Norwegians going down under ....

[Tonto]

Also a website to check out is www.desertaccess.com.au
We use them a lot, seem pretty good.
Hire all sorts of gear, fridges, GPS, campers.

Might be worth asking them for recommendations on vehicle hire too.

[Big_T]

Some of my Flinders Ranges pictures



Hertz has Landcruisers available from Adelaide airport




You really need to tell us how 'hardcore' you want the driving to be.
What is your level of 4x4 experience?
Are you in a club?
What type of vehicles do you own in Norway?

[ruj]

Lots of good info ..... thanks again!
We have now decided to go straight to Adelaide and travel north from there. Arriving on 16 alt. 17 of march. We got 4 days. Congress is due on Monday in Adelaide.
I have studied some travel books and checked the www. Planing on renting an Toyota Landcruiser at the Airport and going north heading for Flinders Range.
I am no 4WD expert, I am in to 2WD dirtriding (enduroriding, motocross). Still we got hard winters here with lots of snow and steep mountains to ride on. That means I know the thrill you all are looking for, 4WD driving has been plan B for me. Laws here in Norway are heavely restrictiv regarding offroad riding. This is for 4 and also 2 WD. But it is surely easier and more accepted getting away with these activities on 2 wheels . This doesnt mean I dont respect enviromental thinking ...... But it is kind of extreme up here !
@tonto: Great info! I am going to follow the tips you shared with us. Tnx!
What do you think of:
Adelaide-Orroroo-Parachilna(overnight, meals and an cool aussie beer)
Can I go from Orroro north to Carrieton and Hawker or do I have to go to Port Augusta?
I have been dreaming of traveling the classic outback roads for ages, now help me out:
How would you do it? Strzelecki track up to Innamincka? Birdsville track? Oodnadatta track? I roundtrip would be fantastic. And yes we like driving ....! We dont plan on camping, so were kind of depending on roadhouses giving us shelter. Is the road Marree to Coober Pedy driveable for scandinaviens this time of the year? If I am far of tracks here, planing some deadly stunt then please tell me so, I dont have a deathwish! We will check with the locals and respect their opinions, we are realistic about things. But .. we can cope with heat, dust and we are looking for a safe short adventure. I wanna tell my colleges at home, I have done the Strzelecki Track or similar.
What map? Does a GPS (got this handheld Garmin Map 60CS) help me out? Where do I get the electronic maps for it?

Thats a lot! If you got this far down, thank you for your time ...

Jan

[Big_T]

I will let Tonto answer these questions.

But there is this link here to determine travelling times:
http://www.raa.net/holidays_travel_planner.htm

Adelaide-Orroroo-Parachilna = 479.20 kms or 6:19 hours
(quite often we go through Peterborough for food and fuel. Hawker is good for lunch)
It's all bitumen. old, but good sealed roads. 110kph.
Farming country for first 350ks. crops, sheep, cattle.

Biggest thing to remember is try to avoid driving at sunrise and sunset to avoid kangaroos. Seriously.
And keep on the left hand side of the road. Especially on the dirt roads with no lane markings.

[Tonto]

Originally Posted by ruj

What do you think of:
Adelaide-Orroroo-Parachilna(overnight, meals and an cool aussie beer)
Can I go from Orroro north to Carrieton and Hawker or do I have to go to Port Augusta?

Hawker is pretty much the gateway to the Flinders ranges - not that you want to stay there, but if you're heading to the Flinders or Innaminka, you should be aiming to pass through (and grab lunch/supplies, as BigT says). Heading north out of Adelaide you have a number of choices. There's the main Highway 1 which takes you via Snowtown and Port Augusta - good road but not much of interest; a parallel route via Melrose, Wilmington and Quorn - scenic and passes Mount Remarkable national park (but Mount Remarkable was almost certainly not named by a Scandinavian, it's nothing to get too excited about); the Clare Valley route passing through Gawler, Clare, Jamestown and Orroroo - stock up on some wines in the fabulous Clare Valley; or via Gawler, Kapunda, Burra, Peterborough and Orroroo (Burra has some good mining heritage worth a quick look). I prefer the Melrose or Clare routes, but ... whatever; until you're at around Hawker you're really not getting "outback" ... mostly agricultural and then grazing country.
Yes, you can head straight up from Orroroo to Hawker, no need to detour to Port Augusta.

Originally Posted by ruj

I have been dreaming of traveling the classic outback roads for ages, now help me out:
How would you do it? Strzelecki track up to Innamincka? Birdsville track? Oodnadatta track? I roundtrip would be fantastic. And yes we like driving ....! We dont plan on camping, so were kind of depending on roadhouses giving us shelter. Is the road Marree to Coober Pedy driveable for scandinaviens this time of the year? If I am far of tracks here, planing some deadly stunt then please tell me so, I dont have a deathwish! We will check with the locals and respect their opinions, we are realistic about things. But .. we can cope with heat, dust and we are looking for a safe short adventure. I wanna tell my colleges at home, I have done the Strzelecki Track or similar.

Beyond the Flinders, I can't help you out much. Here's a couple of links that may help, and I'm sure someone on the forum will respond about these tracks ? Maybe Flyboy ??

http://www.go.jeep-xj.info/Trip.htm
http://www.exploroz.com/Splash.asp

Originally Posted by ruj

What map? Does a GPS (got this handheld Garmin Map 60CS) help me out? Where do I get the electronic maps for it?

Maps are pretty easy to pick up from the SA 4WD shops - I'd even suggest trying Mount Barker 4x4 or one of the others in SA who could probably send you out the relevant hema map in advance to help with your planning.
http://www.mountbarker4x4centre.com.au/

For GPS enquiries you might want to contact these guys
http://www.ja-gps.com.au/

BigT's safety tips are good'uns.

Hope that helps.

[Big_T]

I like these Hema Great Desert Tracks maps. There is a series of them that cover most of Aus.
http://www.themapshop.com.au/site/in...7A38A372914063

I don't want to be negative, but my gut feeling about this is that you don't have time to 'do' any of these tracks. Maybe park by some signs for a photo and then get back in the 4x4 and come back.

[Tonto]

Originally Posted by Big_T

[img]I don't want to be negative, but my gut feeling about this is that you don't have time to 'do' any of these tracks. Maybe park by some signs for a photo and then get back in the 4x4 and come back.

Taking into account safe driving speeds for track conditions, possible road closures (?), limited travelling hours due to straying (hopping) wildlife ... I'd be wondering the same (although I haven't done the tracks and would happily be corrected by someone who has).
I'd be as concerned that even if you can "do" the tracks, the enjoyment comes more from taking them at a reasonable pace and "experiencing" them, which you might just miss in your rush.

Give some thought to limiting yourself to the Flinders Ranges, Kangaroo Island or Robe/Beachport. Any one of these would be quite do-able in 4 days.

A few other useful sites
http://www.southaustralia.com/home.asp
http://www.shorts.com.au/

Anyhow, good luck with your planning