Australia's longest & greatest desert
walk
Expedition
Summary
The expedition will depart from Old Andado Station on the western side of the desert and
take a bearing for a small rocky outcrop in the north east of the Simpson near the
Northern Territory/Queensland border.
In 2009 we
conducted a similar journey which took us through some stunning country. The longer 2010
expedition will of course take a very different route and cross the Hay River into the Never-Never
Country on the Atnetye Aboriginal Land Trust.
There will
be numerous highlights during the 25 days of trekking:
- crossing 4
floodplains (Hale River, Illogwa Creek, Plenty and Hay Rivers)
- zigzagging
across the route of Madigan's 1939 Expedition on the western side of the desert
- exploring
parts of the lower Plenty Lakes
- negotiating
the intricacies of the "Plenty River Mines" - particularly challenging country
to walk in!
- the
breakaways and soft rolling low dunes of the Never-Never Country
- the un-named
small salt lakes near Lake Caroline
- the extensive
areas of acacia scrub and beautiful stands of gidgee on the western side of the desert
Our traverse will take us close to Camps 1 to 5
of Cecil Madigan's 1939 Expedition with the possibility of visiting Camp 6 as well.
Although as interesting as Madigan's camps may be, remember that as part of a contemporary
expedition, we are blazing a new path across the desert and many of the camps that we will
make are in fresh country - untrodden by the white man.
For the most part of this journey, the dunes will be of the
towering red variety that are all at once simply majestic, beautiful and daunting. We will
also travel through belts of gidgee (acacia georginae), and also encounter small
salt lakes and claypans. On the last few days of the journey, after we cross the Hay
River, we are in Never-Never Country - the land between the Hay and the Field Rivers. This
is predominantly undulating small sandhills and should be relatively easy to navigate.
What is the difference between this expedition and
our renowned 'Simpson Desert Expedition'?
Our 400km+ Simpson Desert Expedition (which we last conducted in
2006) travels from west to east right across the desert and concludes in
Birdsville. It is a very challenging journey both for the camels and the trekkers. Due to
the ongoing drought, we will not run that expedition until there has been drenching rains
in the centre of the desert, and who knows when that will be! It may be many years before
we conduct another expedition right across the desert as we are not due to work in the
Simpson again until at least 2013.
This 2010 expedition is not considered to be as 'hard' as our epic Simpson Desert
Expedition, however we will still have over 330km to cover before we reach our objective
and so we must keep a good rate of travel.
The expedition will be led by Andrew Harper and there are a
maximum of 13 places available on the journey. If you would like to participate in this
magnificent desert experience, arguably Australia's most challenging walk, please contact
our office.
Please
note that due to the nature of this country and the seasonal conditions, the
exact expedition route can only be determined closer to departure in late April 2010. The
distance covered will be a minimum of approximately 330 kilometres with the option - depending
on seasonal conditions - of several 'half-days' to stop and explore certain areas in
more detail.
The recent heavy rain in the area will mean that conditions out in the northern
Simpson
will be the best that we have seen for many years. This is the year to see first
hand how the desert flourishes!
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back Home
To
Ingrid, Greg, Shaun & Liam, Thanks for the patience, teaching and leadership.
Thanks Andrew for the well routined and hard working camels who enable us to truly
enjoy the
Australian desert as a living experience and not just a drive-thru exercise.
L Humble, 2009 |
Typical swale enroute to the Hay River
Expedition
Details
Dates: April 29 to May 26 2010
Total days including transfers: 28 - 1 day transfer/25 days trekking/2 day transfer
Trekking days: 25 ...expedition
itinerary
Grade: Challenging
Departure point: Alice Springs
Finish point: Alice Springs
Maximum places available: 13
Full tour price: $7490
Repeat Trekker price: $6366
The Outback Camel Company is
proud to support the Central Australian community.
A percentage of the tour price from this expedition will be donated to the Royal Flying
Doctor Service
(Central Section). |
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"The
point is, this is a different kind of walking experience, one that’s a world away
from pounding along with a big pack on a single-file track. Under the arch of the desert
sky you’re free to be in the vastness of the dune spaces.
More than that, though, we’re lifted into a continuum of experience.
Here the endless drift of the dunes and the steady swing of the camels stride seem
to put us on the kind of trajectory no map can depict – an exploratory path alive
with history and promise."
Click here to
read the Wild article by Quentin Chester |
The camel strings take a break in the interdune corridor
The Lower Plenty lakes
TC surveys a beautiful flowering wattle on the dune
crest
Cameleer Cody Cunningham leads TC down a dune
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