Birdsville Races

Just wondering if anyone on here is going to the Birdsville Races?

No but I would love to 1 year

scottybobcat said:

No but I would love to 1 year

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Start planning for 2012!

Wot's the date I'm heading up that way in June . All the way up to Darwin

The date this year is 2nd & 3rd of September.

I am looking at doing the trip next year, would be a good experience i say.


Mitch

My wife and I are interested for 2012, depends on the road conditions and whether or not we can get our van in there, of course. I'm checking it out now, the Diamantina Developmental Rd looks sealed for a good long way. That's a bonus.

I'm not sure we could make it there this year.

Well next year could be the go then I reckin

Ridgie said:

Start planning for 2012!

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start planning our route Ridgie.From here up through Mildura and Inaminka across the Birdsville track

scottybobcat said:

start planning our route Ridgie.From here up through Mildura and Inaminka across the Birdsville track

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That's our route then!

Remind me in about 14 months time!

Yeah no worries mate

I'm looking at a route that goes:

Newcastle
Singleton
Muswellbrook
Narrabri
Moree
Mungindi
St George
Mitchell
Charleville
Cooladdi
Quilpie
Windorah
Birdsville

The road looks sealed up through Windorah. That leaves about 400km to Birdsville and a lot of that looks unsealed.

At about 25LPHK (considering a slower pace for the road conditions), that's 100L of fuel to burn through. I might want not only my 4 diesel jerry cans with me, but I might want a long range tank installed.

There's a BP servo in Adelaide St, Birdsville (07) 4656 3236. Apparently you can't get autogas in Birdsville.

400km would be a concern for me!
Scotty, would you make 400km between fuel stops?

Yeah mate I will make about 600kms and I would take spare fuel

With 4 jerry cans (80L) and a full tank at Windorah, we should make Birdsville with fuel to spare. I just like to play it safe, so I'm now seriously considering that long range tank (and bringing the jerry cans anyway). That ought to give me 140L (LRT) + 80 = 220L of diesel or, at 25LPHK, a range of almost 900km (towing on dirt). I have to accommodate that extra weight by reducing what's in my tub - I will leave some of my tools behind, or put them in the van.

Here's a google maps link for my route. My house is not at point A, of course - it's the most convenient place to meet others who wish to join us on the trip, so for Newcastle and south (Sydney, 'Gong etc) this is the place to meet up. I do recommend traveling in a group, as it allows for support if needed.

Birdsville Races website (not regularly updated) - some info and contact numbers there. The caravan park is available for camping with powered and unpowered sites but it's first-come first-served and that means we may have to leave really early. We can take our chances and use generators, which is acceptable to my wife and I, but we have to camp outside the town limits (no camping allowed inside the town).

Edit: Also refer to this website for road info in QLD: Queensland road conditions.

Another website said that Windorah to Birdsville was 386km precisely. We can do that on a single tank of fuel on sealed roads, so on gravel we might have to dip in to one or two jerry cans but we really should be fine even without a long range tank.

At an average of 18LPHK, this trip would see us using 350 litres of diesel, cost us about $560 - and take that up to $700 to allow for inflation and outback prices.

The servo in Windorah is at the Windorah Outback Shop. Ph number should be (07) 4656 3145 - I might try calling 'em later and see how much they charge for both types of fuel.

I'd be interested in knowing if there's a different route that would be more advisable to take. This route is 1,949km in total (from my nominated start point) and has about 380km of unsealed roads (it seems, might be less as the sealed roads extend out of the towns for a distance). It looks to me like the Birsdville Track has to be approached from Maree in SA, and we'd have to go through Peterborough SA to get there. It's about 2,378km compared to 1,949km going through Charleville.

If you go to Peterborough make it a Saturday night, the motel on the north road out of town puts on a brilliant spread for about $20 a head, best meal we had in SA bar none.

Caravan park turns to a clay pan if it rains. Absolutely cite hole of a mess

After the record down pour last year we moved out of town and found a nice campsite on top of a small sandy rise. Should of camped there from the start.

But by then we were all pubed out after a solid multiday session (boys trip)

So, I would only camp in the caravan park again if i was going to do a chite load of drinking and that drinking had to occur at the pub and there was no designated Dave to drive us in and out of town

Old.Tony said:

With 4 jerry cans (80L) and a full tank at Windorah, we should make Birdsville with fuel to spare. I just like to play it safe, so I'm now seriously considering that long range tank (and bringing the jerry cans anyway). That ought to give me 140L (LRT) + 80 = 220L of diesel or, at 25LPHK, a range of almost 900km (towing on dirt). I have to accommodate that extra weight by reducing what's in my tub - I will leave some of my tools behind, or put them in the van.

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Tony
I found on the weekend that travelling at highway speed with a fully loaded car and camper trailer up the Hume Highway i was pulling about 22LPHK (first 300 km's), but when i got off the highway and travelled at slower speeds on side roads(80km/hr) and also good graded dirt roads (40-60km/hr) i got the fuel consumption right down to 12LPHK by the time i hit my camp site for the weekend (that is for the final 100km's).

Coming home on monday/tuesday i made sure i did not go over 95km/hr and that kept the fuel useage to an acceptable 14LPHK

I know you have a much heavier van than i do trailer - but i not sure that you would use more fuel on good graded dirt roads than you would on bitumen. I know you will use more fuel if you were seriously off-roading though with a trailer.

I was there in 08 with caravans it not that bad we had a 18ft, 21ft ,16ft ,18ft off road we camp at the free camp just outside town

old tony your truck must love the fuel doing 25L i tow a 21ft jayco an im doing 16L on or off road you have to keep it i top gear but 95- 100km

I'll let you all know how I go this year and if I like it enough I will go again next year.