Easter Hols 2021 Outback NSW

[Big Red]

I decided to go to Tibooburra to refuel and head across to Wanaaring and Bourke but all roads to the east were closed and the north was only open to 4wd to Warri Warri Gate and then the Qld website showed it was closed before Noccundra.
Bugger.
Looks like it will be the looooong way round

I fuelled up body and Ute then headed south before taking the dirt again towards White Cliff but then decided to head down to Mutawintji arriving there just before sunset after a huge days driving.

[Big Red]

Thursday 8th April.
After a lazy breakfast I headed off on one of the walks, an easy 900 metres to a cave with some aboriginal paintings … but then you add the walk to get to the start of the walk then add in the loop to see a couple of engraving sites before climbing up a gorge past some dams to get up high so you can get a good view of the surroundings then add in getting lost and walking to the top of said gorge instead of veering off down near the bottom to climb up the side of the gorge to the views … by the time I got back in the heat I was buggered.
About 7.5 to 8 kms all up.

[Big Red]

After a rest and a coffee I drove out to have a look at the Rocky gorge hotel ruins then drove down past Waterbag on some remote tracks and then up to Wilcannia on the highway.
I took the eastern run up the Darling river run and pulled in to Wilga Campground.
No fires, no gas in the BBQ’s, no water in the taps no one else been there for a while.
I had a swim but got covered in little black bugs so that was cut short

[Big Red]

Friday 9th April
I awoke to some very dark clouds so I tried to connect to a weather app but I had virtually no signal and left the phone on the bonnet to wait while I packed up, eventually I headed off to the North and about 100 kms and an hour and a half later I got to Tilpa and had a look around.
I decided to try the weather app again but couldn’t find my phone.
Searched the car high and low, unpacked my clothes bag, rifled through my bed but all to no avail so I made a beeline back south again.
An hour later I pulled in to camp after going real slow for the last 5 to 10 kms but couldn’t see it anywhere.
I took a walk out the access road as there was a rough bit close to camp, no luck.
I had a Coffee then drove off but briefly saw something in my wheel track and reversed back, it was my phone, face down and pushed flat into the dirt !!
I had stopped on the way out and reversed back to read a sign, that was when the phone fell off and I drove over it, when I got back from Tilpa I drove over it again and once I left camp I drove over it again, then reversed back over it again … I picked it up and turned it over, and it works!! No damage!! Pelican case for the win!!

[Big Red]

I then had to head east to Emmdale roadhouse to refuel then a bit further up the road took another back track to Tilpa again.
I stopped at the Weir for a look but it was well underwater with not much of a ripple showing.
I continued on to Louth and had a bit of a walk around town before camping on the Common.
The Darling River is rising fast and is 2 metres above normal so far.
I walked over to the cemetery for a look at the famous memorial that the sun reflects of on her birthday to shine on the front steps of her house.

[Big Red]

Saturday 10th April
About 10 PM last night some yahoos turned up to the camping area with country music blaring and headlights on while they set up camp … Achy Breaky Heart no less so I flash my lights at them, no way they could miss them as they were pointed directly at their camp … they took no notice and kept me awake until 3 AM before they finally turned the music off.

At around 4:15 AM I was awoken by rain on the roof so decided to pack up and get out before the roads got muddy

I MAY have accidentally made a lot of noise getting the kettle out to make my coffee and I MAY have left the kettle whistling for a bit longer than normal and I MAY have let the Ute warm up with the lights and spotties on full beam and I MAY have slowly drove past their camp with the foot on the brake to make the old girl labour noisily.

I hit the road and by the time I hit the first section of bitumen the rain had stopped and I pulled up in Cobar at first light and tried to get some more sleep but that didn’t happen so I refuelled and headed out to Mount Gap Station for the Cliffhanger 4WD Event.

I collected all my media gear and made camp then later in the afternoon there was a photo shoot in the creek bed where spectators could wander around looking at the cars before we had a marshals briefing and retired for the night.

[Big Red]

Sunday 11th April
The comp started with theSS1, PJ’s Off Road Prologue where competitors had to climb a winch wall before a 19 point GPS point run over a large area.
I slipped on a loose rock and cut through my sock into my ankle but a bandaid stopped it rubbing on my boot and St Johns insisted on taping the length of it which was about 75mm long

SS2, Ultra Vision Lighting Night Navigation was a 21 point night navigation run of point to point navigation of around 50 kms.

Monday 12th April
Today was SS3, Dynamic Wheel Enduro, the big 150 Km, 8 hr Nav Run.
After watching the start I caught up with the convoy heading up to a lookout at the half way stage, we watched the comp trucks drop down off the plateau and the odd mob of goats climb up it before heading back to camp.
Had some phone reception so made use of it between cars.

Tuesday 13th April
Todays racing was sponsored by Mickey Thompson.
SS 4 was a nav run out to the days competition area.
SS5 was a run up a rocky creekbed before turning left and scaling 4 terraces to the top of the hill then a run back down to near the start.
SS6 started with a winch up a rocky ledge before driving back down and around to a steep and sharp rockface, many winch ropes were broken here.
SS7 was a 9 point nav run
SS8 was a 10 point nav run back to base

Wednesday 14th April
I got up early and headed out to the distant lookout taking around an hour and a quarter to get there as I had the track to myself.
Once there I sent Aaron a birthday message then as I was only 1.3Kms from the days stages I headed cross country down rock ledges with numerous deep and dry creek beds to find my way in to then out of again then came out on top of the cliff faces where all 6 stages were being run.
My vehicle then became the PA speaker stand and I hung a plastic rubbish bag on the back for people to use as the spectators were place on top of the cliff for better and safer viewing.
SS11a, PJ’s Off Road. Stair Case
SS11b, Killa Customs. Killa’s Wall
SS12a, ULTIMATE9. Ultimate9 Challenge
SS12b,RoadSafe4WD. Rocky Roadsafe
SS13a, Wyong Automatic Service. Wyong Winch Wall
SS13b, Road Runner Offroad. Road Runner Beep Beep
All stages were along various different parts of the same cliff face, competitors started at the bottom and raced to the top.
Super Tourers did 11a, 12a and 13a.
Winch Trucks and Ultra 4 Buggys did 11b, 12b and 13b.

One buggy managed to drive two of the stages
There was only one rollover I saw but I missed the two far stages as I didn’t see anyone heading that way and thought they were being saved for after the other 4 were finished … DOH!
After the race I helped Manny the PA speaker guy with a flat but my on board air didn’t work. When we got back to camp I crawled underneath and found a wire had pulled apart inside the split loom [probably due to my cross country excursion]

Thursday 15th April
I had an early start to get out and get a sunrise shot before continuing on to the days staging area.

SS16 was three circuits round with two winch hills
SS17 was three runs up a sandy creek bed then looping back along a track back to the start again

Four or five vehicles managed to drive some of the hills but there was a fair bit of carnage during the day

Friday 16th April
Due to no wind around, last nights and this mornings stages 20 and 21 were postponed until later and stage 22, the winch wall, was run first.
Teams drove down the creek, broke down and winch up a 2 to 3 metre high wall then drive down the wall again before the run down the rest of the creek to the finish line.
Stage 20 was a circuit with 2 cars on the course at the same time.
Stage 20 was also a circuit but one at a time.

I then hit the road so only had to pass one truck on the dusty dirt road back to the highway then headed as far as Warren where I made camp and watched the presentations on live stream.







Saturday 17th April
Today was just driving, luckily it rained most of the way home so the Ute got a good wash.
Arrived back on the Gold Coast around 4pm.
Been an awesome trip 