Olsen's Tours and Training Blog

We got away from the camp , crossed the Picturesque Archer River and soon we were travelling at a good pace on the PDR. We stopped for morning tea at Moreton Telegraph Station under the mango trees on the banks of the Wenlock River. We had been scheduled to stop the previous night at Moreton but were behind schedule. By lunch time we were at Bramwell Junction, ready to tackle the Overland Telegraph Line.

The first challenge on the OTL is Palm Creek, a rough and steep, descent into mud then water. As usual the idiot brigade had cut sections of logs and dropped them into the mud holes to provide high spots for the wheels thus improving clearance. After more than 30 years of off-road driving, I can tell you that such foolishness creates more hazards than it avoids and destroys vehicles. In fact, the next idiot I see putting logs in a mud hole, I’ll belt him over the head with the log- that’s a promise.

We removed every log we could see and in just a few minutes with six people manning shovels, we made the track passable yet still challenging for our group. So please people use crowbars and shovels to move earth, don’ t use logs. In order to drive home the point further, our second car “found” a log on the ascent and broke a tie-rod adjuster, thus rendering the steering useless. So please no more logs in mud holes.

The next creek crossing of significance was Ducie Ck which was a meter deep. We all managed to cross it without any incidents and after a few hours of great 4wding we found ourselves at our camp on the Dalhunty river.

The Dalhunty has esturine crocodiles, but safe swimming can be enjoyed above the falls I’m the shallows.