Ok! if that is as bad as it gets then I wouldn't have trouble.. I took my Other Rodeo out through the Flinders Ranges back in 2000 and it was pretty bad in places Crapped it in! No Prob's.
Ron Thanks Paul.
Come on Port let's not get into embarrassing me, Please
I have to be a little bit careful as I am likely to turn up there on my ownsome and, get stuck and spend a month marooned in No Mans Land and nooe in a 1000K to help get me out. Don't laugh I've come close a few times going places where Angels Fear to Tread.
Ron
Thanks blokes, it looks fair enough with caution and no rain. Nick if ya get here
to me I will travel up with you or vicky versa !!!
hi guys i go up there (gilles) a bit, yeh the entrance is a bit hard to spot i the last time i put my trip meter of the speedo to 0 at iron knob and measured it from there that way i always know when i'm getting close, the track in follows the vermin fence at the edge of the park until you get to the stock gate where it becomes part of Gilles Downs station then through the gate back into the park again,, the track is or can be a little over grown and because it's a conservation park Nat. parks don't relly like to cut trees back but if you vehicle isn't to high it's not all that bad just take it easy,,the jump up/down is the last tricky bit before the run to the entrance to the lake surface but it's not impossible even with a 2wd car as long as you use some sence,, when i go up i prefer to camp back off the lake up in the scrub particularly if it's a bit cold as it seems to be a bit warmer back there and i have made a bit of a camping area back in the trees for the camper trailer, a fire pit and such there's plenty of dry wood although you're suppose to bring in your own so i'm told but a 30 min walk around the scrub finds plenty laying on the ground for a couple of days suppy, i take the land yacht down to the lake and just leave it there over night, that way it's easy to get bad up the jump up section without towing the camper trailer should things turn nasty, i was on the lake when the rain set in once and didn't have any trouble getting out but better safe than stuck, it's a fair walk back to the main road,,, when you drive out onto the lake just turn right along the edge of the lake and the camping spots are abbout 100 mts or so along there but anywhere seems ok, that is the best track into the lake there is another one a bit close to iron knob but it has been badly washed out and would take about 20 mins longer if you could get through at all...as for weather reports I look on the Adelaide BOM site and look at the reports for KIMBA and NONNING station which is just on the other side of the lake, they seem to be the best two.........also forgot to mention the track entrance is about 45 k's from Kimba so if you heading towards kimba from port augusta it's about 45 k's from kimba and if you look for maker post 837 (it was still there the last time i was there) the track is just a bit further on from that post.........hope this helps,, at this stage i'll be going if it's not wet but will be goin up on sat'day and coming home on the monday but i might be staying in port augusta and just coming out on sunday to sail,,, a check of the nonning station readings a few days before hand should give a reasonably good indication as to what it's going ot be like,,, intend to give the clay pans around port augusta a try as well hence the reason for staying in the port...
Thanks Beachball but at what point of the year do the good winds happen, like 20 to 30 kts? Mid Summer might be a bit hot for us Tassies though.
Ron
Could the first who go there this year mark the enterance with some seismic
[ Plastic ] coloured tape. Just a few bits on the roadside trees would help.
quite often zooalogical party's mark different things such a birds nests etc that
they are recording. A lot of people dont even see it and a huge amount dont
know what its all about , so it can be discrete. It will eventually break down
with weathering. A roll is always handy in the bush in your glovebox/emergency
gear. It comes dull coloured and floro. dull is good enough.
being a national park , I dont think you are supposed to clear campsites or light fires. you may want to check up on that .
by camping on the lakes surface where appropriate its possible to leave almost no footprint
gilles is not really a national park it's more of a conservation park, i'll check with parks SA but i think you can burn wood that is just laying around already on the ground but can't "pull down a tree " anyway the lake is that far in off the main road i doubt that anyone whould know you're there
latest report from lake gilles area say no rain to speak of in the area but with somewhat clear sky over night it has been very cold down below 0 at times earl in the morning,, long range forecast for the area has some rain fall predicded later this month and early june but not sure how much
Ok packed and ready to go leaving Melbourne around 1am so should put us lake side around 3pm Friday after stopping in PT Augusta for provisions.Only light shower forecast for Friday and winds all weekend up to 25kmh.See you all out there.
what a weekend 300km plus of sailing 11hrs plus sailing time - 6 blokarts, 1 class 5, 1 kite board and 2 kite buggies. lake was just great a bit of water on the western side & only a few patches of soft stuff the rest was hard.
Careful Yank. Thems is bordering on fighting words.[}:)]. Mind you I am beginning to wonder myself. Perhaps they forgot to charge their batteries for both GPS and Video Cam's.
Ron