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2006 EXPEDITION by Beadell Tours - Mick Hutton & Connie Sue Beadell
Click here for our quick summary of this expedition - "Giles - 130 years" summary
Ernest Giles is one of Australia's better known explorers. He is most famous for naming "Gibson's Desert" after Alfred Gibson a member of his expedition party that perished near the Rawlinson Ranges in 1874.
Giles without mishap went through that country again in 1876, this time he was equipped with camels instead of horses. The expedition was largely uneventful and barely rates a mention in his travel volumes "Australia Twice Traversed".
Beadell Tours decided to repeat the most remote part of the journey with 4wd vehicles to celebrate the 130 year anniversary of the successful 1876 expedition.
Six weeks of research were required before we were satisfied about a viable route following Giles path from the Ashburton River to Patjarr Aboriginal Community near the Rawlinson Ranges.
To demonstrate the difficulties in this type of navigation, compare the Longitude of the Rawlinson Range on Giles' map and current maps of today, quite a difference. Our route would involve 500kms of sandhills & 300kms of Mulga scrub, some 800kms of cross-country travel through the "Little Sandy" & "Gibson's Desert". Expeditions such as this are not to be taken lightly.
Cross-country travel is also called Off-track, quite simply it means travelling over country without a track or even wheeltracks. To prepare for an off-track expedition there are two issues that will dominate. Tyres & fuel; both are critical. Tyres are the prime concern. The welfare of the expedition will rest upon the durability of the tyres fitted to all vehicles.
All participants had two compulsory requirements.
- Tyres; MRF - All Steel Radial 14-Ply tyres mounted on Split Rims.
The reasons for these tyres are simple. Good floatation for sandy country. Sidewalls are very thick absorbing punishment from sharp scrub. When they stake they don't tear, remaining serviceable after a proper repair. This is extremely important.
Split Rims are preferred for the simple reason they are easy to work with in the bush. Beads don't get stretched, tubes aren't pinched and they always seat regardless of the air volume available because they have a tube.
We should point out that wide tyres & tubeless rims are not satisfactory for extensive off-track work. Sidewalls are thin & tear easily. We should also point out that Plugs or Cord repairs are illegal for use in any Radial tyre sidewalls, they are only for temporary tread repairs. Consult your tyre & repair gear manufacturer for more information.
- Fuel; 230 Litres of Diesel minimum.
Consumption can be up to 40Lts/100kms. This is because off-track is very slow. Vehicles will be in Low Range second or High Range first. It can take three days to travel 100kms in some desert terrain.
Due to the extreme distances involved we arranged for a fuel drop on the Eagle Highway, the western edge of Gibson's Desert.
With all preparations finally completed everyone gathered at Newman W.A., three Land Rovers, two Toyotas and a Nissan, twelve hardy souls in all. Early in June we turned from the bitumen. A short stint in station country along the dilapidated Rabbit Proof Fence saw us at the right Latitude to start to the east. It was 130 years to the day since Ernest Giles and his small party were in the same area. Apart from our mode of transport we were seeing the country as Giles did, even with our modern gear we wondered if we would make it to the Rawlinson Range, some 900kms away to the east.
Confident in our navigation we picked our way through sandhill after sandhill. The "Little Sandy Desert" sandhills are generally short and at times follow no apparent pattern. This can make 4WD passage very awkward and slow. Radiators were covered up with flyscreen or shade-cloth as soon as it became apparent we might have trouble with clogging of the cooling systems. The lead vehicle had its radiator blown out every 250kms as a precaution. All hands soon got into the habit of sticking like glue to the wheel tracks in front of them. This goes a long way to reducing the puncture tally. Pressures were adjusted until everyone felt they had the correct combination for floatation for the swales we were driving through constantly as well as odd sandhill crossings.
Good rain over the summer months had the desert shrubs flowering and spinifex was 6 feet high in places. Of particular interest was finding a specimen of Giles' Mallee, few people have seen this Eucalypt as it only grows in the sandhills east of the Rabbit Proof Fence. As luck would have it we found several areas of good healthy mallees.
It was named in honour of Giles after the 1876 expedition by Botanist Ferdinand Von Mueller. Extensive forests of Grass Trees also occurred in this area. Giles noted them on his map, and we were happy to see they coincided with our route as well. Giles didn't name any features after leaving the Pilbara region. Lack of detail as to exactly where Giles passed caused quite a few headaches when planning this expedition. Seeing the same vegetation in the same area as noted on his map was significant. Scattered Desert Oak woodlands appeared as well, these majestic symbols of central Australia are also found in the sandy deserts far to the west.
The Canning Stock Route was reached after a week. We kicked back overnight at Well 15, enjoying the good water available from the restored well. Continuing east we threaded our way through sandhills and salt lakes for the next 150kms. Tyres were starting to show scars from dozens of near misses. Scratches and gouges on the sidewalls and tread were testament to the terrain we had been driving over. Despite this we had eight punctures after some 400kms off-track.
The undulations of Gibson's Desert began as the sandhills tapered off. The new terrain was broken only by the occasional low stony ridge, breakaway and patches of thick Mulga. South of Mt Madley we crossed the paths of the Calvert Expedition of 1896 and Dr Peasley's 1977 expedition to find Warri & Yatungka. We detoured to several of the Rockholes visited in 1977, Kata Kata being the only one with water. A day later we reached the "Eagle Highway". We turned north up the Oil Exploration road to Warri Site. Making camp in the Mulga we drew water from the Bore for showers & washing, settling in for a well deserved day off.
Refuelling was completed from our 1200Lt supply brought up from Carnegie Station before leaving the "Eagle Hwy" and pushing further east.
Good progress was made. The country was easy going with large areas only lightly clad with low desert grasses & spinifex. Lower areas carried forests of tall red anthills. Vegetation change indicated Lake Cohen wasn't far off, minutes later Len Beadell's "Gary Highway" loomed up. By chance we met friends here heading for a biannual scientific expedition. Lunch was had with water views as Lake Cohen was about half full, Giles must have turned in his grave!
The thicker Mulga returned and we twisted & turned for the next couple of days. Our puncture tally was mounting, but everyone was in high spirits and vehicles were 100%.
A quick detour to Carnegie's (1896) McPherson's Pillar gave us all good views of the desert ahead of us. Another Pinnacle could be seen to the north-east. Resuming our expedition we made our way to the unnamed feature. A red stony beacon visible for miles, we could only wonder why Giles didn't bother to visit either landmark? The Alfred & Marie Range became clearly visible to the south-east, as Giles did 130 years before we swung in that direction.
Eventually we were at the northern end of the Range, close by Giles camp of June 25th 1876. The explorer then continued east hardly glancing at the Alfred & Marie Range. We broke away from his route after 600kms following the Range to the south-east.
The next day was spent exploring the Range. Towering breakaways and short gorges all combined to make the Alfred & Marie Range a highlight. Our next obstacle was Lake Newell. Ten inches of rain had fallen over the summer so as a precaution we cut around the Lakes southern tip. Forests of Desert Oak surround the Lake among low red sandhills, a welcome change from harsher Mulga country. Getting through without incident we had our last off-track camp 40kms from Patjarr Community under sighing Desert Oaks. Our final off-track day was easier, the Mulga returned but was scattered allowing us to shave some distance from our route. The Patjarr road was hit before midday.
Without incident we had traversed 790kms of country without a track. A celebratory cake was cut for the occasion and all hands enjoyed a unique sense of achievement. What would Giles have thought we wondered? Navigation worked flawlessly; vehicles were unhurt, 18 flat tyres had been sustained. It doesn't get much better than that for such an extreme 4WD adventure. We were the second vehicle group to complete the route in 130 years.
Reinflating tyres we settled back into corrugations and washouts visiting Patjarr Community for a yarn with Traditional Owners. Then Warakurna via the Old Gunbarrel Highway and finally to Yulara making use of the Great Central Road, all the while passing features that Ernest Giles named in the 1870s, he was surely one of Australia's great explorers.
Mick Hutton & Connie Beadell
We would like to thank the following for their assistance -:
| Summary |
| 22 days - 790kms |
| Off-Track - 400kms off-road |
| Off-Track daily travel = 43kms |
| Off-Track speed = 10kms/hr |
| Vehicles used 250 to 330 Litres for Off-Track distance |
| 18 Punctures - all tyres repaired and serviceable |
MRF Tyres - Tough as Nails
MRF Tyres see most use on Stations, Mine sites, remote Surveys and Kangaroo shooters. They are constructed for use in developing countries where road conditions & loads are extreme. Needless to say MRFs are built to take an enormous amount of punishment. All Steel Radial and Bias tyres are available in Australia ranging from 12 to 16 Ply.
Beadell Tours have been running MRF Tyres for three years, we're very happy with them, a good quality, exceptionally strong tyre at a realistic price.
MRF Tyres Aust. Manager - Mr Ken Kenney - 07 5575 1927
For details on 4WD tyre construction, check out the tyre information on our website; tyre information
Remote Area Communications
Hundreds of kilometres of desert in every direction during our Giles Expedition didn't stop us from keeping in touch with family and friends. Modern HF Radio units are capable of voice & phone calls, GPS positioning, RFDS emergency calls and lately even Email services are available.
Beadell Tours use and recommend Codan HF Radios & Reids Radiodata HF Communications. Wayne Reid runs a progressive, sensible 4WD network out of Cowra NSW. All HF Radio facilities are available through Wayne including Email. Give Wayne a call to discuss your HF requirements for your next 4WD adventure.
Reids Radiodata - 02 6341 1544. Check out the websites Reids Radiodata and Codan Radios
Keep Your Cool
Engel Fridges have an enviable reputation for reliability and durability. For more than 40 years they have been keeping things cool in Australia's outback. Without a doubt the most popular portable fridge / freezer for 4WD desert work are Engel. Most vehicles on the Giles 1876 Expedition had Engel, nobody had warm Beer!
The new generation of Engel fridges are even more energy efficient throughout the range. Engel have an extensive service network for technical back-up. A large range of accessories such as fridge slides, insulating covers, thermometers and much more are also available.
Give Engel Australia a call for more information - 1300 302 653 or check out the website Engel Australia
Vehicles and Participants
| Land Rover 130 Defender | Mick Hutton & Connie Beadell |
| Toyota Land Cruiser 79 Series Ute | Charles & Margaret Norman |
| Land Rover 130 Defender | Andrew Watt & Janice Whyte |
| Nissan Patrol GU wagon | Robin & Jenny Page |
| Land Rover 130 Defender | Spencer Faulkner & Les Rushton |
| Toyota Land Cruiser 80 Series wagon | David Bryan & Bev Moore |
Mick Hutton & Connie Sue Beadell
Copyright : 2006
BEADELL TOURS
37 Montebello Drive
SALISBURY
South Australia, 5108
Phone : (08) 8250 2718
Mobile : 0408841447
Email : Beadell Tours
ABN : 40 947 959 130