mk1-forum.net

I'm not sure if this is the most appropriate part of the forum for this ? Mods, please move if it's not in the right place.

Part 1

WARNING: Don't try this at home folks !

In putting this short submission together, it occurred to me early on that's it's not really possible in a few pages to cover the whole story here. When did the trip start for example ? It may appear that it started at the very end of July 2023, however as a personal journey for me, the story dates back to 1974 when I was mesmerised but looking through an atlas for the first time. The Moke Club's crossing in 1983 only fuelled my dream and of course, crossing the way it should be - by Moke. Spurred on by reading of the Club's adventure in the pages of Woman's Day, I awaited for my chance to meet up with Club Members for the first time at the Christmas Party in December of that same year, and hopefully hearing from them of the trials and tribulations from their historic crossing - the first and until our crossing here - the only successful crossing of the Desert by Moke, though, there'd been several attempts before, dating back to 1970 and many since, including an attempt by our crew in 2016.

While our crew, The Desert Rats, was made up of Club Members, Jack Mavromatis, Paul Marrano, our UK member Roger Glover, with his son Rich and myself, there were quite a few people who helped in no small part make this all happen. After a trip to Birdsville in 2014, culminating with the first time that a Moke made it to the top of Big Red (largest sand dune of the Simpson, right on the 'doorstep' of Birdsville), I had some discussions with our life members Alan Rayner, Greg Rinder and Bernie Zarcinas, who all took part in the 1983 crossing in regards to doing another crossing. It all started with a "no way, forget it" which over a few months turned around to a "you know, it might still just be possible",,,,, dangerous words !



To give some perspective here, the Simpson Desert is the largest Sand Ridge Desert in the world. Despite it's usually low recept of rains, it is a 'living' desert, in that there is always some flora and fauna, for which I'm pleased for. I think many folk who haven't experienced the Desert first hand, upon mentioning it, immediately think of endless baron sand dunes, Lawrence of Arabia style. The Simpson is far from that.



Map giving approximate size representations of Australia, the Simpson Desert and England.

While the Desert is made up of over 1100 sand dunes, between these dunes there are clay pans, which in themselves can be a blessing or a curse if there's been recent rains. The Desert also boasts a Gum Tree, claimed just as one, yes, but a gum tree all the same, though, we did find others. This one gum known as The Lone Gum. The Desert covers an area of around 175,000 square km. England only has an area of 130,000 sqkm. Desert population is zero, yet England has over 55 million, it must be standing room only !

Following our rained out 2016 attempt, we planned again for 2018, that was flooded again. Then 2019, flooded yet again, then 2020 flooded as well as Covid hitting us all. 2021, Covid again. 2022 when it was too 'iffy' in regards to flooding, though that didn't happen, there was persistent rain. Would 2023 be our year ? 40 Years since the last successful crossing ? Some of our Crew had changed since planning started, however for some crazy reason that well escapes me, Roger stuck with me on this.

Originally, our long planned crossing was to take us from Mount Dare on the Western side to the Birdsville Track on the Eastern side along a similar route to that taken by the Moke Club in 1983. Most of this route had been Moked before, it was known and well entrenched in Roger's and my minds, we both knew it so well that we felt we wouldn't need to refer to a map. Well,,, that all turned on it's head when about 6 weeks prior to setting off, rains that fell some months earlier to the North had filtered their way down through one of the few creeks in the Desert, went in to flood, cutting off our exit less than 10 km from the Birdsville Track. It was clear it wouldn't be down and dry in time for our August crossing. Do we call it off yet again ? It was to be this year or never - cross or bust as they say ! Following a review and discussion between Roger and Greg, we felt we could be cheeky enough to consider a little used track that exits the Desert to the North,,, a long LONG way to the North. Jack and Paul didn't seem to mind the desert extension. When I looked at the map, seriously considering if this was an option, I have to say, I had a long quite 'moment', I still do even after the fact. Would this be possible ? After a change of underwear, I crunched the numbers, that only sent a cold shiver, but in terms of distance, it was in our grasp - just ! This new exit to the North took our total Desert section from 350 km-ish to just over 1000 km - tripling the distance and the time that we'd be between not just fuel fills, but other supplies - water and food. Could we cram in the additional items ? A quick think about it all, especially when reflecting on the Club's Canning Stock Route Trip of 1987 suggested we could, we'd just have to ! I swallowed hard on that, late changes never sit well with me.

Meeting up at Burra where the trip would officially start from, Greg Rinder together with his wife Rosalie, Doug Munn, with his friends Sandy and Terry in tow, along with others who'd been looking on with great interest, or perhaps be the last time that they'd see us, also met up with us for a send off dinner.

The following day, we bumped in to Colin and Barb Francis, who were on their way back home after a week away with their neighbours. It was a wonderful chance meeting. They'd just come from our next destination - Farina.



A chance roadside meeting with club members, Barb and Col Francis.

The Farina Bakery had closed a week earlier, though I have to say, I'm happy for that as it also meant missing the crowds that come with it. At Farina we met up with the 4WD spectators who wanted to come along for the journey and to witness some crazy people out in the desert. Among them was none other than Alan Rayner, who volunteered at the earliest days of planning to make a video of the crossing, with our very own Chris Jonas riding shot gun. Before we arrived, Alan had made it clear to the 4WD crew that they were not to assist us, that they were all just 'going along for the ride'. On catching up with Alan, he seemed more excited than us. He'd also kindly marked out a 'Moke Only' parking area for us in advance of our arrival.

Departing Farina the next day soon saw us on the Oodnadatta Track to William Creek, where we made a left turn for the Opal Fields of Coober Pedy for a couple of days. We did a couple of tours, one through the Old Time Mining Museum, which I highly recommend and the other was through Riba's where we were staying, also highly recommended.



Underground Opal Mine Tour at Riba's. Our Guide seemed highly experienced and knowledgeable on many aspects of Opal Mining.

We returned to William Creek and continue the track to Algebuckina Bridge, after climbing all over it, we made camp for the evening on the banks of the Neales River, well known to the Moke Club since the 1976 Ayres Rock trip, when it was flooded to the extent that the only vehicles to cross that year were the 12 Mokes of the Club's, the 4WDers after waiting some weeks had no choice but to turn back.



Some of the crew getting the Mokes across the Neales on their way to Ayres Rock in 1976

Driving up the flatness of the Oodnadatta Track for many hours, then dipping down below the surrounding countryside to the Neales, the sight of this massive structure out here never fails to impress.



2023 Desert Rats in front of the dominating Algebuckina Bridge

There is a rumour that has been circulating regarding the Algebuckina Bridge that it had originally been ordered as the original Murray Bridge, but when it arrived from Scotland, but at 587 metres, was found to be too short. Great yarn, but that can be assigned to the rumour bin. It sure is an impressive structure, especially in this stetting. Even more impressive is thinking about how it would have been transported and built in place in the 1890's.



The Desert Rats lined up at Algebuckina Bridge

Leaving the Neales soon saw us in Oodnadatta, where I was able to pick up a pair of thongs, having left my usually travelling pair at home in the rush to get out of dodge. It would also be our last contact with the outside world until we likely reached Boulia, in outback Queensland, about 2 weeks away - if we get that far !



Desert Rats outside the Pink Roadhouse

Just to the North of Oodnadatta is a favourite and I feel quite significant stopping post. I'm sure most travellers just see it as a stick in the ground as they drive past, but this 'stick', originally planted around August 1872 has a far reaching significance in modern Australia today.



The 'Stick' in the ground - the start of modern Australia. Angle Pole.

While not the original 'stick', this is the site of one of the poles that formed the Overland Telegraph that ran from Cable Beach in the NT to Adelaide, linking for the first time, Australia to the rest of the world by telegraph. This particular one is known as Angle Pole, being the previous name of the township of Oodnadatta. It was part of the start of today's Telecommunications and Internet for Australia.

More please

Flippin' impressive that!! Love the look of the Mokes btw

Wow that is a proper adventure.. more info required .. also how did that Moke Water Crossing go re the Engines?

GREAT to see again Chris. Special thanks for the comparative picture of England size in relation to the Simpson desert. I'm sure that most poms just don't realise just how big Oz really is. The heat and terrain of the Northern deserts was bitterly harsh on our Land Rovers and H-I trucks. The heat, the flies and those laterite dust tracks.......... Just how your Mokes survived is beyond my understanding!

As an indication, Britain used the Simpson desert as an atomic bomb testing range in the 50's....... It is THAT big. Mind you, they were stlll trying to clear up the aftermath in the late 60's!

Great thread

Cheers guys and I wasn't sure if it was a topic that would appeal.

I've split the whole story up in to smaller 'bit sized' parts that I'll post up as to post the whole story as a single thread would be silly big and I felt too hard to read. In word, its 32 pages or there abouts. So sorry if it looks like I'm drawing it out, that's not the intention !

Cheers Pete - I knew you'd like it and it was at your suggestion that I did that map. In the last part of the story, I'll be including a map of the trip that was logged every day by GPS. I think that'll be interesting to say the least.

In terms of miles (or km as we use here), I have done bigger trips, but in every other aspect this is the biggest trip I have ever done. I built all the Mokes that went (+ 1 other that was written off), save for paint work - that + the logistics, details, spares, food requirements, lists and list and a list to manage all the lists,,,, there was a solid 9 years planning and preparation for this trip. I think too, it would have to be the most extreme trip that can be done by Moke in this country. I have to say though, after putting in so much time, so many years and now it's over,,,, I'm a bit lost !

Stay tuned, I'll post some more in a few days.

Cheers

A bit more Chris...... Are you able to enter the old atomic bombing ranges or are they still closed off.

Good to read about Coober Peedy. Two of our Nasho (national servicemen) cooks were called-up from the opal fields at Coober. Another from Coober was originally an emigrant 'jock'. We could hardly understand their wild S-A accents! It was a language of its own. All great blokes.

Pete the Pom.... RAEME, Australian Infantry 1967 -70

Peter Laidler wrote: ↑Tue Oct 03, 2023 2:34 pm A bit more Chris...... Are you able to enter the old atomic bombing ranges or are they still closed off.

Ah mate,,, another story for another day,,,,,another thread,,,,;)

I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story

Part 2

Shortly after Angle Pole, the daytime temperatures were reaching for the high 20's. We headed up the Hamilton Station track, with Eringa Waterhole our destination, though, Roger did manage to find one before that.



Flooded Creek Crossing, forever now known as Roger's Crossing, with Rich doing his bets to keep his feet dry.

A quick tow out from Jack, a by-pass found by Paul and we were on our way once more, only a little dryer.

By the time we reached Eringa in the later afternoon, it looked like Roger may have spent too much time in his waterhole, he was getting rather green around the gills. This was rather worrying as the ground around Eringa was rather hard & stoney. I didn't fancy the idea of having to dig him a burial plot there. We were all wondering that if he was going to pass on us, if he could at least hold out to the desert, the digging in the sand would be so much easier. Then again, Eringa Waterhole would make a wonderful final resting place.



The majestic oasis of Eringa Waterhole.

By morning, Roger was still alive and feeling slightly better. This came as welcome news for if his condition wasn't to improve shortly, we'd have to get him some medical assistance, while very much a secondary consideration at this point, this was looming as yet another threat to add to our long list of cancelled and failed attempts.

By morning tea we'd arrived at Mt Dare and Roger while not quite firing on all cylinders yet, he was clearly improving by the hour, looking like he may yet be saved from a desert resting place. A bite to eat, a cuppa, then time for the 'big fill' of fuel. This would be the last fuel we'd get for around the next 8 - 14 days, with the next fuel stop was over 1000 km away at Jervios Cattle Station, a long long way to the North, on the Plenty Highway.



Mount Dare Station on the edge of the Simpson Desert.

Leaving Mt Dare, our next stop was Dalhousie Springs. My first trip to Dalhousie was in 1985, the track then was quite rough and in the many times I've been there since, it's only gotten worse. Certainly in 2023 nothing had changed. It's a rough stony track that with all the traffic it sees in recent years, has also become heavily corrugated. While I was looking forward to getting to Dalhousie, I wasn't relishing the drive there.



Some of the corrugations around Dalhousie. Here we were 'airing down' some more to try and get better cushioning.

Sure enough, before getting to the Springs, a clanging from the front end let me know I'd broken an upper shock mount. I had spares - back home ! After removing the offending bracket, we moved on to the Springs where we set about repairing the offending bracket. Paul produced his angle grinder, I had a hammer, before long Roger had all the parts cleaned up and in shape. Drawing power from Jack's and my Moke, Roger soon hard them welded together and ready to fit back on.



With only the Lens from a Welding Mask, powered by Mokes, Roger soon had the Bracket welded back as one again.

While Roger and I were 'in the workshop' the others took the opportunity at this magical oasis on the edge of the Desert to cool off with a refreshing dip in the warm Springs of Dalhousie.



The crew enjoying Dalhousie.

In the late afternoon, we left the Springs behind and took our first steps towards the Desert proper, the track had soon improved considerably. From the previous trips I'd done in to the Desert, this section always had a very high crown in the track, it also carries ALL the Western Traffic, so it was with some intrepidation that we went on, however, I was surprised and pleasantly so that the high crown and soft, soggy sections just didn't present themselves. Sometimes, you just get lucky !

Early the following morning saw us at Purni Bore, said to be an 'accidental spring' when in the 60's test drilling for oil, they drilled through the Artesian Basin, resulting in boiling hot water rising to the surface. It was left to free flow for many years, creating an artificial wetlands, however it was found that it's free flow, along with many other un-capped bores of the time, were lowering the level of the Artesian Basin. During the 80's, many of the bores were capped off, however with the flora and fauna that had come to depend on the wetlands created at Purni, it was decided to leave it at a very low flow rate to support the life that it had given.



Purni Bore. Note the area of thicker growth - the man made wetlands.

Shortly after leaving Purni Bore, we reached the mythical border the defines The Simpson Desert, that imaginary line in the sand. We were here and we all felt, just to get 'here' it already had been one hell of a trip ! We all felt elated to be here after all the years of planning and set back, but equally anxious for none of us really knew what awaited from here. The words 'no way, forget it' still loud in my mind. While many of us had glossed over maps and arrived at theoretical outcomes, none of us present really knew. Being somewhat apprehensive and with temperatures in the low 30's now, we thought it best for Roger to lead the charge for a bit.



Finally ! At the very edge of the Desert. What lays beyond ?

The dunes at this western part of the Desert while evident are not very high and presented little challenge. In truth, we'd be crossing sand dunes the since not far after leaving Dalhousie Springs, though the track was either caped with little of it actually been sand, that would soon change.



The Rats making off over the first few Desert Dunes after Purni Bore!

Give me a few more days and I'll get Part 3 up.

Polarsilver wrote: ↑Tue Oct 03, 2023 8:29 am Wow that is a proper adventure.. more info required .. also how did that Moke Water Crossing go re the Engines?

Yes, it sure was !

I wasn't on that Trip (Ayres Rock Trip in 1976), it was before my time in the club, however, chatting with the guys who were on it, there was little preparation done, only a tarp in from of the grill and coming around under the sump. I can't see it doing much as it wasn't just a splash and drive through crossing but one that took a good 10 minutes to drag the cars through. Once on the other side, I believe they dried the distributors and started them up.

As you no doubt saw the first photo in Part 2, Roger did drive on to a puddle without preparation, it caught him out,,,,,,

Part 3

Before long though, we where 'in to it' and the dunes that we all knew we coming were upon us, the going seemed easy, it sure made a pleasant change from the hard corrugations we were riding a day earlier. The Desert here too was not really desert like, I thought it was closer to the Aussie Bush. A LOT of rain has fallen, even out here, over the past 4 or so years, the Desert responded in the best way it can.



Coming down one of the dunes. Much of the clay capping is broken, covered by sand or gone today.

Before long, we all heard over the radio in a broad English accent "Look at these belters !!". Belters ? I could tell from the excitement in Roger's call that there was something noteworthy ahead. I was wondering to myself what a belter might be.

Coming over the next dune, there they were, 3 belters ! More commonly known to most of us as Camels. I'd encountered Camels before in the desert and while they are a bigger animal, these sure were big belters !





Roger's Belters !

Any Desert trip is going to be fantastic, however coming across a single camel somehow makes that adventure complete. These big fellas sure made up a lot of ground for us on that front. We were hitting a lot of goals already and this was our first day in the desert proper.

The first leg of our route followed a mostly west to east direction, over the dunes. We found the going somewhat smooth and easy. Intermixed with these 'horizontal' sections were some north-south tracks, through the swales (the part between the dunes), over the claypans. In the planning stages, these looked to be a 'snap', however, we found these to be often corrugated and in places, it was just rough track. And herein lays a balancing act;- go too slow and the Moke just vibrates violently, while they will take this, there are limits to just how much they'll withstand. Going faster (often considerably so) smooths out the corrugations from the ride, however, slowing down or stopping quickly, becomes an issue.

This balancing act isn't just limited to Mokes though. On the second day in we came across a small group of three 4WDs who had issues and were awaiting rescue from Mt Dare. Earlier, the Nissan in the group had broken an upper suspension arm, for which they made a 'dash' of some 1800 km / 1100 miles to Mount Isa for a replacement. Shortly after fitting that, the ball joint gave out, though, lucky for them, this they did have a spare for. Another day down the track for them and their Raptor had gone kaput, with Gearbox issues, though these appeared related to the computer. We stopped for a chat and offer what assistance we could. They were quite blown away at the sight of 4 Mokes out there. They each sat in Jack's Moke for a photo, after which we wished them the best and bid them farewell.



Harsh country ! Surprised 4WD crew.

The day was heating up, with the dunes now getting higher, sand drying out and progress for us was becoming harder. Jack had noticed that his rear subframe was moving much more than it should in it's mounts, something that would require attention before too long. Our better than expected progress and Jack's subframe mounts, we made an early camp just south of The Lone Gum, in a camp area I knew that gave us a grand flat area where we could spread out.

Although we'd had stopped early, we all took much of the afternoon 'off'. We'd been pressing hard for a good many days by this point, myself 4 days longer than the Adelaide crew and Roger & Rich a week longer than that, with no let up, being mindful that fatigue may soon set in, from which while on the road there's no recovery from, I put my stretcher tent up and enjoyed an afternoon's siester in this most spectacular location.

Feeling somewhat recharged, later in the afternoon, it had cooled a little. We set to work on Jack's rear subframe mounts, an easy though time consuming job. While spares for this repair weren't on our original list, to Jack's delight, Paul had a new set. While Paul dug these out from the bowels of his Moke, and the afternoon shadows growing longer, we put the shady side of Jack's Moke on a couple of blocks, time to get the hands dirty.



Our Desert workshop.

The repairs to Jack's Moke were done by early evening, time to kick back, and enjoy the fireside frivolities. Early the following morning saw us at The Lone Gum, a landmark location in the Desert. The placard at The Lone Gum suggests that the name 'gum' is a misnomer though, referring to this tree as being a coolabah. Another curious misnomer is that it's claimed as a 'lone' gum in the Desert, which we'll see later isn't quite accurate. These are usually found on flood plains and clay soils, not really the conditions we find here. That it is surviving so well does further show that while a desert, there must be some decent rains from time to time. Certainly a most magnificent sight in the Desert, though, most desert travelers usually cross on tracks further to the north and miss this altogether. Their loss !



The Rats enjoying the Desert spectacle of The Lone Gum.

Leaving the Gum, we headed north up the swales for a short while before again turning east and back in to dunes once more. It was becoming a familiar grind, for by now we were about two thirds the way across the west - east leg of our Desert Crossing. Had the creek on our original exit not flooded, the main part of our trip would soon be over, however, with our now modified desert route, we weren't even half way through the Desert. While the travel was becoming familiar, we were noticing the dunes were becoming bigger, though in the first part of the day, no more difficult to cross. The Mokes were amazing just how so easily clawed their way up, or at least, from the driver's seat, that's how it felt. The temperature of the day was again rising. Before too long, the track turned south and were found ourselves in the swales once more. The sunlight traveling in this direction seemed to just wash out all colour from the sand and clay, it just became a bright white. As it was on other swales, this too was corrugated and rough, though, picking the right pace eased that somewhat, I felt I was just getting it to a groove when BAM, I'm sure I saw stars even though it was broad daylight. I'd hit something, that I just plain missed in the glare. Focusing again on the track, I noticed that the front right of the Moke was now riding low. A quick check confirmed that I'd broken a Hi-lo. We found a suitable spot to effect repairs and once again we were soon under way.

Before long we found ourselves heading east again and on the edge of the massive lakes system of the southern part of the Desert. Having been over a good few of the Desert tracks now, I have to say that the uniqueness of the salt lakes in the this part of the Desert does make for some very spectacular enjoyment. Sticking to the wheel tracks, our route took us across one of these lakes.





One of the Salt Lakes of the Southern Desert and crossing it.

Previous times that I'd been here, these lakes were almost pure snow white, including just last year, however, from all the years of rains finally flowing down, they'd gone a light chocolate colour.



Crossing paths with a fellow travelers, the huge salt lake in the background.

While we were still around the lake system, we did still have dunes to get over and being on the eastern side of the Desert now, they were getting quite big, though initially, we were still crossing them OK. There was just 3 dunes left of our West - east leg and the dunes had finally won out over us, or at least, for a short time.



One of the last dunes of the West East leg. Stowing the Trax. This was the only time they were needed.

The next few dunes, while equally as big and soft did need a bit of work, but we all managed to cross them, some easier than others though, before reaching a turning point in the adventure, the end of the West - East leg and our first crossing of the Desert completed. For the most part, I have to say, it all seemed too easy, what traps are we driving in to ? It wasn't supposed to be like this, we'd all had thoughts of shovelling, traxing, towing, pushing and shoving to get this far, bar for one dune that we had to work at, we'd just driven it - so far. In many aspects, this leg represented what in my mind would likely be challenging in terms of dunes, though we still had several 'monsters' and likely chopped up tracks in our next legs ahead of us. As the morning heated up, it was time for morning tea then to head North on the next section.



The end point of our West-East leg. First crossing done and yes, it was dusty !

Brilliant stuff.

Back in the day (1989 ish) we did a Seismic crew (Geo Systems) move from Perth to Daly Waters via Halls Creek and the Tanami Track, with 14 Toyota Landcruisers.

A great experience.

Thanks for sharing, some great experiences and stunning pictures.

Another fantastic read Chris.

I'd forgotten about those corrugated tracks....., leaf spring breakers - we called them. I often wondered just how they were formed. Usually running at 90 degrees across the tracks. I thought that they were a NT or Qld phenomena. But seems they're S-Aust too.

GREAT read Chris.....

Enjoying the report well done to the Crews & the Mokes .. So you were sleeping in Tents .. can i ask what do you take with you to first respond if a nasty creature comes along.
(The TV Gold Diggers do not seem to like the Brown Snakes & the other things that Bite )

Don't tell anyone in authority or woke that I said this Norman, but in my experience of wild Australia - and that of the rest of our blokes that had cause to operate out in the bush*, there were a couple of options we used as most species, including the crocks in the north, were protected. But in short, we'd....., how do I put this politely.....?, we'd kill 'em!. As for snskes, we treated them all as either dangerous or poisonous so we'd pin them down and chop 'em!
* The Army/RAEME worked alongside the emergency services and acted as rescuers to those who....... I could go on but won't!

In the Jungle further north we were a bit more ruthless

Are the market flags a requirement or just the done thing so you don’t get run over?

What tyres did the team use Spider? All the same, or just whatever each driver decided on?

Tim

Someone did email me and ask. But even in my days there in the mid to late 60's there were, literally, horror stories of tragedy out in the bush/deserts by people who had absolutely no concept of what to expect. Insufficient of anything of life essential. No idea of the simple mechanical life or vehicle saving techniques. In spite of warnings, the 'lost' would leave their vehicles, separate and walk to their doom....

Comments Chris