Meetup in the Middle Trip thread.

Here's a few to get started. . .

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Lake Eyre South

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"Pussy Willow" at William Creek. It's a tree hanging with dead feral cats. The bloke offered me a freebie, but declined.

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Algebuckina Bridge just off the Oodnadatta track just south of Oodnadatta. This bridge is part of the old Ghan line which runs along most of the Oodnadatta track. There are plenty of old sliding's, buildings and other stuff the whole way along. You could easily spend a couple of days just cruising up the Oodnadatta track checking it all out.

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Oodnadatta track

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Pink Roadhouse Oodnadatta

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Sunset on the Oodnadatta - Mt Dare Road.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lhurley

Is that just using the gps on your phone (ipad tethered to phone) or the sim in the ipad?

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Winnies is a 3G iPad that has inbuilt GPS.

For non 3G iPads you can't hotspot to a phone or other device for GPS function.

You can buy external GPS devices to plug into no 3G iPads but I have heard they are not very accurate.

I've got a non 3G iPad which is pita so interested to hear if anyone has had any joy with a certain model of GPS plugin.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lhurley

Is that just using the gps on your phone (ipad tethered to phone) or the sim in the ipad?

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3G iPad using MudMap.

Lhurley, it is a 3G ipad that has inbuilt gps. I do not have a sim card in it

You dont need a sim in it to use the gps

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Winnie

Lhurley, it is a 3G ipad that has inbuilt gps. I do not have a sim card in it

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So it's an actual inbuilt gps, not just an assisted gps that uses the phone towers. I didn't know they worked without the sim.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lhurley

So it's an actual inbuilt gps, not just an assisted gps that uses the phone towers. I didn't know they worked without the sim.

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Yeah 3G provides direct access to the Satellite network. Any 3G device will do this including your phone

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lhurley

So it's an actual inbuilt gps, not just an assisted gps that uses the phone towers. I didn't know they worked without the sim.

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Same thing I was recording tracks with at glass house. But when I showed you our location on google earth I was hot spotting to the ipad then

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rossco

Here's a few to get started. . .

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That has got to be the quickest that you have ever uploaded photos... Bahaha!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lhurley

So it's an actual inbuilt gps, not just an assisted gps that uses the phone towers. I didn't know they worked without the sim.

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Yep, spot on =)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Winnie

That has got to be the quickest that you have ever uploaded photos... Bahaha!

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I reckon LOL !!! :smiley_thumbs_up:

G'evening you outback traveling lounge lizards!

I hope you are all having fun? I cannot wait to see the photo's!

Regards,

Paul

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PMC

G'evening you outback traveling lounge lizards!

I hope you are all having fun? I cannot wait to see the photo's!

Regards,

Paul

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I have to go to back to work Monday Paully and I can safely say that we all wish we were back there again!!!

I am planning a family 2016 Kimberly trip as we speak!!!!!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AB

I am planning a family 2016 Kimberly trip as we speak!!!!!!!

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Shut up!!!!! .……………




2016 hey!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MudRunnerTD

Shut up!!!!! .……………

2016 hey!!!

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Growler can keep his lady boys, I'm there already in spirit...lol

As you all know I'm hopeless with photos and trip reports so just uploading what I have... Lol...enjoy!!!

Thank you to Winnie for his detailed report and Rossco for his initial report which may grow...

A few more picies . . .

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Sunrise at Dalhousie Springs

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Not a bad way to start the day!! Dalhousie Springs are a truly awesome place, clean as and perfect temp, pretty cool!! Would have been good to spend a bit longer here, should have left earlier. . . Damn it :(

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Purini Bore, about 90 degrees C.

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The true start of the Simpson

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Virgin dunes

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The lone Gum, actually a Coolibah tree and we didn't see any other trees for at least 100K.

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One of the many lakes we drove across, these were pretty cool, heaps of them in the eastern end.

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Here's another photo of Poppels Corner for S!#ts and Giggles :)

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The three best vehicles on the trip.

.............:.:::/:

..................

Bloody hell it was a great trip!!!!

BIG RED!!

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lined up at the bottom. It is much bigger than any of the other dunes. . .
It didn't take long for the anticipation and nerves to kick in, I think we were all hanging to have a crack. Last chance to adjust tyre pressures. After watching Darren not make it on his first 3 attempts I decided to go down to 12psi, and hoped not to roll a tyre off seeing as you have to hit it flat out and the bottom has a few decent lumps.

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Snicko AKA Shaggs + Nev

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View from the top. Managed to make it up second go which I was pretty happy with. Good feeling cresting the top to the cheers of the crowd at the top.

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Roofy

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Strop - made it up.

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Ah yep, everyone loves taking photos of their own truck don't they!!

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AB having a red hot crack - charging like a demon.

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Soooo close. As Snicko said premature celebraton, I reckon the extra drag on the alternator from the horn was enough to make the difference.

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This angle shows the steepness a bit better. The photos from the top looking down look flat, they don't do it any justice. The sand is also verrrry soft, walking down you sink half way up to your knees. Pure power sucking stuff, you really have to cane the bajesus out of the truck to get up.

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With all due respect we can't forget about the old 60. Jokes aside it did well and never missed a beat the whole trip.

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Another GQ selfie

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It had to be done - group photo on top of Big Red.

I have to say, that Big Red was a huge amount of fun and a real challenge, definitely a highlight.

As most know I opted not to cross the Simmo and travelled a different path.

I do want to claim the most K's travelled tho at just shy of 10,500 and the dubious priviledge of most fuel used at almost exactly 2,000 litres

I saw Camels

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...psa5f5e892.jpg

and after 2 days and 100's and 100's of K's of W.A. and N.T. GAFA I saw mountains

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps9ac601c3.jpg

and little pebbles called Kata Juta

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps47bb78f0.jpg

and a big pebble called Uluru

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps350ba361.jpg

which is really red at sunset

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...psc2e76d05.jpg

but not as red as my truck

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps319ffc8a.jpg

and has pretty water holes

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...pscd51ca3c.jpg

and I saw Rainbow Valley which kinda sucked 'cause there was no rainbows

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps39b38a3a.jpg

but there was yet another Camel

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps850aa2ed.jpg

on the way to Chambers Pillar

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...psdd923042.jpg

where there were even more speccy formations like this

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps323d3d0c.jpg

and this

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps291052bd.jpg

and this

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps0ec10317.jpg

but it was good to go for a warm bath and blow fart bubbles at the guppies in Dalhousie Springs

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps77dc83ab.jpg

which is not all that many corrugated, dust choked, teeth rattling kilometres from the exact middle

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps665c92e6.jpg

where people told me only 500 K's further away I could visit Ormiston Gorge

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...psacf5c3ec.jpg

as long as I didn't hit any #&@#$% Camels on the road (which are actually yummy in a burger)

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...psf3897558.jpg

if I wanted to see the spooky beauty of Kathleen Springs

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps82d48b27.jpg

to prepare for the almost indescribable Kings Canyon

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...pse1070d7a.jpg

awesome

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps891b9b59.jpg

simply awesome

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps394a2da7.jpg

which left my trusty rig after it's surgery at Yulara and I

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps44de86e4.jpg

Mount Conner

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps125c1a89.jpg

and the painted Desert

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps922a8801.jpg

to check out on the way home

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps959ff939.jpg

Well done ET, loving these pics

@ ET did you get to Surveyors General Corner ?
Great pics BTW

DID NOT SEE A BLOODY CAMEL the Hole trip!!




I ate one though ;)

to far west for camels although they do venture that way depending of what season they had the year before.
Did you see any donkeys or Brumbies?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lhurley

So it's an actual inbuilt gps, not just an assisted gps that uses the phone towers. I didn't know they worked without the sim.

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All it does is help speed up your GPS lock. So without a Sim it just takes longer to get the initial lock. All phones and tablets are like this. There is no such thing as assisted GPS only. Older phones without a GPS chip use RTT positioning nothing to do with gps

Great photos Rossco and ET! Good work guys! I did not realise you did such a big trip ET. bloody good effort and there's not much you missed out on

ET, did you stop at the Breakaway's Lookout near Coober Pedy, looking back over the Painted Desert?

Mt Connor looks fantastic.

Just another big thank you for all the pics. Much better to get a feel for it all with the pics.

Interesting/surprising to see how much growth there still is in the Simpson.

Photos never show up angles and how steep things are. Looks like one of the issues with Big Red would be how rough it would be trying to get a run at it with all the ruts from so much traffic. Can just imagine trying to get some good speed for momentum but bouncing around and feeling the pain caused to the truck in the process.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cgm

Looks like one of the issues with Big Red would be how rough it would be trying to get a run at it with all the ruts from so much traffic. Can just imagine trying to get some good speed for momentum but bouncing around and feeling the pain caused to the truck in the process.

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You are not wrong... I hit it in 3rd gear but that was much too fast and I was bouncing all over the place and I felt so guilty for my car...

Hey guys

Just got home tonight at 6:00pm

Had a great time with the best people I could hope to go on a camping trip ever.

Thanks to everyone for such good memories

Home after an epic trip safe and sound
the little z3o never missed a beat as winnie said one belt tensioner
one swaybar connect rod
over 6447 ks 937 lts fuel at an average of 14l/100 fully loaded
carrying 60l water 200lts fuel fridge and freezer swags and a tent

Was a great trip thanks to darren (mudrunner) and every body who came along

Good on ya Snicko and Roofy, can't wait to see photos from you guys.

Just looking through Rossco's photos... how premature is this celebration!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forum...2&d=1405082115

Quote:

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Originally Posted by roofy

Home after an epic trip safe and sound
the little z3o never missed a beat as winnie said one belt tensioner
one swaybar connect rod
over 6447 ks 937 lts fuel at an average of 14l/100 fully loaded
carrying 60l water 200lts fuel fridge and freezer swags and a tent

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Glad your back ok mate, was an epic trip indeed Roofy and hopefully many more for us soon!!!!

Happy you are home roofy and you had such a good time... whats next?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bloodyaussie

Happy you are home roofy and you had such a good time... whats next?

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reckon mate the next one will be the top end
2years from now so you better start saving your
$2 coins for it now

Glad to hear you are both home ok roofy and snicko, I arrived home after lunch today

Glad to hear you are all home safe, sad for you its all over.
After a week I reckon you could drive back out to the centre and do it all again.
Look forward to tall tales and true plus the photographic evidence.