From Christine And Graeme:
Driving our VW T6 Achtung 4 motion campervan through outback South Australia is a fascinating and highly rewarding experience, with a couple of minor challenges. Flies can be pesky, even when we were avoiding the hottest months, so the side and rear door fly screens need to be carefully zipped shut – remembering, you don’t live in a tent! With the new Achtung rear fly screen now permanently installed we find this even easier than with the earlier magnetic screen option. (‘How to’ here)
Meanwhile, when out walking it is sometimes necessary to resort to less than glamorous personal fly exclusion devices. Outdoor cooking and eating while keeping the flies at bay are skills that require ongoing development, probably taking a lifetime!
Road corrugations are another matter. Some people say there is a sweet spot of around 40 km per hour when driving over corrugations. They say that to go any slower only makes it worse. We beg to differ! When we turned off the Oodnadatta Track into the Mound Springs entry road (Wabma Kadarbu Mound Springs Conservation Park) we encountered the worst corrugations we had ever experienced. Our poor van shuddered and shook no matter what speed we attempted. Thankfully this desert oasis destination was worth the effort. Our sturdy, well-constructed cabinetry fit-out held up to the task, with no ongoing rattles or squeaks.
This bone-rattling experience gave us a catch cry for all future corrugated roads – We hate corrugations!
We were invited to join a group of friends on a camping trip to the far west of SA. Relishing the opportunity to travel in the company to areas that were new to us. We all met up in Streaky Bay, after checking out some local sites such as Murphy’s Haystacks and Labatt Sea Lion Colony along the way.
The intention was to tackle Googs Track, then to take off from Ceduna and Fowlers Bay up to Ooldea. Then east along the Transcontinental Railway, eventually heading south through the Gawler Ranges to Port Lincoln. When one of our fellow travellers looked at our VW campervan and pointedly asked, ‘Are you taking that to Googs Track?’ We became a bit apprehensive. What had we taken on here? Anyway, we set off in our little convoy, with the VW taking up the tail position.
Googs Track traverses the Yumbarra Conservation Park, which is noted for its rolling sand dunes and rocky outcrops. The Track is about 170 km long, crossing roughly 370 sand ridges. Online advice is that it is only suitable for high clearance 4WDs. That day, we were very happy with our vehicle’s performance on the soft sand track. Eventually, the convoy stopped before a particularly steep incline, the front vehicle was unable to negotiate the dunes. Our plan was to turn back to camp overnight before retracing our steps. Although we did not have the chance to tackle this hill, we know our VW might have made it!
After seeing some spectacular coastal scenery along the Great Australian Bight. A severe weather front rolled in from the west, so we all scuttled into Fowlers Bay. We sheltered at the caravan park for a couple of days. Cooking in the camp kitchen, watching TV and monitoring weather conditions to see if we could continue north to Ooldea.
When we learned that roads in the Gawler Ranges were closed due to heavy rain and flooded creek crossings we sadly had to abandon the rest of the trip. So, instead, we headed back to Port Lincoln to spend a few days with our friends before returning to Adelaide.
Since then we had front underbody armour installed to protect the engine and gearbox when driving on rattly roads. We also upgraded to the most robust tyres legally allowed. As the VW is not classified as a four-wheel drive, but as an all-wheel drive. We have now successfully tested these improvements.
SA’s far west coast awaits our return, but meanwhile, our campervan adventures continue into other parts of our wonderful country!
Christine and Graeme
Check out their other adventure here:
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