Subaru Extreme 8 Deserts Challenge ...

[pezimm]

I'm really hoping someone in the team was assigned as the recorder of all events good and bad and that we will get a chance to read a detailed account of the entire journey with photos, maps, videos, quotes, etc.

Subaru Australia would be pretty silly to let something like this go unnoticed!

Cheers,
Pedro.

[Bantum]

Ok - For those not on FB, The following is an edited down version from the No Journey Is Too Big or 2 Hard site ...

The goal today is some 948kms to Thargomindah.

We started at Mt Ommaney Brisbane, stopped along the Moonie Hwy for some school kids about 260kms from Brisbane. Made a Pit stop at St George Bakery for a bit of tucker, then ran into some CV issues between St George & Cunnamulla, so when we eventually got to Cunnamulla we went and did a bit of searching for spares, found and purchased a White Brumby off a really nice bloke call John. We then used the CV's out of it to get The Hulk & Shaggy on the road again - Notice the brown water the boys were working in - it rained until the next day. After spending a lovely afternoon & evening in Cunnamulla we continue on to Thargomindah - Another 197kms at night in the pouring rain and the possibility of flooding roads. 17 hours, 948kms and flooding rain we made it to Thargomindah. We had a motel booked and the wonderful staff kept the restaurant open for us until we all had a feed - Big thank you to the Oasis Motel Thargomindah.

Note : Many more images to be found on the FB site ...


Add : I may have to re-upload the images somewhere / update the links later ...


Cheers, Bantum ...

[Bantum]

There were major disruptions to the planned route, so they had to improvise :

Big change in plans - We had a team meeting this morning discussing our options, as it was there was only one option - that was to turn back to Cunnamulla and drive further south, and try and get clear of the weather and road closures. All our other options to drive west from Thargomindah where closed as you can see from the photos. Our new goal today is to travel 613kms south to Cobar NSW via Cunnamulla & Bourke. Along the Mitchell Hwy we passed a lot of Army vehicles and stop to help a nice old fella pull his trailer out of a ditch, and the Flash has to replace a front CV while we were there.

More to come when they appear on FB ...

Cheers, Bantum ...

[Bantum]

The following post is bits that I have gleamed from posts on FB - I'll add more commentary later :

888kms Cobar NSW to Hawker SA via Broken Hill

Continuation of the diversion :

With the massive rains and tracks closed all over the place, we've had to head a long way south to skirt around them. We went through Broken Hill, NSW to Hawker, SA. Made it to Hawker overnight, with several VERY close calls with kangaroos and a torn CV boot.

Short stay at the hotel ...



DIV08 being operated on ...



No ideas on why ? ...

More to add here later ...

Cheers, Bantum ...

[Bantum]

Nearly back on route :

716 kms Hawker SA to Coober Pedy SA via Port Augusta SA ...

I may have this in wrong order, but some shots from the pit stops along the Hwy :









Made it to the underground city ...



More to add later ...

[Bantum]

No major setbacks on this leg of journey ...

736kms Coober Pedy to Uluru (Ayers Rock) NT ...

Ready for the sunset show ...



Thought I saw a Dingo ...



Red Center ...





Cloudy Sunset ...

[Bantum]

The real adventure begins :

340kms Uluru (Ayers Rock) NT to Warakurna Roadhouse WA via the WA/NT Border

Getting near the WA boarder ...





Convoy ...





At the roadhouse ...

[Bantum]

Start of the Gunbarrel Hwy ...

345kms Warakurna Roadhouse ( Giles Meteorological Station ) to Warburton WA via the old Gunbarrel Hwy

Prepping for the next leg ...










Nearly half way there ...

[Bantum]

Only gets harder from here ...

163kms Warburton WA back to the old Gunbarrel Hwy via the Heather Hwy ...

Corrugations ...



Camp setup ...



Awesome sunset ...



More to come ...

Cheers, Bantum ...

[Bantum]

Slow going ...

We only covered 87.5kms from last night camp site on the old Gunbarrel Hwy to the junction of the old Gunbarrel & Gary Hwys via Len Beadell Monument on Mount Beadell WA ...

More corrugations ...



Rough Road ahead ...



Mount Beadell ...



Lost a Trailer ? ...



Some roadside repairs ...

Disaster!! The bolts snapped on the lift kit on the rear of The Hulk, the treacherous Gunbarrel Hwy claims another victim ...

Long pit stop this one ...



Classic camp oven ...

More to come ...

[Bantum]

Not many photos for this day ... ( as yet )

Yeah in the middle a bloody nowhere !!

Appears to be a Rest day - I'll come back and fill in the other days as data comes available ...

Cheers, Bantum ...

[Bantum]

The Journey resumes ( Sort of )

142kms from the Eagle Hwy junction to the Burnt Out Nissan as marked on Hema Maps Great Desert Tracks-North West, another breakdown this time not the cars fault, I just didn't see the hidden Termite mounds in the middle of the track hidden under or behind the Spinifex. I hit 2 of them over the course of the day and we notice that they started to tear out the captive nuts out of the chassis on the front passenger side, 6 hours later all fixed! We camp on the track that night.

Termite mounds are a feature on the Gary Hwy. They look great, but are right on the edge of the track and are dangerous ! They're hard as concrete and the smaller ones are often hidden in spinifex clumps right on the edge of the track. Hit one and you'll cause major damage ... !

Tall spinifex are a feature on this section of the Gary Hwy. The clumps are very sharp and spiny! The reason for the CV boot guards ...

Long Grass ...



More roadside repairs ...

Disaster ! Camp is set up on the track itself for emergency repairs ...

More repairs ...



Some Bush craft mechanics ...



Testing the drone out ...

[Bantum]

Not sure exactly where they are here, ready for next leg of the trip ...

128kms from the Burnt Out Nissan Patrol the Gary Hwy to the Kunawarritji Community The Canning Stock Route WA.

Bumpy Track ...



Camels ...



More Corrugations ...



Nearly there ...





Kunawarritji Community ...



Relaxed & chilled out group ...

Note : I may have got the order of some of these wrong, as there's no dates on them ... :/

[Bantum]

555kms from The Kunawarritji Community taking The Canning Stock Route WA to Kintore ( Walungurru ) NT via the Red Center Way ...

Back on the road, it's not long before the corrugations strike again. This time a hole in Shaggy's radiator. Also cracks in one of Phil's wheels on the Brumby ...

It leaks ...



More roadside repairs ...



Another Camel ...



Cracked Wheel ...



Kiwirrkurra community ...



Pumping fuel from The Hulk's extra 80L tank to The Flash ...



At the boarder ...

[Bantum]

More rough roads - traveling from Kiwirrkurra community to Alice Springs ...

539kms Kintore to Alice Springs NT via the Red Center Way & The Tanami Track.

Getting ready for the day's drive in to Alice Springs, then disaster #3. So lucky the Brumby didn't roll, Phil did a brilliant job to keep control!!

Pulling out the axle for the welded rear diff on Supa Roo...

Then we notice the rear CV is shot, so we mix and match axles to get him going ...

Disaster !!! ��

The LCA front bush bolt snaps, pushing the wheel back in to the guard and the Brumby careering out of control !! ��

After driving a return trip of 700kms to get a s/hand Wheel Bearings, we repaired Shaggy just to drive 3kms up the road and a Road Train Fuel Tanker is broken down with a Belt tension problem, 30 minutes later she's all good and we are on our way

Replacing wheel bearings ...



Fixing a Pulley belt on the truck ...

[Bantum]

Made it Alice springs ...

The team checks in to Alice Springs for repairs, maintenance and some much needed down time

Welcome ...



Time for Repairs ...

We let off some steam with fireworks on NT Day

https://www.facebook.com/NoJourneyIsToo ... 011347593/

Fire works ...

[Bantum]

Bit of marketing ...



More to add ...

[Bantum]

Placeholder ... 2

More to add ...

[Bantum]

202kms Alice Springs to The Old Andado Track (Binns Track) NT via Santa Teresa heading towards the start of the Madigan Line crossing of the Simpson Desert.

We say goodbye to Alice Springs and hello to the Madigan Line in the Simpson Desert.
Of course, breakdowns aren't far away lol

On the road again ...



Nope it not going nowhere ...



Spot of Camping ...



Camp Fire ...


More to add ...

[Bantum]

243kms The Old Andado Track ( Binns Track ) to Madigan Camp Site #6, the Diff support bracket has broken away on Uncle Phil's Burmby (Bee-Doo) and Darren welds it up, nice job !

Real Dingo ...



Binns Track ...



Where too now ... ?



Taxi ...



Hitting the dunes ...



More camping ...



More to add ...