Travelling Two

Adapt, evolve and renew

Posted on by Shane Summers

Its been over six months since our last Travelling Two adventure, the consequence of a family crises and personal health problems that took priority over the buzz of travel. During that period my cancer symptoms have continued to creep along and are now making it even more difficult to undertake basic camp duties, so remote and off grid overland travel is not only off the agenda but would be reckless to attempt.

This means that the magnificent 200 Series and TVAN have sat idle, parked on trickle charge waiting for the day they can return to red dirt tracks and outback roads. Although perfectly adapted for overland travel the Landcruiser is a heavy unwieldy vehicle for trundling around the suburbs, so we determined that sadly it must go and be replaced by a vehicle that is a better fit for duty.

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Girraween National Park

Posted on by Shane Summers

We were all set to head west following an invitation to explore the Corner Country of north western NSW, including a visit to the new Narriearra Caryapundy Swamp National Park – and then down came yet another “unseasonal” wet weather event that left the far west area flooded and isolated. All national parks in the area were closed for an indefinite period, as where the roads to reach them.

With the TVAN packed and pet sitter already organised we opted not to waste a chance to get away and instead headed to a nearby area that has been on the must-visit list for quite a while – Girraween National Park

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Finke Gorge National Park

Posted on by Shane Summers

After playing tourist at Uluru and Kata Tjuta it was time to leave comforts of the Ayer’s Rock Resort camp ground and head back off grid for a couple of nights. Finke Gorge National Park has been on the “must visit” list for quite a while and it was on our way home, so no better time than now. 🙂

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Uluru and Kata Tjuta

Posted on by Shane Summers

Ayer’s Rock and the Olgas, or Uluru and Kata Tjuta – whatever you choose to call them, these awesome stone monoliths are a must-see natural feature of the red centre.
We arranged our itinerary to include a few days in the area when driving from WA to Queensland, staying at the Yulara Resort campground, the nearest place you can camp to these red rock marvels.

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Gary Junction Road

Posted on by Shane Summers

One of the last outback roads constructed by Len Beadell’s Gunbarrel Road Construction Party (GRCP), Gary Junction Road is one of few direct west-east crossings from the WA coast into the red centre of the country.

Our crossing of the Gary Junction Road commenced with a run along the Telfer Road to Kunawarritji, we pick up the story for this blog after camping over night on the Canning Stock Route at Well 33.

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Karlamilyi National Park

Posted on by Shane Summers

Wedged between the Great Sandy Desert to the north and the Little Sandy Desert to the south, Karlamilyi is the largest National Park in Western Australia and one of the most remote in the country.

The park includes a diverse range of ancient landscapes, desert scenery and arid zone habitats that includes weathered sandstone escarpments and mesas, wide spinifex clothed plains, gibber flats and deep tree lined gorges containing permanent water.

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Talawana Track

Posted on by Shane Summers

Last of the Gunbarrel Road Construction Party roads to be made by Len Beadell and his merry men was the 450km long Talawana Track, pushing westward from Windy Corner (on the Gary Highway) to ruins of the Talawana Homestead, near the present Balfour Downs Station.
We drove approximately half of the Talawana Track with a group of fellow travellers over two days in late July 22, from Windy Corner to the turn-off into Karlamilyi (Rudall River) National Park.

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Gary Highway

Posted on by Shane Summers

A convoy of vehicles led by the legendary Ron Moon ran part way up the Gary Highway (Everard Junction to Windy Corner) in late July 2022 – we took two days to traverse the often rutted, overgrown and narrow track.
We touched on the Gary Highway again a few weeks later, passing through Gary Junction when travelling sole and homebound from WA to the NT across the Gary Junction Road.

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David Carnegie Road

Posted on by Shane Summers

In July ’22 a group of us traversed the David Carnegie Road, a roughly formed track running south-north between Tjukayirla Roadhouse on the GCR through to the Gunbarrel Highway at Mangkili Claypan.
The ~250km long road is a great outback drive that approximately follows part of the route taken by explorer and gold prospector David Carnegie during his 1896 expedition from Coolgardie to Hall’s Creek.

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Anne Beadell Highway

Posted on by Shane Summers

The Anne Beadell Highway (ABH), named by Len after his wife, formed a critical east-west link in the Woomera range road network and formed the back bone off which many of his outback roads linked. Traversing roughly 1,325km of South and West Australian desert country the ABH runs through some of the most remote, desolate and waterless terrain on the Australian continent – this blog covers our 2022 traverse of this majestic country.

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Half way there

Posted on by Shane Summers

Starting point for my foray across the atomic roads network built by the Gunbarrel Road Construction Party was the South Australian coastal town of Ceduna, roughly 2,500km from home.

I allowed myself four days for the trip that would take in some great Australian outback areas including the Darling River run, across the western NSW mining area of Broken Hill and across the scenic Eyre Peninsular.

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Back to the desert

Posted on by Shane Summers

For some time I’ve toyed with the idea of traversing some of the roads constructed in the 1950s and 60s to service the British atomic testing program – when half way across the Simpson Desert on our recent trip we decided to make the trip a reality and started making plans to journey coast to coast through the very heart of Australia’s most remote deserts on the Len Beadell road network.

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Crossing the Dead Heart

Posted on by Shane Summers

In 1939 Cecil Madigan led a nine-man scientific expedition on camels across the northern sector of the Sandridge Desert.

After wet weather and COVID restrictions scuttled our plans to follow Madigan’s route in 2021 we were now lined up for another crack at the desert crossing, along with most of our travelling companions from last attempt.

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Headed beyond back of Bourke

Posted on by Shane Summers

At last we are on the road, making our way to start of a long planned Simpson Desert crossing. Our desert entry point is at Mt Dare on western edge of the Simpson Desert, so to get there we need to traverse 2,900km of outback roads and tracks.

We always try to take different routes on our travels, to see new and interesting places, and on this trip we chose to head across northern NSW and through Cameron Corner, the junction of the Qld/NSW/SA state borders. This route includes a run across The Cut Line road that links the iconic outback towns of Bourke, Wanaaring and Tibooburra.

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2022 Desert Trip Prep

Posted on by Shane Summers

For the second year in a row we’re lucky enough to be heading west, on an outback loop that will take use through far western NSW, looping around SA and heading into the NT before cutting across the Simpson Desert back into Queensland at Birdsville.

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TVAN Tweaks and Tricks

Posted on by Shane Summers

In the same way as we customise our tow vehicles to suit individual requirements, customising a camper trailer is undertaken by many to minimise the compromises found in these miniature mobile homes. As an electrical engineer and born tinkerer I can’t help but to tweak and modify and the TVAN has not escaped, in fact I find that modifying the trailer brings an additional level of enjoyment from ownership given we can’t be out in it as often as desired.

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