Map

Map for my 3rd crossing attempt in 2024:

Maps before 2024:

Solo walkers route who completed the planned route (start-end). All unsupported, outside vehicle tracks, via a center.
Route 1 : Lucas Trihey (AUS), First "Width", West-East, East Bore to Birdsville via Geocenter, 17 days (8-24 June 2006), 160kg cart, 400km
Route 2 : Louis-Philippe Loncke (BEL), First "Length", North-South via Geocenter, 36 days (16/7-21/08/2008), 215kg cart, +600km (+-800km total walking with zigzagging and back and forth moving the heavy load)
Route 3 : Louis-Philippe Loncke (BEL), First "only Backpack", West-East via Geocenter, 60kg backpack including 40 litres of water and 8kg of food. Partial crossing as stopped at Poeppel Corner after 13 days (13/08-25/08/2016) with only 275g of food remaining and 2.5 litres of water. Not enough to finish to Birdsville even pushing hard. Having 5kg of different cameras, if replaced by food and water, the whole crossing "only backpack" is proven possible in long walking days in 14-15 days.

Remark: This route (OldAndado-Geocenter-Poeppel has been done in August 2023 in 13 days by another Belgian: Ian Devreese)
Route 4 : Michael Giacometti (AUS), First East-West, Bedourie to Old Andado via GeoSurvey Hill, 24 days (22/06-16/07/2008), 165kg cart, +-100L, 450km

2008 - Predicated Route below:

A few interesting articles about the Simpson Desert:

Names of some lines/routes - A crossing by a Toyota. - More on wikipedia.
Other on foot crossings before 2006, research by Lucas Trihey (=walks incomplete, not always off track or with support). Since 2008 a few other off track-unsupported attempts have been attempted but none have succeeded. They all ended (rescue, pick up) joining a track like the French Line, the Colson or the QAA line.
View in GoogleMaps or Download Simpson Desert Trek for Google Earth.

ENG: Why this route ? Why to start North and not South? Why not a straight line, isn't it shorter ?

This route is unique and I doubt anyone has walked or been driving this entire route in one single journey. I hope to see very rare places where not many or none have been. So why start North? Well, at first it's easier access than starting somewhere South of the Simpson where there's no road. Secondly it's very obvious that from North to South you go DOWN (Yep I go down on the map!). Ok, I'm kidding, am I? Well not really. The Simpson desert is flat and at low altitude, but I'm going lower because I'm heading to lake Eyre which is below sea level.

The South-West of lake Eyre is even the lowest point of Australia at around -15m below sea level. So I will go down, euh well I haven't considered that I might be coming closer to the core of Earth. That's if you follow the law of attraction...whatever.

What you cannot see on this map is that I will try to find the easiest way to pull the cart through the sanddunes. I also want to have several milestones on the route: the geographical center of the desert is obvious to have, and Poeppel's corner too as I can pretend to be in 2 states and 1 territory at the same time. It's also a place where I could leave some notes behind and in case I have gear problems or stop the adventure.

From Poeppel's corner, I should be able to go very fast over the salt pans of the dry lakes. When I'll reach the lake, I will have reached the main aim of the adventure but I'll still be away from being safe and close to humans. I will have to continue over lake Eyre and reach somehow the township of William creek in South Australia.

On the lake it's also easy to spot me with a plane in case of emergency. If there is water to cross, the jerricans will be empty and allow the cart to float.

So I do believe my route is interesting, safer and should be shorter in time. And time is money, euh no water, and water is survival!

FRA: Pourquoi ce trajet ? Pourquoi du Nord au Sud ? Pourquoi pas un trajet en ligne droite, ne serait-ce pas plus court ?

Ce trajet est unique et je doute que quelqu’un ait déjà marché ou conduit sur ce trajet en un seul voyage. J’espère voir des lieux rarement voire jamais explorés. Mais pourquoi commencer au Nord ? Eh bien, parce que c’est plus facilement accessible de se faire déposer près d’une piste. Car au Sud du désert il n’y en a pas. Ensuite il est plus simple d’aller du Nord au Sud puisque cela descend (ben oui je vais de haut en bas sur la carte). Ok je déconne, enfin…vraiment ? Eh bien non. Le désert de Simpson est plat et d’altitude peu élevée mais mon trajet perd de l’altitude en allant vers le lac Eyre qui lui se situe sous le niveau de la mer. Le plus bas point du pays est aussi au Sud-ouest du lac à environ -15m sous le niveau de la mer. Je me dirige donc vers le bas mais je n’ai pas tenu compte que je me rapproche probablement du centre de la terre… peu importe.

Ce que vous ne voyez pas sur la carte c’est que je recherche le chemin le plus facile pour faire passer la charrette à travers les dunes. Je veux aussi atteindre certains endroits clés sur ma route: le centre géographique du désert, le coin Poeppel qui est la jonction entre 3 états. C’est aussi un endroit où je peux laisser un message ou terminer l’aventure en cas de problème majeur.

De Poeppel, je devrai pouvoir aller beaucoup plus vite en passant sur les lacs salés pour atteindre le lac Eyre. Atteindre ce lac représente pour moi le but principal de cette aventure mais ne signifie pas que je sois hors de danger. Je suis encre loin de toute vie humaine et il me faut donc passer le lac et atteindre le Sud-ouest du lac et la bourgade de William creek en Australie Méridionale.

Sur le lac je suis facilement repérable par avion en cas d’urgence. S’il faut traverser un plan d’eau, les jerricans seront vides et la charrette flottera.

Le trajet que j’ai choisi de suivre est donc intéressant, plus sûr et devrait être plus court que la ligne droite. Et le temps c’est de l’argent, euh no de l’eau, et l’eau c’est la survie.