16/08/2024
Just return from a 10 day trip to the Simpson Desert with National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia, Traditional Owners and Anthro's for a cultural survey.
After some good rain in July the Desert is blooming with carpets of flowers. Not so much wildlife. Only saw a couple of camels, dingo's, bearded dragons but plenty of birds. Zebra finches, yellow & crimson chats, kites, wedgetail eagles, kestrels, tree and welcome swallows, crested pidgeon's, budgerigar's, cockatiel's and a lot more.
Was easy going across the dunes as there was still plenty of moisture in the sand but due to some travellers towing campers, off road caravans, heavy loads and running too high tyre pressures some of the steeper dunes had been cut up and made it a little bit of a challenge. Only had to have a second go at about 3 dunes on the loop from Birdsville along the QAA line then the K1 to Poeppel's Corner (NT,SA,QLD corner), then the French Line to the Knoll's Track to the WAA Line, The Rig Road to Poolawanna Oil well and then Kuncherinna Junction site of another wildcat oil well before heading north back to Poeppel's via the K1 then back to Birdsville on the QAA.
The Rig Road and K1 were in good condition running between the dunes and had very little traffic on it so had not been cut up with vehicle when it was still wet after the rains.
On our return trip down the Birdsville Track we had to assist in a motorbike incident just south of Clifton Hills Homestead. A chap heading north with is mate hit a sand patch on a creek crossing and came off his bike. Suspected broken ribs, spinal injury, broken shoulder and bruising. Had to call in the Flying Doctor assisted by the Aerotech helicopter paramedic team from Moomba to do the initial recovery from the Birdsville Track.
