Corner Country

The tour group will link up in Birdsville before heading west into the Simpson Desert and making camp along the QAA Line. We will continue west to visit Poeppel Corner, the first of three corner posts on this tour before heading back east.

Having bypassed it on the way out we will tackle the iconic “Big Red” (Nappanerica), visit the Dreamtime Serpent and spend the night camped at the Betoota Hotel. We will also visit our second corner post at Haddon Corner and head south to the ‘dig tree’ left at Burke and Wills’ depot camp on the banks of Cooper Creek. We will also visit other sites around Innamincka related to this ill-fated expedition in the early 1860s.

From Innamincka we will head down the iconic Old Strzelecki Track to our third corner post at Cameron Corner. Between Cameron Corner and Broken Hill we will visit Tibooburra, Milparinka and Living Desert Sculptures. Our tour concludes at the Living Desert Sculptures with a final camp to relive our adventures and share stories with new friends.

The tour will link up in Birdsville by 4:00pm on Day 1. Following a brief on the tour, we will get to know each other over dinner at the iconic Birdsville Hotel. We will depart Birdsville in the morning of Day 2, so if you would like to take the opportunity to see some of the highlights around Birdsville before the tour starts we suggest arriving a day or two early.

We will head west from Birdsville into the eastern edge of the Simpson Desert, passing through Munga-Thirri National Park and across the border into the Northern Territory before visiting Poeppel Corner, the first of three corner posts on this tour. In just this short distance into the Simpson, you will recognise the size and challenge that some of the sand dunes present. You will see sandy swales and claypans between dunes, and the dry salt lake of Lake Poeppel. Heading back east, you will appreciate that the prevailing westerly winds make for a more gentle upslope on the western approach to the crest of each dune. Having bypassed it on the way out, we will tackle the iconic “Big Red” (Nappanerica). This is the largest dune in the Simpson Desert at some 40m tall, and one of the ‘must-do’s’ for any 4WD enthusiast. From Big Red, we will take the opportunity to refuel in Birdsville before visiting the Dreamtime Serpent artwork and spending the night camped at Betoota (population: 0) where we can enjoy a cold drink and dinner at the Betoota Hotel.

Our next corner post is Haddon Corner at the NE corner of South Australia, before we head towards Innamincka. This area is well known for the ‘dig tree’ left at the depot camp during Burke and Wills’ expedition to cross the continent from south to north in the early 1860s. We will learn more about this ill-fated expedition as we visit the ‘dig tree’, Burke’s gravesite and Wills’ memorial cairn. You will also experience the beauty of the famous Cooper Creek as we camp on it’s banks and visit a waterhole or two, and we will take the opportunity for a cold drink and dinner at the Innamincka Hotel.

We will head south from Innamincka down the iconic Old Strzelecki Track which was blazed by the cattle thief, Harry Readford in 1870. You will see dams, bores and stockyards which are evidence of the remote cattle stations working in this part of the country, before we arrive at our third corner post at Cameron Corner. We will camp at the corner store, which gives us time to wander around the corner, get photos standing in three states, and have a look at this part of the 5000+km dog fence (which, from the corner, runs south along the NSW/SA border and east along the NSW/QLD border). It also provides another opportunity for a cold drink and for someone else to cook dinner.

The next day will be a reasonably early start as we have a lot of ground to cover and several stops to make. We will view some desert art in the form of three large wire sculptures, each representing a marsupial species which has become extinct in the region. We will visit Tibooburra where the original Cameron Corner post is now kept, and Milparinka which offers a fascinating glimpse of outback life. We will pass through to just outside Broken Hill to visit the Living Desert Sculptures and experience their “changing moods” as the sun sinks lower in the sky. A camp site this last night is included in your tour price, where the tour will conclude by reliving our adventures and sharing stories with new friends.

If you have time after the tour, there is much to do around Broken Hill. A mine tour, a visit to Silverton (known for both silver mining and the silver screen), and spending some time at the Pro Hart gallery are all recommended.

2024:

• Fri 11 - Fri 18 October 2024: book by 24 September 2024

2025:

• Thu 9 - Thu 16 October 2025: book by 23 September 2025