I never actually expected I would get to drive this iconic Aussie Track.
The abundance of YouTube videos from this track often show all sorts of mayhem and misadventure on the Track, which made me wonder if driving the track was achievable or even wise.
Remember, Lulu the Landy is not just a vehicle for me, she is my house!
Adding to that, I did not have a convoy of mates to drive up with, had no winch and really did not want to drown or break my vehicle.
Impromptu convoy
Bramwell Junction is where the Old Telegraph Track begins. You can chose to stay on the Peninsular Development Road (PDR) up to the top, or you take a left to drive up the Old Telegraph Track.
The Juntion/Roadhouse is a great place to mix & mingle with other drivers, learn about the road ahead. I spoke with several drivers and was encouraged by what I learnt and made the decision to tag along with a small convoy of other vehicles heading up the track to the first river crossing: Palm Creek.
Palm Creek
This 1st river crossing sets the scene for the track, separating out those who are prepared to drive their vehicles into steep river entrances and exits from those who will drive the PDR the remainder of the way to the top.
This is Lulu & I driving into Palm Creek, from a spectator point of view
Now, from my point of view as the driver.
And much to my shame, here is Lulu being winched out the exit (pic below).
I should have been able to drive out of that....
I am sure I would have if I had my front diff locked properly.
Driver error!
More details in the video.
Fun fun fun
Loads of river crossings, each one different.
Fun trails.
Great way to make friends as you create impromptu convoys along the way.
The track
Aside from the river crossing entrances & exits the track itself was pretty easy driving.
The scenery changes as you move through different vegetation and terrain and there are plenty of broken car parts to admire along the track as well!
Check out the height of these termite mounds!
The Gunshot
It was late afternoon by the time we reached the famous Gunshot Creek Crossing.
There is an option to exit the track and re-join the road about 7kms south of the creek, handy if you decide you don't want to attempt the crossing.
This pic below shows an aerial view of the creek entrances
... and the same view with a few of the creek entrances marked on the image.
Note the height of some of the drop-ins to the full sized adult in the middle of the image.
As vehicles arrived at the crossing their drivers and passengers all walked the entrances and exits to assess them.... discussing and comparing opinions about the options.
I was a little surprised at how challenging the 'chicken' track option was and it was not until I had watched several vehicles successfully negotiate it that I decided I would attempt it.
Remember, Lulu the Landy is my house, not just a weekend wagon - so I was being extra cautious.
I took my time, doing my best to make a controlled descent into the creek and was very very pleased with my success. Perhaps not a big issue for other drivers who do this level of track all the time, but I was super stoked with doing it successfully.!
Great atmosphere camping at Gunshot Creek
It was quite late in the day by the time I crossed the creek and I joined many of the other drivers who decided to camp there the night.
In my excitement at driving the creek entrance I had forgotten to turn my gopro camera on and had absolutely no footage at all of my attempt of the crossing - so it was a thrill to be able to swap video files with other travellers around various campfires on the northern side of the crossing. Big thanks to everyone who shared their files with me!
I particularly want to thank these two inspirational woman Eva & Terri who drove the crossing before me, and inspired me to attempt it myself!
Day Two on the track
I was keen to have an early start the following day. By getting on the track early it meant I could stop to take video and photos without holding anyone up behind me.
There was plenty more fun little river crossings on day two and I enjoyed it just as much as the first day.
It can go wrong very quickly - respect even the easy sections
I was reminded how quickly it can go wrong when we came across some of our new friends being pulled from their vehicle after it had rolled onto its side.
No injuries, but quite frightening just the same.
They were assisted by other travellers who readily gave a hand to winch them back upright, so all ended well - but a reminder to treat the track with respect.
I did not drive the Northern Section of the Track
Having heard that some of the river crossings on the northern section were quite deep I made the call to NOT drive the Northern section of the track.
I had quite a bit of my camper wiring for inverter, batteries and fridge sited low inside the rear of my vehicle and did not want to move them or risk them being damaged.
Will I do it again?
I would love to, and I would love to do the northern section next time too. But I would empty a lot of my camper gear out of my vehicle for that mission so that Lulu was back to being just a 4x4, rather than my 'house'.
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