Best route to the dig tree
Submitted: Wednesday, Feb 15, 2023 at 22:34
ThreadID:
145335
Views:
3254
Replies:
8
FollowUps:
21
This Thread has been Archived
jindivik
We are considering the best way to head to the Burke and Wills dig tree, looking at
Port Augusta to
Lyndhurst and on to
Innamincka or go in from
Longreach down to
Windorah then to
Innamincka, I will be towing a small caravan, on other sites I’m getting a lot of conflicting information on road conditions, won’t be heading there till mid July I reckon.
Reply By: Member - McLaren3030 - Thursday, Feb 16, 2023 at 07:45
Thursday, Feb 16, 2023 at 07:45
Hi Jindivick,
The condition of outback roads can change very quickly, so what it is like now will be very different to what it is like in 5 month time, so impossible to answer your question specifically.
How
well built is your small caravan? Does it have good
suspension?
I have travelled to
Innamincka from both the directions you have stated, towing an 18’ full off road 2.6 Tonne caravan. Each direction has its challenges including narrow rutted tracks, and large trucks.
You may get some better information regarding the road conditions if you contact the
Innamincka Hotel closer to your travel time.
Macca.
AnswerID:
642870
Reply By: qldcamper - Thursday, Feb 16, 2023 at 08:56
Thursday, Feb 16, 2023 at 08:56
It really depends where you are leaving from, pointless driving half way round australia just to avoid a few kilometres of track where you have to slow down and maybe walk through now and then.
AnswerID:
642873
Reply By: jindivik - Thursday, Feb 16, 2023 at 10:19
Thursday, Feb 16, 2023 at 10:19
We are travelling past
Port Augusta and we will also be in
longreach later in the trip, so only concern is which entry road is best suited for my out fit, I know it’s early days still but I hope someone can advise if one road is generally better than the other
AnswerID:
642877
Reply By: Member - DOZER - Thursday, Feb 16, 2023 at 10:32
Thursday, Feb 16, 2023 at 10:32
The best all whether road in is via
Cunnamulla-Durham, over the
bourke and wills
bridge. Your decision should include how much time you have to traverse to
Innamincka from PA, road and whether conditions, and ground clearance of van. Its beautiful country, but roads can get corregated, washed out etc. When last there the road from
Innamincka to
the dig tree was dirt and all corregated, worst road of all we were on, (old Streslecky was better)
AnswerID:
642878
Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Monday, Feb 20, 2023 at 11:20
Monday, Feb 20, 2023 at 11:20
.
Yep, so the 'Black Top' has finally reached
Innamincka. Watched it crawl there over the years. The place will be full of Winnebagos now!!!
The bitumen is also processing along the Strzelecki. Much of it is sealed. The Old Strzelecki section is untouched of course but may not be good for some caravans.
FollowupID:
922483
Reply By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Thursday, Feb 16, 2023 at 12:30
Thursday, Feb 16, 2023 at 12:30
.
If going through
Port Augusta I would definitely travel to
Innamincka via
Lyndhurst and up the
Strzelecki Track. This track is maintained in a very good condition for the benefit of freight to the Moomba gas & oil fields. I travelled on it recently and found that about a third of it is now bitumen. Of the remainder, some is in preparation to be sealed and the rest is in very good condition even though unsealed.
AnswerID:
642881
Reply By: Member - Wooly - Sunday, Feb 19, 2023 at 22:10
Sunday, Feb 19, 2023 at 22:10
A lot can change in the time frame you are looking at but I was at
the dig tree 3 days ago and the road in was a reasonable gravel road, you would have had no troubles on it towing at 40 - 50 KPH
Strezleki is good, plenty of tar being applied, won't be long and it will be sealed all the way. (a year or 2?)
The old Strez between Merty Merty and the Moomba road would be ok even with an off road van right now. Not sure what it will be like by the time you get there.
The top of the old Strez which is in the regional reserve would be problematic for towing however, so probably best avoided.
AnswerID:
642904
Reply By: Peter_n_Margaret - Monday, Feb 20, 2023 at 09:09
Monday, Feb 20, 2023 at 09:09
On the way to
the Dig Tree in 1997.
It is very different now.
1997
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome
AnswerID:
642910
Follow Up By: Stephen L (Clare) SA - Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023 at 18:19
Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023 at 18:19
You can still go that way, it’s their shortcut to
Innamincka.
We first did it that way over 30 years ago.
When we went in last time and camped, the old chap that checked you entry permit said we could go out that way the next day, which we did.
FollowupID:
922519
Follow Up By: Phil G - Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023 at 18:22
Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023 at 18:22
Stephen, my recollection was that the crossing was fairly close to
the Dig Tree. Was that where you were allowed to cross the creek?
FollowupID:
922520
Follow Up By: Stephen L (Clare) SA - Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023 at 18:52
Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023 at 18:52
Hi Phil,
When we left
the Dig Tree where we camped, rather than going out the way you come in, we were told to follow the track that follows the creek and then yes, go through that crossing then it is 5 or so kilometres out to the bitumen.
I have a track file if you are interested.
FollowupID:
922521
Follow Up By: Phil G - Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023 at 19:00
Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023 at 19:00
OK, sounds like where we went back then. Nothing happening with
Innamincka this year, so don't worry about the track file, but thankyou for the offer.
FollowupID:
922522
Follow Up By: Stephen L (Clare) SA - Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023 at 19:22
Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023 at 19:22
Hope this gives you an idea.
Dig Tree Access showing the old way
FollowupID:
922523
Reply By: qldcamper - Monday, Feb 20, 2023 at 16:08
Monday, Feb 20, 2023 at 16:08
Dont forget your fly vales, worst fly
population I have ever seen.
AnswerID:
642917
Follow Up By: Phil G - Monday, Feb 20, 2023 at 20:27
Monday, Feb 20, 2023 at 20:27
He's going mid July. Flies usually OK by then.
FollowupID:
922485
Follow Up By: Member - McLaren3030 - Tuesday, Feb 21, 2023 at 07:44
Tuesday, Feb 21, 2023 at 07:44
Hi Phil,
Don’t bet on it.
Macca.
FollowupID:
922490
Follow Up By: qldcamper - Tuesday, Feb 21, 2023 at 07:56
Tuesday, Feb 21, 2023 at 07:56
I was there in july, just means the flys dont come out till about 10am then go to bed around 4pm, mid day they still start swarming around your car when you pull up waiting for you to get out.
FollowupID:
922491
Follow Up By: Phil G - Tuesday, Feb 21, 2023 at 09:11
Tuesday, Feb 21, 2023 at 09:11
Been passing through
Innamincka for 45 years now and I've been there most months.
Sure there will always be a few flies because its cattle country, but I can't remember needing a fly net in the middle of the year. I remember April/May and Sept-December as being bad
FollowupID:
922493
Follow Up By: qldcamper - Tuesday, Feb 21, 2023 at 09:58
Tuesday, Feb 21, 2023 at 09:58
Apparently they do vary due to moisture conditions, can only offer advice based on the time we were there, mid winter and they were as bad as I have ever seen anywhere, that trip they were much worse at
the dig tree than at
Innamincka.
FollowupID:
922496
Follow Up By: Phil G - Tuesday, Feb 21, 2023 at 11:03
Tuesday, Feb 21, 2023 at 11:03
Yes, I guess one experience can potentially skew things. I remember a few years back the flies were worse than normal and like you say it may have been a wet year - may have been 2018 - and we were doing a
Simpson Desert trip and stayed at Mt Dare for a night. And a prominent South African Youtuber was shooting a video of his trip across the middle of Australia. And when I watched it later he actually pulled out of his trip at that point and went back to
Perth because the flies were "so bad". He's not been back there. But to us the flies weren't too bad at all.
FollowupID:
922497
Follow Up By: Member - DOZER - Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023 at 10:21
Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023 at 10:21
When i read this post, it instantly brought back memories of
the dig tree! Twice ive been, both times i was covered in bush flies, first time i swam in the cooper (may 1999) second time june 2017 the river was dry.
FollowupID:
922511
Follow Up By: Nomadic Navara - Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023 at 11:06
Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023 at 11:06
Or to put it succinctly, you are out in the channel country. Anywhere out there, just be prepared to get a few flies somewhere on your trip.
FollowupID:
922513
Follow Up By: Bob Y. - Qld - Thursday, Feb 23, 2023 at 06:40
Thursday, Feb 23, 2023 at 06:40
No flies in
Winton this year!
We’ve been getting rain every other week this year, feed is green & thick, in most
places, and there’s literally no flies. We haven’t a day over 40° this month, and the nights are cool & pleasant. If this is global warming, I’d like more of it!
Can’t guarantee there’s no flies at
the Dig Tree though?
Bob
FollowupID:
922526
Follow Up By: Member - McLaren3030 - Thursday, Feb 23, 2023 at 07:23
Thursday, Feb 23, 2023 at 07:23
Bob Y,
Once it stops raining up that way, and the water subsides a bit, the flies will be in “plague proportions”. Then they will very quickly migrate south along the channel country. Seems to happen every time.
Macca.
FollowupID:
922528
Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Thursday, Feb 23, 2023 at 15:24
Thursday, Feb 23, 2023 at 15:24
.
Never was any flies on Bob.
FollowupID:
922532