I just checked and we were a day behind you.
You are right about keeping the group small for that trip, we had 5 vehicles and that was pushing it.
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I just checked and we were a day behind you.
You are right about keeping the group small for that trip, we had 5 vehicles and that was pushing it.
Awesome info, thanks guys and I will lean on your experiences some more as we get closer.
I've got 245 litres of fuel capacity in the Patrol, but I'm not yet sure how thirsty the Chev will be with all the low-range work.
If we only do the section from the Hay River Rd West, then I am hoping fuel won't be such an issue.
How bad are the dunes in that section if traveling from East to West?
Ok I'm back, using the ipad, as the phone app buggered up
If you need any more info pm me your email and I will send you what I have.
Another mate of Darren and mine is starting his second attempt at the Madigan next year.
I've heard from somebody that did it recently that the track is more defined they took 3days hay river way
Navigation should be easier going east-west between colson Track and the twins as there are many vague tracks in that area
I would suggest spring tower reinforcement with the weight you will Cary
I used 190lt diesel and had to replace all the suspension bushes when we got home
It has less firewood than the French line so prepare for that, lots of people have done it since us.
Yes it got Cold at night. Woke up to -1 to -5 most mornings. Spring tower bracing for the win for sure. Fire wood will be a big deal I think too. We made a point of gathering wood from lunchtime or whenever we saw it to ensure we had a fire each night. There were 4 cars in our group and we put wood on the roof of every car. Not really much Big wood so you could use a bit. If you can take a couple of bags of Redgum though then the small stuff should be easy enough to find to get you going then small fires with your Redgum will be a real bonus.
When we did the Simpson Meetup I expected to buy wood from a servo on the way as it is commonly available at most servos in Vic. Forget it! Once we left home we did not see firewood in bags at servos again and had to find it in the desert. We were lucky.
Cheers - no, haven't done the desert before, but our group are fairly experienced Cape Yorkers and remote trips are favourites. That said we are however accutely aware that we could be biting off more than we can chew and are closely analysing whether we should just do the French Line/Rig Rd, etc. etc. and leave this alone until we have a better feel for the desert. There would be a Cruiser Ute, a Defender and two Patrols in the group, all well equipped. Yes, spring towers have been reinforced. We'll research and plan first, then make a decision on a Go/No Go. Plan B is to just cross the french Line, and then maybe plan further for a second run the year after, if the Kimberly's don't get in the way...
Thanks for the tips on firewood and temperatures too, and the best direction to attack it from.
The desert is easier from west to East everywhere you go,the dunes are steeper from the East. Given your lack of desert travel you may consider doing the east west crossing of the French line and consider your options at Mt Dare. Assuming everyone has travelled well then head north to Old Andando and do a West to East crossing of the first half of the Madigan to the Hey river track and head south from there. Your would have to sort out your permits in advance regardless but Thai would be doable and a great way to have a go.
As stated the second half is tough going. But as Gary said, plenty of traffic since 2012 when we crossed so it may well be a fare bit easier than it was then.