My Tdci 130 set up

[Scott Brady]

I certainly have the love for the 130. Enjoyed a few days with this one

You are ready for the Canning Stock now!

 

[newhue]

Funny you mention that Scott, we have a little expedition planned for next year. Out through the Simpson desert again, and across the Gunbarrel to the Canning Stock Route. Follow it up into the Kimberly's, Darwin, Arnhem Land, and down through the gulf and back to Brissie. It has stretched to 3 months now, or 1 term off school for the kids. Be a bit of a stretch and will have to pick the eyes out of it a bit, but better than nothing. I love the vastness, the huge skies, and silence of out back Aus. It's almost like a religion for me. The noise and craziness of the rat race makes me tense if I can't get my share of escapisim into nature.

Last trip I took a cat trap and tried to do my share for the lizards, and small marsupials eaten in vast numbers by feral cats. It's a silent issue for outback Aus. Cats are plentiful and top of the game with their keen hunting skills. The native animals have little chance as they have no skills against the cats. I didn't have much luck in general, but did jag 5 in 4 hours. It was luck really, they had become lazy living off campers laziness.

I'm glad you have a soft spot for a 130, they are not a bad tub. I once considered an external roll cage for mine. But it was more of a look than necessity. I chose to keep the weight saving, and just slow down a bit more. In my mind however, a external roll cage is such a good look for a serious tourer, just weight too much.

 

[Scott Brady]

I once considered an external roll cage for mine. But it was more of a look than necessity. I chose to keep the weight saving, and just slow down a bit more. In my mind however, a external roll cage is such a good look for a serious tourer, just weight too much.

Yeah, I would skip the cage. The more stock the better IMHO, particularly on a Defender.

You will love the Canning - fantastic route. We just crossed last year in pretty wet condition. That road is the real deal.

 

[ZG]

This thread is filled with droolworthy photos. Subscribed.

 

[DividingCreek]

anything 130 related is droolworthy but I am biased

 

[ZG]

Too true Doug. Probably why one of the longest threads on the LR section is Oilworker's.

 

[tommyd]

Last trip I took a cat trap and tried to do my share for the lizards, and small marsupials eaten in vast numbers by feral cats. It's a silent issue for outback Aus. Cats are plentiful and top of the game with their keen hunting skills. The native animals have little chance as they have no skills against the cats. I didn't have much luck in general, but did jag 5 in 4 hours. It was luck really, they had become lazy living off campers laziness.

Good on ya! We have the same problem in the U.S. A recent study estimated that feral cats kill 1.3–4.0 billion birds and 6.3–22.3 billion mammals annually. Back to your regularly scheduled programming...

 

[Maverick1701]

oh man that is a beautiful rig!! I wish they were available (more common) here in the states.

 

[newhue]

Good on ya! We have the same problem in the U.S. A recent study estimated that feral cats kill 1.3–4.0 billion birds and 6.3–22.3 billion mammals annually. Back to your regularly scheduled programming...

Too true Tommy, I don't think many realise how much destruction they do. My eyes almost fell out of my head when I got two in one cage, just unbelievable. But that night was not the norm. In the desert there was foot prints all around the trap every night, but they were too cunning to enter. We tried half a dozen types of food and none produced the results. These two boseoes came in on chicken stock and a slice of white bread. I am considering getting myself a firearm licence to help with things. But it's not that easy over here. Transportation rules, use, and perhaps some of the places you find see them isn't the best. You see more and more cats eating road kill because its easy. But not the greatest place to produce a rifle either.

 

[newhue]

Scott, would three weeks be a good amount of time for the Canning. I have been told two is too tight. I'm glad you enjoyed Australia's longest stock route/ 4x4 adventure.


maverick, thanks. They are coming to a stop here in 2015. Safety regulations have finally cornered the Defender and it's a no more. Shame really.

 

[newhue]

Here is one of the line up for the Madigan line we did last year. It's an unmarked route, though definitely a route these days across the central Simpson desert. Around 1000klm from town to town and virtually no help in-between. Most the route is done at 10 to 15km/h and took us 9 or 10 days. Isn't that terrible, I can't remember. We had 8 children ranging from 1 to 7. It was a very good exercise in planning, nit to mention a good day out.

 

[newhue]

Fringes of the Simpson Desert

Well the day had finally arrived. It was the start of our 5 week trip into central Australia.
The apprehension of going solo with two kids under 5, and driving the doomed Tdci according to some, had all but evaporated. Joy, freedom, and smiles were the order of the day.
The plan was Birdsville, Hay River, Plenty Highway, East McDonnell Range, Alice Springs, Old Andado track, Mt Dare, WAA line, Rig Road, Innamincka home. We had no idea that we would ultimately do 7300km in total with 4700 of them on sand, dirt, or gravel. We knew it would be flat and sparse, but we were blown away just how beautiful, interesting, and amazing the desert regions are.

happy campers


First stop Caliguel Lagoon, Condamine. It is possible to camp here and fish if you like.


We wanted to visit Welford NP just Nth of Quilpie. We started to find what we came for.



It has the Barcoo River pass through it which joins the Cooper River and ultimately feeds the Lake Eyre catchment. The bird life if here is prolific with finches and wrens. Camping was pleasant.


I found Birdsville an interesting place. It has an air of anticipation to it. Probably because it’s on the edge of the desert and is the start or end of many adventures. Perhaps it’s the history and it’s hotels, perhaps it’s just a long way from anywhere.
Anyway I discovered they have trees full of Galah’s opposed to bats.




One of the biggest reasons we stuck at this trip was the run of wet seasons the desert has had recently. Seeing water out here and how green it was, with all you learn at school about how hot and dry it is, was something special for us.




The wife was a bit concerned about getting lost, I said there is a track and a sign, it will be OK. But no we had to phone a friend back at Birdsville to cross check we were reading the GPS and grid references correctly. We were counting km and land marks, we were doing everything but reading the stars and wellA....what would I know...


Camping out here is a dream, anywhere that looks nice will do. The wind blows most days till around 4.30-5, but after that the stillness and silence is just magic.


We didn’t make a habit of crossing salt lakes, but found it can give you a lunar experience.



The Hay River track runs for most part in line with the dunes. There is a small section that crosses the dunes, and another section that goes up the centre of the river. But largely it shadows the river and is a windy track with varying desert swale. It took us 4 comfortable days from Birdsville to Batton Hill at the top of the track some 75km East of Jarvois Station. A permit is required and easy to get. Our days were usually 9.30 to 3.30-4, we did nor see anyone for three days.



Lake Caroline

 

[newhue]

Fringes of the Simpson Desert part 2

We topped out on the Plenty Highway which is just that. Followed it West to Cattlewater pass and into Ruby Gap, East aMcdonnell Ranges. We underestimated the days distances and stayed at Ambalindum Station. A 1.6 million acre station with green grass to camp on, and the best showers in the west.






The photo is bad and doesn’t show it well, but the property finishes 40km past the horizon. Apparently Central Aus’s biggest beef station.


Cattlewater pass has some nice scenery, there is not 4x4 about the track though.





Ruby Gap is quite amazing, and we had it all to ourselves. The Northern Territory National Parks suggest you can drive almost all the way to the gorge, but previous floods has put a stop to that. You can get to 2km away though. No shortage of awesome camping.





The walk up the gorge is pretty speckie and well worth it.

 

[newhue]

Fringes of the Simpson Desert part 3

By now we really into the swing of traveling and had a heart beat of 60, it kids coped with everything we were doing, and we just kept finding stuff that they could work with.


Of course there was the odd moment of panic, when you 3 yr old proudly holds up what he has just found.


But the land scape kept producing wonder all the way back to Alice.
It was quite noticeable once a bit more water and shad was around the flower and bird life increased dramatically compared to the Northern Simpson.









We re-supplied in Alice and stayed at the Gday Mate caravan park. It was pleasant and we would stay there agin, but it is a CV park after all. We met several other Landy owners and had a good chat. Overall for the whole trip we only came across / saw 10 Defenders, two of which were 90's. 5 Tdci's, 3 Td5‘s, and 2 Tdi's was the count. 4 Disco's one if which was on a tilt tray unfortunately; and one shinny new Rangie Sport at Leigh Creek mining community. And and one very economical Series 3, a lovely couple from England traveling Aus for 12 months. This thing has a Tdi 300 in it and was regularly getting 500km out of 45lt, wish mine didi that.


We found information on desert routs varied quite a lot. What is on a web site from a local place that should know varies from what is actually open on the ground, and what people have done. What park rangers thought was open was different to info centers, and State Government bulletins also conflicted.
None the less we made a call not to return to the East via the lower Simpson. Some of this was based on being a solo vehicle and the route we wanted to take, some was road or crossing closures, and some was we didn't want to get home 1 week early from our trip.
So we would follow the Old Anado track and into Dalhousie Springs, then head out onto the Oodnadatta track or should I say highway. All of this was not particularly adventurous but it had plenty of wonder and anticipation to it.







We arrived at Molly's house. A living museum of a remarkable outback woman and her late husbands life. The dream, the drought, the banks, the rebuild. She resides in Alice springs these days but is was not all that long ago she we here.

 

[newhue]

Fringes of the Simpson Desert part 4

There is some wide open spaces heading to Mt Dare, then from nowhere it closes in and your in a dry swamp, then opens up to broad low valleys.

Mayfield Swamp



Dalhousie Springs is an oasis, but it is also over crowded and surrounded by muppets who are over eager to get their crossing started and inconsiderate tossers who use generators.




Dalhousie ruins are very interesting and a photographers play ground





The Oodadatta Track is no track anymore, but following the Old Ghan railway was very interesting. Trying to imagine what it would have been like back in 1880’s, being English with their suits on, new land, miles from no where.




I had adopted a new approach to popular camping areas and getting away from generators. Use that car for what it was made for.


Did a little side trip to the painted desert. Again we were amazed, who would have thought something like this exists out here.




Found another side trip to Old Peake Telegraph Repeater Station. Part of a network of stations set up in the 1870’s to improve communications between England and the isolated colonies. Oddly enough I did’t have phone reception, or had had any for weeks now, I found that quite comforting in many ways.




Lake Eyre was calling, this amazing dry lake we had learnt about at school was just down the track. Unfortunately is was the most corrugated road of the trip, but was only 70km worth. I was used to raising and lowering tyre pressures by now, but some roads it just doesn't work on.
Getting close to the lake the landscape changed from orange to black and dark browns.


If there is water in it, it doesn’t look much from the bank.