenly between the Land Cruiser Prado and the Land Cruiser 80-Series. Neil and I, driving the Prado, are using the nimble popup dome tents, which are perfect for good weather camping taking all of 30 seconds to open and peg down. 

Doug and Ruth are using a Howling Moon rooftop tent. It might takes longer to setup than the 3-second dome tents but provides a comfy setup for daily use.

Doug & Ruth - LC 80-Series Camp Setup

The Outback 2014 - Innimincka - Day 3

Sunrises don't get much better than in a desert and waking up in Cameron Corner was no exception.  Beautiful morning rays highlighted low hanging clouds.

Sunrise at Cameron Corner

The Outback 2014 - Cameron Corner - Day 2

Never a dull moment in the Australian Outback...

The Outback 2014 - Back O'Bourke (or not) - Day 1

0530am... my mind was buzzing.  Day 1 of the Australian Outback 2014 trip was starting.

Land Cruiser 80-Series & Land Cruiser Prado

My first stop of the day was to collect a friend and his gear and then we turned North and slowly headed out of Sydney towards the Blue Mountains and Dubbo.

The Outback 2014 - planning phase

Nine days to go before I depart for the Australian outback.  In this blog post, I summarise ten activities I do prior to a trip starting.  Preparing for a trans-continental overland travel only involves more preparation than a weekend or work-holiday trip based on the fact that you have to rent out your home and store your furniture.

Planning a route

The same intense preparation is required for the shorter trips.

My trip to the outback has involved hours of planning, route mapping, vehicle checks and equipment lists.
The unique aspect of all preparation is the way different individuals approach the planning phase...

Here's my top10 list on planning:

He owned 8 Land Rovers and then bought a Toyota...

How many times have you heard that a Land Rover owner has changed his or her vehicle and purchased a Toyota? In short, I have now purchased a Toyota after owning eight Land Rovers over the last two decades!

Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 120 Series

Vehicle of choice this time is a 2007 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado D-4D (1KD-FTV).
And it was not based on the fact that Toyota owners are quick to explain the lack of tools needed, the reliability of the vehicle or the fact that they a perception to last forever.

Here's my thoughts on why I moved from Land Rover...

Book Review: "In Search of Greener Grass" by Graham Field

"In Search of Greener Grass"

Independent overland travel can be as engaging or remote as the traveler wants it to be. Graham Field, the author of 'In Search of Greener Grass', will engage you in more detail than you thought possible and will takes you on a journey from the UK to Mongolia and finally onto Russia. 

Motorbikes are a lifestyle; it’s not just transport, it’s easy to let them become a way of life.

Graham Field's book can certainly be described as the overland life in full. His style of writing - in first person - flows at such a pace that you are left entwined in his thoughts, his conversations and his travels. My mind was buzzing with an overload of information which left me pondering how the author manages to gather and retain all the information! His mind must be buzzing, if mine was buzzing whilst reading the book.

‘Buy time, not equipment’ was one of the single best lines of advice I read during those months.