Traveller's Enquiry re Salt Lake Opportunities

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Blossy
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2013 2:13 pm

Traveller's Enquiry re Salt Lake Opportunities

Post by Blossy »

Hi All,

We are a family of 6 doing the 'once in a lifetime' trip from Perth back to the East Coast with a northern detour up the Centre from October to Xmas 2013. My husband is very keen to either watch a salt lake race, drive on a salt lake (but not in my very sensible family van!) or be a passenger in someone else's car driving on a salt lake! I have no idea if this request is reasonable or possible, and so thought your membership might be the smartest place to start.

I have no compelling drama to add to the request. My husband is not sick or dying, we don't have a lot of money, but we are luckier than many. But he is self employed and works really hard and it's been a crap couple of years so would love to treat him if I can. (Frankly my biggest concern is that if he does this, he's going to get the bug and I'm going to get hounded for him to go the big race in Lake Gairdner in years to come!)

We are travelling from Perth to SW WA, across the nullarbor to Pt Augusta, North to Coober Pedy, Alice etc and then East from Tennant Creek to the Qld Coast before heading south at whatever pace we have left before Xmas.

If anyone has any suggestions on whether this request can be fulfilled, I would appreciate some advice on the how, what, when and where's to make it happen.

Thanks for your help, even if it turns out that my request is ridiculous!

Bloss. :D
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Greg Watters
Posts: 760
Joined: Mon Sep 27, 2004 8:57 pm

Re: Traveller's Enquiry re Salt Lake Opportunities

Post by Greg Watters »

Hi Blossy

if you want to watch a meeting your in luck (depending on the weather ) check the SATA part of this forum for details
Otherwise try Mt Ive station, they do the tourist thing at the lake shore and you need there permission to enter the area anyway
contact details are on the main DLRA web site
PJQ2
Posts: 184
Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2003 2:04 pm
Location: Melbourne

Re: Traveller's Enquiry re Salt Lake Opportunities

Post by PJQ2 »

Hello Blossy,
As Greg says, the main DLRA site will be updated with information about events. Mt Ive station is the official camping and caravan park for the Gawler Ranges district and the gate-keeper to the lake. You won’t be able to drive out onto the lake unless there is an event going on. Also there might be water on the lake.

Mt Ive station information here:
http://www.dlra.org.au/mt-ive-homestead.htm

A really interesting trip is the road along the west side of Gairdner that takes you from the bottom right up to the top of the lake. It connects with the Stuart Highway near Wimmera. There are other salt lakes to check-out up there. The road is sandy in places and depending on weather might only be suitable for 4WD vehicles. Even in good condition I wouldn’t take a family car around that way. You’d want to allow three quarters of a day for that drive.

This page has info about road access in the Gawler Ranges district.
http://www.dpti.sa.gov.au/OutbackRoads/ ... ler_ranges

Have fun planning the trip.
Regs,
PJQ
Velocity Science Laboratories
Blossy
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2013 2:13 pm

Re: Traveller's Enquiry re Salt Lake Opportunities

Post by Blossy »

Thanks Greg and PJQ2 for the suggestions. I have emailed Mt Ive Station and will see what they can do for us. Pity about not being able to play on the lake at all!

Re the October event, I am seriously bummed because it is 2 weeks early for us! We will still be over on the SW WA part in mid October.

However, if anyone has any suggestions on how to get my hubby to Lake Gairdner from Perth/Nannup and then back to maybe Pt Augusta (where we can catch up a week later) or Esperance (where I will be lounging around by then) I would love to send him along to it. I'm guessing there is nothing convenient like a bus is there? Other problem of course is that he won't have any camping gear with him so he could need adopting. I know I might be sounding a bit ridiculous, but we are far from probably ever getting closer to an opportunity like this for a good long while! Tim loves car racing and this is something that would be extraordinary for him I'm sure.

Any more suggestions would be gratefully received. I suspect I am clutching at straws now!

Thanks for not laughing at me (too much anyway...)

Ta, Bloss :wink:
David Leikvold
Posts: 981
Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2007 11:57 pm
Location: Brisbane

Re: Traveller's Enquiry re Salt Lake Opportunities

Post by David Leikvold »

Hello Bloss, welcome to the forum. If your husband can't make the SATA meeting this year there's always Speedweek 2014. Trouble is, Speedweek is like the old Kool Mints ad, "you just can't stop at one"!

Cheers
Dave :D
Good, Fast, Cheap, pick any two!
Blossy
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2013 2:13 pm

Re: Traveller's Enquiry re Salt Lake Opportunities

Post by Blossy »

So I suspect Dave! Just really wanted to try and get him there while we were on the road as after this trip, we won't be able to afford anything for a hundred years! However, point taken. No need to panic. I did say at the beginning that he wasn't dying or anything...!
Bloss
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Greg Watters
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Joined: Mon Sep 27, 2004 8:57 pm

Re: Traveller's Enquiry re Salt Lake Opportunities

Post by Greg Watters »

Another option would be getting involved in a vehicle from somewhere near you ,
If hubby can pass a spanner, check tires or pull on seatbelt straps he could probably find a place .
not saying he will get a free ride, but maybe a seat to the salt and back ,
And there is always a place for volunteer workers at the salt
PJQ2
Posts: 184
Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2003 2:04 pm
Location: Melbourne

Re: Traveller's Enquiry re Salt Lake Opportunities

Post by PJQ2 »

If the pile of cash in the lounge room blocks the view of the TV you could use a bit of it to fly in and out. Mt Ive has an air strip for small planes and there’s a charter company that comes to SpeedWeek with a couple of planes.

Ah, dream-on... just covering all the options.
Regs,
PJQ
Velocity Science Laboratories
Blossy
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2013 2:13 pm

Re: Traveller's Enquiry re Salt Lake Opportunities

Post by Blossy »

Hi there lads,

Sorry for the delay in reply, I was away for work today. Very sadly, no pile of cash blocking my view of anything! Interested in Greg's idea though, but no idea how to make it happen. Perhaps a general request out to the ether that if anyone is floating around Perth or SW WA and could use a dog-body in return for a ride to and from the Lake in October, that would be very grand indeed! Tim is a good helper! Otherwise now considering hiring a car for an extra week and sending across the nullarbor on his lonesome, but would rather not do that if I can avoid it!

Love the help everyone, very kind of you.

Bloss.
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