further info ESD Ex 2008


20 Day Eastern Simpson Desert Expedition July 14 to August 2 2008 2 days road transfer from Adelaide, 16 days by camel, 2 day return road transfer to Adelaide. The Ingredients Of The Journey A constructive mental attitude is fundamental to the success of your journey and due to the very nature of the expedition and the remote areas that you will visit, conditions may be outside that of your normal experience. After leaving the comforts of civilisation behind, you should be prepared to enjoy the desert on its own terms. "Expedition" - in the adventure tourism world these days, the word 'expedition' seems to be applied in a sometimes offhand way to any 'tour' that promises some degree of difficulty or ruggedness. Indeed, some tour companies actually advertise driving up the Birdsville Track in an air conditioned 4WD as an expedition, which I find a rather interesting interpretation. Simplistically speaking, the Eastern Simpson Desert Expedition is not a tour, nor a holiday, nor a vacation. This journey is an authentic, contemporary expedition in every sense of the word and it requires the active participation from all the expedition members for it to be successful. The camel string is totally self-sufficient and once we depart and walk over that first sand dune, we are on our own. There is no fleet of support Land Rovers discreetly following behind. Indeed, we leave only foot & padprints and not tyre tracks. The country we will traverse is very remote. We have been to this area of the desert only twice before and we are the only people operating commercial camel expeditions of this scale in Australia. There are no aboriginal communities en-route, no tracks nor roads and we won't run into any other 'tour operators'. Indeed, we will not see anyone at all during the entire journey. This is a fair dinkum experience that has its origins in the days when the early explorers, such as Wills, Burke, Giles, Wells and Lindsay began using camels to explore and traverse the harsh interior. Soon after, the strings of pack-camels and the (predominantly) Muslim cameleers who owned and worked them, plied their trade along the outback routes, carrying supplies for the fledgling towns and remote cattle stations. The foundations of the 2008 Expedition are forged from that important part of Australia's history. The Expedition can be hard work, there may be hot weather, there will be strict water rationing and it will be both fascinating and educational working with the camels and I can assure you that the whole experience will be worth every minute. If you feel that this sort of journey is beyond your threshold, then perhaps you would be better suited to a 10-day trek. But if you are looking for an experience that may change your perspective on life, then please read on. *Andrew Harper FRGS, Expedition Leader* back A Typical Day Remembering that the success of the expedition depends on the active participation of all expedition members, we ask that you participate to the best of your ability without over doing it. Working together as a team, assisting the crew in the daily routine of running the expedition, is an important factor in reaching our final destination and enjoying our month in the desert. Typical duties would include helping to saddle the camels, load and unload equipment, collecting firewood or assisting with shepherding the camels at the end of the day. We feel that the journey represents a balanced mix of healthy work, relaxation and personal discovery - "what we all put into it, we all get out of it". The day begins at first light when the crew untie the camels from their night trees and shepherd the camels (perhaps with your help!) whilst they feed. The campfire is brought back to life, the billy boiled and breakfast is served. After breakfast, we pack up camp and the camels are brought in ready to be loaded with saddles and equipment. Everyone helps in this precision exercise. We usually break camp between 8.00 & 9.30 a.m. and our pace of travel is based around that of the camels. They normally walk at about 4 kilometres per hour on flat country and 3 kilometres per hour over dunes. We are not in a rush and one of the first things that you will notice as you walk along is the sheer immensity of the desert silence. Become involved in the day and your senses will soon become attuned to the surrounding desert. During the morning we stop every hour to adjust loads and have a break, before pulling up for lunch about midday for an hour or so. Lunch is laid out on the tables and this is a time to rest and relax a while. The afternoon walk follows a similar pattern to that of the morning. Camp is usually struck sometime between 3 and 4.30 p.m. at a suitable place where there is feed for the camels - this is the most critical factor in selecting a campsite. Again, everyone helps to unsaddle the camels and collect firewood etc. The camp is run like a traditional 'stock camp', similar to those that you would find on any large Australian cattle station and is well equipped but not overloaded with the clutter that seems to accompany modern day camping. We carry the essentials - water, food, shelter & swags (bedrolls). Swag, blue tarp and black kitbag supplied by OCC Whilst the camels are grazing, this is a time for you to collect your swag & personal gear and relax, read, or write up the diary. The crew will be preparing dinner and may need some help shepherding camels to make sure that they don't stray too far from camp. All meals are cooked on the campfire in camp-ovens or woks. Dinner is served soon after nightfall. At the end of the day, sitting around a campfire in the Australian Outback, surrounded by the desert night, is one of life's great pleasures. It's time to discuss the day's events or just sit back on your swag and absorb the brilliant glow of the stars and the thunderous silence that 150,000 square kilometres of desert produces. The camels inevitably become a talking point as our day completely revolves around their day and their ability to negotiate the dunes with their loads which may weigh as much as 250kg. Day-to-Day Itinerary The actual day-to-day itinerary of any expedition is, to a large degree, unplanned! That is the beauty of travelling with camels and exploring the desert. As the expedition is self-sufficient and the camels can travel virtually anywhere, the only definite objective is our final destination. For instance, it is seldom known in the morning exactly where that nights camp will be, as the route taken, weather conditions, availability of camel feed and 'unexpected discoveries' all determine the position of camp. The one constant however, is the daily routine of loading and unloading the equipment onto and off the camels, as well as the general camp duties. On day 1, you depart Adelaide and begin the drive in 4WD vehicle(s) via the Birdsville Track to the camel camp. This transfer is a great journey by itself and you will be seeing an iconic part of the Outback. You will bush camp that night. On day 2 you arrive at the camel camp and will meet your crew, and the camels. We will have food and other equipment to pack as we make preparations for departure but you will have time to acclimatise to your new surroundings and organise your personal gear. That evening, your expedition leader will talk about the proposed expedition route, the camels and other important safety points. On day 3 it's all hands on deck. This first day is a 'learning day' as your crew will demonstrate how to handle the camels and how the tonnes of saddles & equipment are carried. Hence, only a short distance is travelled before camp is struck in the afternoon. As the days pass and you become more familiar with the daily activities, the loading/unloading time decreases and the trek settles into a comfortable routine. Days 4 to 17 consist of the same daily routine. The water that we carry will be for drinking only. By day 18, the camel string should be nearing our projected change-over camp. Day 19 is the first road transfer day back to Adelaide via the Birdsville Track. You will bush camp that night. Day 20 continues the transfer and weather/road conditions permitting, you should arrive in Adelaide in late afternoon/early evening. !! IMPORTANT !! Please note that we strongly urge you to build in a 'buffer zone' for your departure from Adelaide that may be due to any delays caused by wet weather. Schedule your outgoing flights at least 24 hours after our expected arrival time in Adelaide. If roads become impassable due to wet weather, we will do our best to get you back to town on time, however we cannot be held responsible for a delay. An OKA 4WD used on our transfer runs Brushing down the camels before loading back Cooking on the open fire General Notes The team. The expedition party comprises 10 trekkers, 4 cameleers and 16 to 18 camels. Your fellow trekkers will come from many countries. Most of our clients are from Australia and New Zealand however you can expect people from the UK, North America and Europe to be in your group. Most would have had no previous camel trekking experience, whilst others have been enjoying our treks for many years. Our leaders. Our leaders are experienced cameleers, each with a love and respect for the camels and the desert and are happy to share their knowledge with you. All are trained in First Aid, as is at least one other crew member. Camping Equipment. The Outback Camel Company provides all the camping equipment. You do not need to bring tents or swags. In the event of rain, we have freestanding tent flys. Yes, it can rain in the desert during winter! We carry kitchen tables and a kitchen tent for when it rains. Your swag doubles as a comfortable ‘chair’ at night around the campfire in the evenings, however we also carry small plastic fold-up stools.