Kombis cross the Desert!!!

G'day,

4 Kombis, 2 splits/2bays, have just completed a 3 week trip from Bendigo and Sheparton in Vic up the Oodnadatta Track to William Creek then west to Coober Pedy then continued westerly across the Great Victoria Desert to Vokes Hill Corner then south thru Cook on the Trans Aust Railway line, across the Nullabor Plain down to Nullabor Roadhouse. They then travelled easterly to Ceduna where they drove north up Googs' Track (which has a lot of big sand dunes) to the railway line again and followed the line out to Woomera, then headed south back home.

The group were well prepared and had no trouble at all but for 2 flat tyres on 1 splitty. The Kombis performed extremely well and exceeded all expectations.

There was no 4x4 support vehicle etc. and each Kombi carried approx 200 litres of fuel, 80 litres of water, 2 spare tyres each plus everything else required for a trip of this size. The folk have taken heaps of pics and video so will put some up after they return home.

One of the party flew out from Canada especially to drive one of the Bays and had a ball as did everyone else.

Will update soon,
Cheers, Ian.

Check out my original thread about this trip, http://www.aussieveedubbers.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=10068#pid90121

[Edited on 6-8-2004 by Desert Bug]

wow! sounds like fun!!

can't wait to see the pics.. 2 splitties and 2 bays going nuts

awesome 🙂😀

Woo hoo! Can't wait for the pics :-)

Looking forward to seeing the vid and pics...

This was in the Bendigo Advertiser Newspaper a couple of weeks ago when the group left Bendigo to start the trip.
You can tell the Jurno's not into VWs.

THEY SPELT KOMBI WRONG!!!😠

Fan bloody tastic!!!!!😎

Sounds like fun😎

I love hearing stories about some of the trips people do in their kombi's,its a true inspiration to people like me who are building something special. I'm setting up my dualcab for extended off-road trips with the main aim to cross every desert in australia including the canning stock route. There are those in some 4wd circles who say this can't be done but that's like waving a red rag in front of a bull. Preparation is the key and I'm sure those kombi owners did more than just check the oil before leaving.Well done to those 4 kombis for doing us proud, it must have been a sight to see those busses working up the googs track.......awesome.

G'day,
Well they all made it home today and are a bit sad it's all over for a couple of years. One of the Girls will email me some pics soon to put up on here.
Dubcab, we live at the junction of the Canning and the Tanami at Billiluna Station with our Desert Splitty which amazes a lot of the 4x4 mob especialy when I tell them I towed a trailer 4500ks to get here, so if wer're still here when you do the Canning drop in for a cuppa.
I talk to a lot of "Travellers" (we average about 6 to 8 a day at the moment calling in here for fuel) about their trips and had 8 bikes from Vic in for fuel the other day who had ridden up the Tanami and were heading down the Canning.
We are hoping to go for a run down the Canning in the Splitty soon for a 100ks or so just for a look, and to see the look on the faces of the "Travellers" when they come face to face with an old Kombi doing the same thing they are.
Cheers, Ian.

Good on you guys.
Im glad you had a great time. I want to hear all about it!
It really amaze's me that the 4x4 mob think you cant cross a berm on the edge of the road without a four wheel drive!
I have a story written by a man who took a standard Beetle to the top of Cape York and he has the pictures to prove it!
I used to have a book written by Evan Green, a motoring journalist from days gone by. It was about a crossing of the Gun Barrel highway in the 60's. The chosen vehicals were. cop this! an Morris 1100 and a Morris Mini, and guess what! they made it. Ok it wasn't easy, but they did it! and this was the OLD gun Barrel, not the shortened one we have today.
A lot of roo shooters and station itenerants, before the importation, began of Land Rovers and Cruisers, used to use VW based custom vehicals to get around the outback long before outback travel became "FASHIONABLE". I would hazard to say that there is not many places a 4x4 has been that a VW has not been before! but you wont hear about that in BUSHDRIVER magazine.
Rob...

[Edited on 6-8-2004 by Robo]