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Destinations > Across OZ Overlander Readers' Trip, part 1
Across OZ Overlander Readers' Trip, part 1
Issue: January 2007
Words and photos by Vic Widman
4WD expedition - Across OZ Overlander Readers' Trip, part 1
* Sydney to Monkey Mia, WA
* A celebration of Outback endurance
* One for the history books
Offroad epic
The Across OZ Overlander Readers' Trip was a 47-day, 14,600km Outback odyssey - and it was bigger than Ben Hur.
Rain. It was Saturday morning at Mona Vale carpark as a group of adventurers gathered for day one of the trip and it was bucketing. You could sense the nervous anticipation as everyone hoped the bleak day wasn't an omen. After all this was no ordinary tour. To celebrate 30 years of publishing Overlander and Great Divide Tours were driving from Sydney to Monkey Mia in WA and back via the Great Australian Bite. Gentlemen, start your engines.
Just before we took off I made the usual welcome speech and gathered a bottle of Pacific Ocean water from the raging surf, which we would deliver to the west coast at Steep Point in a few weeks time. It was incredible to think that on this journey we would enter every state except Tasmania.
The first day's driving was on a sealed road to Cobar, 700km west of Sydney. We got into the offroad stuff on day two as we headed for Louth to follow the quickly drying Darling River. It was a shame to see the river in such a poor state, however rain had fallen across the parched land two weeks earlier and a tinge of green was already sprouting from the red earth. It made for a colourful drive.
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Some water still lay in low areas and one vehicle found that if you hit these puddles too quick, whilst it might look great for the camera, it didn't do your alternator any good, resulting in a quick trip into Broken Hill for repairs.
The crew took it easy on day two with a stop in the superb Underground Motel at White Cliffs but from here on it was all camping. Although a lot of ground would be covered during the journey the idea was to see as much as possible and experience the areas that had written much of our history.
Milparinka was one such place, a town that grew from that elusive search for gold in the later 1800s and which was made famous even earlier by Charles Sturt as he dragged a boat into the Red Centre believing there was an inland sea.
Tibooburra provided fuel and the first meeting with Overlander editor Matt who was joining us for the Simpson Desert part of the trip. Matt was riding in the Overlander 4WDOTY Range Rover Sport but it experienced a tyre problem and while he waited for repairs we headed north.
The group crossed into Queensland at Warri Gate. Long stretches of thick mulga crowded the dusty trail and then suddenly opened up into bare plains of gibber stones. Our first camp on a claypan was a memorable one with a full moon and plenty of firewood. The clear skies looked set in, which as we were to find would last for the entire trip.
next page »
Words and photos by Vic Widman
4WD expedition - Across OZ Overlander Readers' Trip, part 1
* Sydney to Monkey Mia, WA
* A celebration of Outback endurance
* One for the history books
Offroad epic
The Across OZ Overlander Readers' Trip was a 47-day, 14,600km Outback odyssey - and it was bigger than Ben Hur.
Rain. It was Saturday morning at Mona Vale carpark as a group of adventurers gathered for day one of the trip and it was bucketing. You could sense the nervous anticipation as everyone hoped the bleak day wasn't an omen. After all this was no ordinary tour. To celebrate 30 years of publishing Overlander and Great Divide Tours were driving from Sydney to Monkey Mia in WA and back via the Great Australian Bite. Gentlemen, start your engines.
Just before we took off I made the usual welcome speech and gathered a bottle of Pacific Ocean water from the raging surf, which we would deliver to the west coast at Steep Point in a few weeks time. It was incredible to think that on this journey we would enter every state except Tasmania.
The first day's driving was on a sealed road to Cobar, 700km west of Sydney. We got into the offroad stuff on day two as we headed for Louth to follow the quickly drying Darling River. It was a shame to see the river in such a poor state, however rain had fallen across the parched land two weeks earlier and a tinge of green was already sprouting from the red earth. It made for a colourful drive.
read on below advertisement
Some water still lay in low areas and one vehicle found that if you hit these puddles too quick, whilst it might look great for the camera, it didn't do your alternator any good, resulting in a quick trip into Broken Hill for repairs.
The crew took it easy on day two with a stop in the superb Underground Motel at White Cliffs but from here on it was all camping. Although a lot of ground would be covered during the journey the idea was to see as much as possible and experience the areas that had written much of our history.
Milparinka was one such place, a town that grew from that elusive search for gold in the later 1800s and which was made famous even earlier by Charles Sturt as he dragged a boat into the Red Centre believing there was an inland sea.
Tibooburra provided fuel and the first meeting with Overlander editor Matt who was joining us for the Simpson Desert part of the trip. Matt was riding in the Overlander 4WDOTY Range Rover Sport but it experienced a tyre problem and while he waited for repairs we headed north.
The group crossed into Queensland at Warri Gate. Long stretches of thick mulga crowded the dusty trail and then suddenly opened up into bare plains of gibber stones. Our first camp on a claypan was a memorable one with a full moon and plenty of firewood. The clear skies looked set in, which as we were to find would last for the entire trip.
next page »
