b'CLUB SPOTLIGHT MILDURA 4WD CLUBmaking this a much easier road to travel. While notblock, and a couple of permanent houses for the all of it was good, this part of the Rig Road retainedranger, etc. Extensive rustic fencing has created well most of its clay topping and provided a nice changeseparated camp spots of varying sizes. There was from the WAA line. no mobile coverage, but the ranger station has a pay Another 50km until we reached the French linephone.and then 30km to Purni Bore where most mappingAll wood fires were banned within the greater systems deem the Simpson trek ends. Dalhousie area to preserve the habitat of the bugs Purni Bore was originally a test bore that hadliving in the dead wood. John had a small fire pit been capped and then rusted out, forming a largemade from an old dip tin and a bag of briquettes hot water lake. When it was found to be adverselyand while not as good as a campfire, we were able to affecting Dalhousie springs the bore was repairedwarm ourselves during the evening.and recapped and the lake dried up. A small flow hasDay 10, 30 May, Mount Darebeen allowed to continue to support the wildlife thatLate start as only a short distance from Dalhousie had come to depend on it.to Mount Dare with half the roads closed due to The Simpson Crossing is slated as approximatelyflooding or damage which took a little longer than 550km and the various travel guides suggest thatanticipated. Stopped at possum waterhole on the fuel consumption will roughly double. Therefore,way and then enjoyed getting chores done and everyone was required to carry enough fuel forsettled in by the fire for dinner and one or two reds.1,000 km. On average we found their projections toDay 11, 31 May, Lambert Centre, and Chambers be a gross overstatement, with our fuel economyPillarcomparable to normal highway travel. The reducedBefore leaving Mt Dare, we checked with the economy caused by loose heavy sand, low tyremanagers and with the Finke Desert Races on the pressures and steep dunes was countered by thenext week, 3 graders were out grading the roads.improved economy experienced when travellingHaving recently been graded the first 2/3 of slowly. the road from Mt Dare to Finke was in excellent Swimming time at Dalhouise, some werecondition. Once passing two graders the road expecting a concrete tank and were highlydeteriorated to rough but fair. We continued onto impressed that it was a largish lake. WaterFinke where we turned left towards Kulgera for temperature was like a hot bath but not too hot. Thethe 30km detour to the Centre of AustraliaThe bottom was firm with a thin slimy layer in parts.Lambert Centre. The Finke Kulgera Road was in Free pool noodles were available for swimming. excellent condition. The same could not be said The camp has a large toilet and (cold) showerfor the tracks into the Lambert Centre. There were 26 TRACKWATCH| Summer 2025'