Answers Joe Cali
Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 15:32:27 -0800 (PST)
From: Michael Gill <eclipsechaser@yahoo.com>
Subject: December 4th 2002
To: Joseph Cali <joe.cali@anu.edu.au>
Cc: Glenn Schneider <gschneider@mac.com>,
"Joel M. Moskowitz" <moskowi@attglobal.net>,
Joseph Cali <joe_cali@hotmail.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
>Hi Joe (cc: Glenn and Joel)
>
>Glenn Schneider and I have decided to observe the
>December 4th total solar eclipse in Australia this
>year.
>
>Our nominal plan would be to go close to the sunset
>portion of the track, but retain a mobile capability
>in case of inclement weather.
>
>We are thinking along the lines of 4WD campervan
>(similar to the one I was using for the 1999 annular)
>with possible access to a light aircraft in case of
>weather contingencies.
>
>So, since you have travelled widely in the Outback, I
>was wondering if I could pick your brain about road
>conditions out there. Maps that Glenn and myself have
>used show that a lot of the roads inland (Strzelecki
>Track, Sturt National Park) seem to be unsealed. Can
>you confirm?
Yes, there are lots of unsealed roads out there. The land area of Australiais 85% of the USA. The total population is 19 million. 18 million peoplelive on the eastern and southern seaboard. That only leaves 1 million populatingthe centre and north. Most inland roads except major highways are unsealed.The roads around Sturt NP are 4wd roads. A 4wd may not be necessary buthigh ground clearance is often essential. The roads might only get gradedonce every 6 months or once per year. If there hasn't been much rain sincethe last grader pass, the roads might be in good condition. Or they mightbe attrocious. Having said that, the roads from Tiboburra north to Sturtwere in excellent condition 15 months ago and travel was very easy (Oct2000). The road to Innaminca was in acceptable condition. The Strzleckitrack is passable but slow depending on the road conditions. I have norecent report. All these roads have significant corrugations and wheelruts that limit safe driving speeds. Road conditions change with time.After rains and traffic they degrade badly, after the grader passes bythey improve again.
Getting to any part of the eclipse track is not especially difficult.The outback roads if driven with respect are easily travelled in a 4wdor even a 2wd with sufficient ground clearance. The problem arises travellingbetween different parts of the track.
I would not recommend cross country (off track) 4wding. Small stickscan easily puncture tyres especially in the summer heat which softens thetyre rubber. On atrip into the Gibson desert in 1993 our two vehicles suffered14 broken tyres. That is where the tyre rubber softened by the heat isdeformed enough while running over a sharp stone or obstacle to break thesteel belts on the 10 ply tyres. The vehicles you rent will only have onespare tyre. Vehicles fitted for off road travel usually carry multiplespare tyres and tubes and repair kits.
Travelling on "small dry lakes" is definitely not recommended. Mostsalt lake surfaces in Australia are fed by ground water. They have softsalt crust over wet mud or soft clay and the vehicle will sink in and becometrapped.
I have written a some basic 4wd'ing tips
>
>I know from your e-mail and web page that you plan to
>be in Port Augusta the night before totality. This
>strategy seems sound to me and we may do that
>ourselves.
Possibly. Pt Augusta seems to be the place to be on eclipse eve thatgives greatest mobility to widely varying locations. Recently, I've beenthinking more laterally about strategies and observing plans. I think thatbroken hill might be a better base on 2nd December. On the 3rd December,make a decision whether to head north or to Port August
I am listing a driving time range for each leg. The longer time is veryconservative and based on slow very safe driving speeds with plenty ofrest breaks and photo stops & looking around. The shorter time is theabsolute minimum you might want to allow without resorting to recklessdriving.. Times are based on averaging 100km/hr on sealed roads and 75km per hour on unsealed roads.
>So, what are the travel times like from Port Augusta
>to, say, Old Tickalara?
Probably too long to travel on eclipse day. I'd allow 14 hours to besafe, 11 hours at a minimum then you have to reach the centre line aboutone more hour???. At a guess, I'd say much too long to do on eclipse day.
>Pt Augusta- Peterborough
120km About 1.5 .- 2 hrs
>What about the Barrier Highway
>from Peterborough to Broken Hill?
Good condition, sealed & fast 270 km 3 - 5 hrs
Or, the Silver City
>Highway from Broken Hill to Tibooberra?
It's Tibooburra. Distance 340km. Time 4- 6 hrs. Condition - prettygood and sealed part of the way. Conditions get a little worse the furthernorth you go. In a top heavy camper 4wd you probably shouldn't travel over60-70km per hour once you hit the unsealed roads.
>Any weather
>related or time-of-year related phenomenon that you
>know of that might be relevant?
dangerously hot weather,
bull dust as mentioned below.
Rain is very unlikely at that time but formations of cloud are likelyahead of fronts as I've described on the web page. If it did happen torain, the roads out there will be very difficult to negotiate if not closedand you would be stranded. I believe Pt Augusta is the best bet for findingclear skies. I have a perfect weather record to defend J
>
>If we plan to be up at the sunset portion of the
>track, should we base ourselves at Broken Hill rather
>then Port Augusta?
An alternative strategy worth considering.. As I mentioned above I'vebeen thinking along the lines of being in Broken hill at T-2days. Checkthe weather map and decide whether to stay put or move to Pt Augusta ormove north on the 3rd December.
>
>Also, do you know about the state of any airfields in
>the eclipse track?
No but many grazing properties have their own airstrip and plane. Someof the grazing properties in that part of the world are bigger than England:-) All the airstrips will be dirt ie dry weather strips. You might needto coordinate with the property owner/manager so that they herd the cattleor sheep off the airstrip before you try to land.J
Sorry to bombard you with so many questions, but I
look forward to your reply.
Best wishes,
Michael
BTW, all these places marked on the map are private farm homesteadsnot towns. The airstrip is private and you would need to get permissionto use it or for that matter to camp on their property. Finding phone numbersfor these places might be a bit difficult. I think that air traffic controlfor all outback airstrips & airspace in that region is controlled bythe air traffic controller at the small airport at Leigh Ck.
Possible Address for Tickalara
If you want to try writing to Tickalara, try the following address.I made up the address but the letter will probably find its way to thehomestead this way.
The manager
Tickalara Homestead
via Tibooburra NSW 2880
AUSTRALIA
FLYING INTO SYDNEY
If you are planning to go to the end of the track, Sydney, Melbourneor Adelaide are all approximately equidistant from Camerons Corner giveor take two hours driving. Most international flights arrive in Sydney.The east coast is cooler place at that time of year. Adelaide can be almostas hot as the centre. You can hang out for a day or two see the sights& recover from jet lag prepare vehicles. From Sydney, you can passthrough Parkes Radio Telescope, Siding Spring Observatory and even theAustralia telescope before heading west if you want some astro-tourismstops. Siding Spring is located in a beautiful National Park Called theWarrumbungles and there are campsites available in the park. You can comevia Canberra and use it as a base. If you are buying supplies and hardwarefor vehicles, Canberra is very easy to move around and parking is reallyeasy.
From Sydney/Canberra region to Tibooburra takes one long day or twoeasy days drive (approx 14-16 hours). If you arrive early and want to dosome astro-photography I can put you onto some good spots to go in NSW.
Night driving
Avoid the Nygan-Bourke part of the Mitchell HWY after dark. It canbe very dangerous because after dark as you will see many many thousandsof kangaroos on the road and hit a few of them. That goes for driving atdusk night and dawn all through the centre, Bourke Nygan is particularlybad. In our workplace we use to call the Bourke/Nygan stretch "KangarooStraights." years ago when we were trasvelling regularly through the areato a field site near Birdsville..
Local weather problems formed by the Flinders Ranges
The Flinders ranges are only about 1000 metres high at their highestpoint which is south of the path (St Mary's peak). To the best of my knowledgethey don't create their own weather. They were considered for the sitefor the 150" telescope in the 1970's. It was a better site for an observatory.Siding Spring was chosen for logistical/ cost saving reasons even thoughit was a considerably worse site in terms of clear skies.
Arkaroola Resort
There is a private resort called Arkaroola at the north end of theFlinders ranges. Nearby Mt Hopeless homestead 139 45'E 29 36'S alt 50mhas an airstrip, The "Mountain" Mt Hopeless is a whole 126 m high and liesin the path of totality. Don't laugh. This country is 4 Billion years old.Everything is worn down even the mountains.
Temperatures
Water should be carried to allow for 8litres (2 gallons) per personper day. If it is hot enough, it is very difficult to drink that quantityof water yet that is what you need to force through yourself if temps riseabove the mid 40's(120F). That said, temps around 38-42C(105F) are mostlikely.
A 4wd can give you tremendous freedom in the outback. Many peoplehave the wrong impressions of 4wd's because of movie stunts. Driven carefullyan all terrain 4wd is capable of much more than most drivers would be willingto attempt. Driven carelesslya 4wd can leave you stranded in remote areaswith little hope of being found in a reasonable time. Here are a few hintsfor safer off road travel.
Picking up the vehicle
When you rent the 4wd make sure the attendant gives you a demonstrationof how to engage 4wd. Ask for a photocopy of the service manual that includesinformation of engaging 4wd and location of the jacking points. make surethe jack is appropriate for the vehicle Check that 4wd will actually engagebefore accepting the vehicle.Check that your rental contract allows offroad driving and the insurance covers off road use in the rental contract.
Engaging 4wd
After becomming bogged, it is sometimes very difficult to get the transferlever to engage 4wd or disengage it after you are out of trouble. Thisis called tailstock wind up. The drive shaft of the vehicle is twistedand the transfer gear won't engage. Put the vehicle into revers, slowlylift the clutch until the 4wd.engages or disengages.
Most rental 4wd's have petrol engines so fuel vapourisation maybecome an issue if it's really hot. That's a phenomena where the fuel evaporatesbefore getting into the combustion chamber of the engine. Fuel use becomesinefficient and you end up with really bad fuel economy. Your fuel tankrange is reduced substantially and you might need to carry extra fuel supplies.I worked in the Gibson desert once in those temperatures in 1993. The fuelconsumption increased substantially. The 4litre engines(carburettor) normallyused 17-20 litres per 100km. This increased to around 35 litres per 100kmin the heat. The modern Landcruisers are fuel injected. I don't know haveany data on how this problem affects fuel injected vehicles. It is nota problem with diesel.
You may run into bulldust. It's a fine dust with the consistencyof talc colour of red sand that blows around and fills up deep wheel rutsdug in by 4wd's during wet weather. As you are driving along on what lookslike flat road when suddenly on one side or or both sides of the vehiclewheels drops into a rut and grabs and the car flips. If you don't believeme I can put you in touch with a friend who is paralysed from the neckdown as a result of that very phenomena. His Landcruiser was travellingat 60km / hr at the time not far from Camerons corner. The roof of a 4wdisn't very strong for the weight of the vehicle and they tend to cave induring a roll-over. Since the accident I referred to above, all our work4wd's have been fitted with roll cages as standard. The 4wd camper vansare very top heavy & unstable. Please drive with extreme caution.
The most important thing to carry is water. It is the differencebetween life and death in the summer heat. You will need to have around5-8 litres per person per day in excess of what you expect to use justin case you break down and the temperature soars. 55 C (130F) is not unheardof in central Australia. Extreme temps are more common in late summer notDecember. Have at least a weeks supply in case of breakdown.
Recovery & safety gear
4wd manuals will list hundreds of items that you should bring intothe desert. For Eclipse travellers, it isn't practical to purchase allthe recommended recovery & safety equipment.
Most 4wd's have hydraulic jacks. On soft ground these may not be ableto be inserted to the jacking point as the 4wd wheels might be buried inthe sand. When inserted the jack may sink in to the soft sand and not jackthe vehicle.
A few inexpensive items I would recommend you purchase would be
Shovel for digging the jacking point or bogged tyres clear(US$10)
Flat piece of wood board 1" thick 500mm long by 250mm wide to supportthe jack on soft sand.(US$10)
Small air compressor for raising and lowering tyre pressure ( softsand driving)(US$10)
Tyre gauge US$3-5 from repco or bring one with you from home
Toilet brush US$2 for removing grass seed from hot radiators
Sand Driving
When driving on hot soft sand, the vehicle may become bogged or losetraction. If this happens take your foot off the accelerator immediatelyyou feel the loss of traction. Do not "floor it" as this with result ina vehicle bogged to it's axels. You will then have to dig 11 inches ofsand from the entire underside of the vehicle and an escape ramp beforetrying anything else.
If you follow my advice, There will be an inch or two of sand dammedin front of the tyres. Dig the sand from around the tyres. The normal tyrepressure is 35-45psi( 250kPA) depending on the vehicle. Lower the tyrepressure to 22 psi(160 kPA). Make sure the vehicle is in low range 4wdand that the 4wd is engaged properly. Engage 3rd gear on a big engines4wd 2nd gear on a small engined 4wd. Do not engage 1st. 1st has too muchtorque and you will only dig in. Slowly release the clutch. Do not dropthe clutch. You can lay some dead wood in front of the tyre but this shouldnot be necessary with a 4wd
Don't drive at high speed with deflated tyres. They can over heat orroll off the rims while the vehicle is cornering. When you are out of thesoft sand, use the compressor to reinflate to normal pressure.
Sand Dunes
If you lose traction driving up a sand dune, take your foot off theaccelaerator immediately. Once traction is lost, you cannot regain it.Get out, clear sand from behind the vehicle lower tyre pressure as perabove. REVERSE down the dune to flat ground. Reverse back a long way alongthe flat to get a run up and get up some speed to get you over the dune.If yuou fail again, repeat the process back up further and hit the dunewith more speed until you get over. Ask the passengers to alight and walkup the dune to remove weight from the vehicle.
Water crossings
Never drive into water unless you know how deep it is. There is onlyone way to find out. Walk through it first. Once your vehicle is submergedbelow the air intake in a remote area, you may be delayed for up to a week.Spending a few minutes walking the water course is time well spent. Checkthe ford for deep holes. If the water is muddy, walk across along one tyreline and back along the other then keep the tyre in those lines to havewalked.
Driving striaght into deep water with hot 4wd transaxels is not recommended.The breather tubes can back-suck water into the differentials. Let theaxels cool before crossing.
Exhaust manifold
The exhaust manifold is hot enough to start a fire if you park in longdry grass. The heads of the grass touch the manifold and your vehicle isright on top of a grass fire before you know it. If you have to park ontop of grass, use a shoel to clear the grass from the manifold.
Radiator care
When crossing deep water, disconnect the fan belt. The radiator fanblades can deflect forward when submerged and chop a hole in the radiator
If you are driving along twin tracks with tall grass growing between,check your radiator frequently. The seeds can block air flow to the radiatorwhich can cause overheating. A household toilet brush costing a dollaror two is very useful for removing seeds.
Salt lakes
The surface of most salt lakes in Australia cannot be driven on. Thesurface consists of a thick soft water saturated salt crust covering asoft mud or clay pans below. A 4wd will quickly breakthrough the salt crustand sink to its axels where it will stay until winched out by another vehicle.
Off track (cross country driving)
Small sticks can easily puncture tyres especially in the summer heatwhich softens the tyre rubber. On atrip into the Gibson desert in 1993our two vehicles suffered 14 broken tyres. That is where the tyre rubbersoftened by the heat is deformed enough while running over a sharp stoneor obstacle to break the steel belts on the 10 ply tyres. The vehiclesyou rent will only have one spare tyre. Vehicles fitted for off road travelusually carry multiple spare tyres and tubes and repair kits.
If you are forced to drive cross country slow speed is the key. At 5km/hryou are far less likely to spike a tyre than at 40km/hr.
Roll over
A roll over does not signal the end of the world if you know what todo.
First check if your passengers are injured. Release the engine hoodand get out of the vehicle. Find the tool kit. Go to the battery and removeit before all the battery acid spills out. Without a battery, you aren'tgoing anywhere.Next Check that fuel tank isn't leaking from the vehicle.Unpack the vehicle of all contents and palce them well away from the vehicle.Find some shade or else make some from tarpaulins, sheets whatever. Ifyour vehclie has a winch you might be able to right the vehicle yourself.Run the winch cable from the front of the car around a tree ( Bury thespare tyre if there is no tree) and back to the uppermost rear wheel ifthe vehicle is on its side, either wheel if it is on the hood. You willneed to reconnect the battery to do this. Wind in the winch and if youare lucky, the car will end up back on it's chassis. If not rest, keephydrated and wait for a passing car to assist you.
In the event of any type of break down or accident, always stay withyour vehicle. Never walk off! It is much easier for a search plane to spotyour car than you as a small dot in the landscape. IF you have no fuelto light a signal fire, remove the spare tyre, get it away from the vehiclepour petrol on it and set it alight. the thick black smoke is very visible.
Good luck and safe driving!
Alternative locations. Assuming the atmospheric phenomena are moreor less the same anywhere inland here are a few suggestions for deserteclipse landscapes and a few non-recommendations. These descriptions beginat Ceduna and move inland.
Ceduna - a rather ugly little town. In my days racing sailingboats, Ceduna was a mecca that hosted many national championships famousfor the fact that you could rely on gale force winds daily during summer.Not conducive to stable telescope set ups.
10-20km inland from Ceduna Desert with small salt lakes in 8metre red sand dune fields. Some granite outcrops. See mywebsiteformore info.
Difficult 4wd tracks across vast dune fields inland from there.It's easier & quicker to travel the 1000km around the hwy to Woomerathan to try to cross the 300km 4wd desert track.
Around Lake Gairdner, you can probably get some decent elevationover the lake surface( 10-30 metres). The lake scenery is pretty nice.The centre line comes in directly across the lake and leave the lake atits north end.
Woomera the town (I haven't been there) Restricted access alongthe path from the highway between Wirramina and lake Torrens Uranium minesand 1950's atmospheric A-bomb test site. There is a picnic site at lakeHart right on the southern limit and you can stop along the highway. Youcan travel up the Woomera / Roxby Downs road on sealed surfaces but youcan't leave the road without a permit from the military. Not worth thetrouble IMHO.
Lake Torrens is a large flat saturated salt crust lake ( ie youcan't drive on the surface) There is road access from the east side nearLyndhurst
The west side borders the restricted zone.
Leigh Ck - Lyndhurst etc not especially attractive towns.
Nth Flinders ranges. Red rock formations. The part of the mountainsin the eclipse path are not very tall 150metres max
Strzlecki track from Lyndhurst winds in and out of the eclipsepath almost to Lake Callabona. I haven't travelled this track but it willbe Gibber desert (small red iron stone pavement or red sand)
Sturt NP Red sand country & small salt lakes
Camping is not a problem in most of those places providing you havewater, stove, TP and a shovel:-)
Joe Cali
15-January-2002