NSW Outback and Opals - July 2020
Final decision, following the National Cabinet meeting yesterday, with South Australia still saying that they plan to open their border on 20 July - which is too late for us, and may not even happen if the situation in Vic gets worse - its time to accept that we will only be doing an Outback NSW trip. I added the "opals" as we will go to White Cliffs and Lightning Ridge. Prepare to do all your Christmas shopping in one trip!
The Outback NSW plan is not as challenging or remote as the SA plan was, but we will still be out of Sydney, on dirt roads, seeing wide open spaces and camping! (And we will be a bit closer to 'civilisation' if anyone should fall ill...)
The plan is:
Day 1 Saturday 11 - Sydney to Cobar via Mudgee and Dubbo 685km
Day 2 Sunday 12 July - Cobar to Broken Hill via Ivanhoe and Menindee 593km
Day 3 Monday 13 July – Around Broken Hill Take the day to see the sights, Silverton, Mundi Mundi Plains, RFDS Base etc 100km
Day 4 Tuesday 14 July - Broken Hill to White Cliffs via Mutawintji National Park 272km - Sightseeing around White Cliffs for the afternoon. Buy some Opal and tour an Opal mine.
Day 5 Wednesday 15 July – White Cliffs to Tibooburra via Milparinka 270km
Day 6 Thursday 16 July – Tibooburra to Wanaaring 234km
Day 7 Friday 17 July – Wanaaring to Bourke 251km
Day 8 Saturday 18 July – Bourke to Grawin “Club in the Scrub” via Brewarrina and the Glengarry Hilton 215km
Day 9 Sunday 19 July – Grawin to Lightning Ridge 60km
Day 10 Monday 20 July – Around Lightning Ridge - There is a lot to see around Lightning Ridge, and you could buy more opal… 50km
Day 11 Tuesday 21 July – Lightning Ridge to Tamworth via Walgett, and Narrabri 412km
Day 12 Wednesday 22 July – Tamworth to Gloucester via The Thunderbolts Way 185km
Day 13 Thursday 23 July – Gloucester to Sydney - An easy drive home via The Bucketts Way 263km
Total Trip Distance Sydney to Sydney = 3590km (3700km with side trips)
I have emailed everyone with the new plans (See Page 7 of this thread). If anyone else is interested please PM me with your email address, although we are really at cut off time as I am finalising bookings today...
I reckon we will still have a great trip! Please let me know if you have any questions or want to change your plans. Oh and CAMPER TRAILERS are OKAY - as long as they are proper offroad trailers ready for rough dirt tracks!
Please Consider! To go we need AT LEAST 3 vehicles. Maximum number would be 12 to 15 given that these two options are a little less 'unforgiving' than the original Simpson Desert plan.
Please post below if you would like to come, or if you are thinking about it. I will generate a Definites and a Maybes list. If you would like a, Itinerary, please PM me with your email address.
Thanks,
Dave
Definites
1. DaveG
2. Timothy + 1 (confirmed)
3. Eva & Chris K (confirmed)
4. GregD (confirmed)
5. EdD & Sarah (confirmed)
6. GaryC +1 (confirmed)
7. DanielD +1 (confirmed)
8. AliH (confirmed)
9. BrianM +1 maybe (confirmed)
Maybes
Mariner & MarahH
Thanks,
Dave
Simpson Desert “Third Time Lucky” July 2020
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Timothy
Attachment 3131
Looks amazing - Hi Guys, i just joined new and looks like a good trip, I have done the desert ride when i was in middle east - Sweihan and Liwa- it just pure desert for KM & KM, run the tires at 8-10PSi
Please advise the date for this trip, really looking forward to this one
Hi Tim,
This will probably be very different from what you saw in the Middle East, and I’m going to have to google those places now haha.
For all the dates, please see the first post in this thread.
If you’d like a full itinerary, please PM me with your email address.
Thanks,
Dave
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Simpson Desert “Third Time Lucky” July 2020
Hi All,
I did hear back from White Cliffs caravan park. Their camping fee has gone up to $20 per site. On the flip side we are now back up to 10 Jeeps and 15 people as JamesM and friend have joined us, so Wilpena Pound has dropped to $15 per person.
In case you have been following the desert conditions, the desert officially reopened for the year on 16 March. However because of the rain in February, the Warburton Crossing (our way in to the desert from Mungerannie) and Eyre Creek (our way out again) are flooded and closed at the moment. As long as there is no more rain in the next few months they should have well and truly dried out by the time we go.
And of course we will have to take into account the travel advise from the government. Currently advising against all non essential travel. Tasmania, Northern Territory and South Australia now require 2 weeks isolation. Will the rest of the mainland states close? Will they open again by July? If they don’t then we will not be able to do this trip. Maybe we could do something NSW only... Lots to wait and see about this year [emoji852]
Thanks,
Dave
UNDER REVIEW - Simpson Desert July 2020 - UNDER REVIEW
Hi All,
Another update.
I heard back from Birdsville and I contacted Diamantina Shire Council - who will give us our refunds on application.
They confirmed that Birdsville is basically shut for the rest of the year. No Big Red Bash in July, No Birdsville Races in September. No visitors staying in the caravan park.
So, our trip to Queensland is CANCELLED. We will not be able to go up the K1 Line to Poepple Corner and on to Birdsville. Please do as your email from Birdsville said and claim your refund.
BUT, as I said yesterday, Wilpena Pound (South Australia) is still only closed to the end of June. I am going to hope that in July the SA State border will have reopened and we will still be able to go West from Broken Hill and on to the Flinders Ranges, Lake Eyre, Innaminka.
I will re plan the itinerary and email everyone with the new details. I quite understand if anyone wants to drop off the trip list if we can't go to Poepple Corner, but I reckon we could still have a great trip!
IF South Australia is still off limits in July, I already started thinking about a trip just within Northern NSW (if we are allowed out of Sydney), and I will email that to everyone as well. Some light reading for everyone if nothing else.
So, third time NOT so lucky, but hopefully we will still be able to do something in July!
Very sorry,
Dave
UNDER REVIEW - Simpson Desert July 2020 - UNDER REVIEW
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Mariner
So is the hole of Birdsville closed all year or just the caravan park?
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Short answer, don’t know. At the moment you can’t cross the border to Qld at all. The caravan park is closed for the rest of 2020, and Diamantina shire has cancelled the July Big Red Bash and the Birdsville races in September are also cancelled. These are the two events that happen in Birdsville each year. Birdsville caravan park is the only campground. Birdsville hotel website only has accommodation for essential travellers (not tourists), so no accommodation for us in town! I’d say they are doing their best to discourage all visitors.
So, got two alternate plans in the works, one for NSW and South Aus (if we are allowed in) and one for NSW only.
More soon,
Dave
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UNDER REVIEW - Simpson Desert July 2020 - UNDER REVIEW
Dear ex Simpson Desert Trippers,
Following the conversations above, and Dru is quite right about state borders, with the closure of Birdsville - by closure I mean the caravan park is closed for the rest of 2020, the Birdsville Hotel is closed except to essential workers (not tourists) and the Qld border is closed. We cannot realistically plan to go into Qld this year. But still hoping to be driving Sydney to Cobar in three months today!
IF Qld and Birdsville change their minds again, we can re-visit the idea of running the original trip, but we would have to know by early June (to order Desert Parks Passes) and it does not sound likely.
So I have put together 2 new plans, assuming that Qld is off limits. I have emailed these 2 new plans to all the people in our trip list, and if anyone else is interested please PM me with your email address.
Trip 1 - Outback NSW and SA would take us to South Australia IF we are allowed to go, following the original timetable and using our existing bookings in Cobar, Broken Hill and Wilpena. Wilpena Pound has reopened. IF the SA Border is opened as well, we would go! We would then spend two nights in the Flinders Ranges before going to Arkaroola for two nights in the Gammon Ranges (I have never been but it looks good), then back to Copley, Lake Eyre, Marree, Mungerannie, and then take the Walkers Crossing track across the Sturt Stony Desert to Innaminka. From there back on original timetable to Tibooburra, White Cliffs and home through Nyngan. Same number of days as the original plan, just no Qld, and we would not need Desert Parks Passes. The dates that we would be in Copley and Mungerannie would change and we would have to let them know, but I’m sure we could do that on 1st July once we know if the trip is allowed or not. I would also extend our booking at Wilpena for a second night, and make reservations at Arkaroola.
BUT, if we are not allowed to leave NSW in July (and if we can travel within the state):
Trip 2 - Outback NSW Only would take us to Cobar and Broken Hill using our existing bookings, then north to White Cliffs, Tibooburra, and east to Wanaaring, Bourke then on to Lightning Ridge and home through Tamworth and Gloucester. Not nearly as adventurous as the original Simpson Desert plan or the new Sturt Stony Desert plan, but still out of town, wide open spaces, camping and dirt roads! I would cancel our SA bookings, extend booking in Broken Hill for an extra night, and re-book in White Cliffs, Tibooburra etc…
I know that neither of these is what we originally planned, but IF we are allowed to travel at all in July, these are the best I can think of with the bookings and info we have so far. I hope the plans sound okay.
If you no longer want to come along on any trip, please let me know and I will take you off the list. I hope that most or all of us will still want to get out of town – and hopefully out of NSW – and that we will be allowed to go!
We will make the decision which trip we will do later, if any are allowed. Hopefully we will know what we can do by 1st July at the very latest. I will keep everyone updated if I hear anything.
Fingers crossed,
Dave