Ultimate Desert Adventure

The tour group will link up in Birdsville and get to know each other over dinner at the Birdsville Hotel.

We will head out Birdsville straight to the iconic “Big Red” sand dune, a bucket list challenge for any 4WD enthusiast.

The tour includes four desert camps as we make our way west across the desert. Our route across the 1,140 or so sand dunes will take us to Poeppel Corner and expose you to several desert tracks including the QAA Line, French Line, WAA Line, and Rig Road.

A plus for doing the crossing east to west on the selected route is that we can wash off the desert dust by soaking in the 37 degrees water at a true desert oasis on the western edge of the Simpson, Dalhousie Springs.

As we make our way on back roads to Alice Springs, we will have lunch at the remote Mt Dare Hotel, make camp at the geographical centre of Australia, watch the changing colours as the sun sets on Chambers Pillar, visit galleries of ancient indigenous rock carvings, and see some relics of the old Ghan railway.

After a full day (two nights) to yourselves in Alice Springs, we will set off towards Finke Gorge National Park; but our first stop will be the impressive Gosse Bluff which scientists believe to be the remnant crater from the impact of a 600m wide comet approximately 150 million years ago.

From the bluff we will head to Palm Valley which is the last remnant of central Australia’s tropical past, being home to several rare plant species that are unique to the area, including the red cabbage palm which gives the area its name. The valley is impressive with its red gorges, desert palm trees, cycads and spring-fed pools.

We will stop at Hermannsburg (established in 1877 as a Lutheran Mission, and the birth place and home of Albert Namatjira) before heading down the Finke River 4WD track, which provides a challenging 4WD experience following a section of the Finke River bed. We will make camp at Boggy Hole which, in spite of its name, is a stunning permanent waterhole offering many scenic camp sites set amongst river red gums, white sand and green grass.

Continuing our drive down the Finke River bed, we will visit another waterhole in Running Waters, see old stockyards, and visit the old gaol and police station ruins at Illamurta Springs, before making our way back to Alice Springs.

The 2024 tour will have two full days (three nights) in Alice Springs, and the 2025 tours will have one full day (two nights), to do your own sightseeing or to simply reprovision before heading off on the final part of the tour.

We will again camp at the spectacular Chambers Pillar, providing another opportunity to marvel at the spectacular changing colours as the sun sets or rises on this natural monument. We will also camp at Old Andado Station and learn a bit about Molly Clark, and visit the Mac Clark Conservation Reserve where the Acacia peuce (or Waddywood) is found.

From here, we are onto the Madigan Line. We will follow the path set by Madigan’s party as they made their way east to Birdsville, crossing claypans and hundreds of dunes. From Madigan’s Camp 15, we will follow the Hay River Track south before turning east again to stay on Madigan’s route through what is now National Park and private property.

After intersecting with the QAA Line we get to have another crack at Big Red before arriving back in Birdsville.

2024:

• Mon 16 September - Wed 9 Oct 2024: book by 20 August 2024

2025:

• Thu 20 March - Fri 11 April 2025: book by 20 February 2025

• Mon 15 September - Tue 7 October 2025: book by 18 August 2025