This page provides brief descriptions of the tracks across the Simpson Desert. These tracks were made by oil exploration companies from 1960s until the 1980s, and save for works done on the Broolkands Pastoral Company lease on the east, and minor gradings of the Dalhousie to Purni Bore track, there is no raod maintainance whatsoever. The track conditions change due to rain, traffic and wind causing movement of sand. Do not expect easy travelling on any of the tracks across the Simpson Desert. They are some of the most challenging tracks in Outback Australia.

The French Line is the most direct route from Dalhousie to Poeppels Corner and is the most popular. The first 40 kms from Purnie Bore to Wonga Junction is clay capped. It is at Wonga Junction you will need to deflate your tires and head over sand to the Junction of the Colson Track (39kms). The line continues 53 Kms to a junction with the Erebeena Track. From here it is 38kms to Lindsay Junction, and if you turn south here you will shortly (4kms) arrive at the Approdinna Attora Knolls. From here the going gets heavier. The dunes become closer together, and there are numerous salt lake crossings. When these are dry they have a very firm base,however when wet they can become very sticky, in some cases impassable, in which case you will have to make numerous detours to the north. After 40 km you will arrive at Lake Poeppel and note a track leading off at a 45°angle to NE. This will take you directly to Poeppels Corner on the Eastern Shore of the lake.
The rig road is so called because it was clay capped to allow the movement of semi trailers hauling heavy oilrig equipment. Ramps were pushed up the side of the dunes. The dune crests were cut out, and the road was clay capped. The clay came from borrow pits in the interdunal corridors. The rig road travels through the southern desert, past Mokari Airstrip with the grave of Oodnadatta trader Jaroslav Peckanek, past Macumba oil well, The Bilpa Plain, Lone Gum, Poolwanna Oil well, and eventually joins with the K1 line north to Poeppels or south to a crossing of the Warburton River and out onto the Birdsville Track. Whilst the track was once very trafficable, designed and built for heavy trucks to carry oil drilling equipment, erosion has cut deep ruts in the ramps, and many of the dune crests have encroached over the road.
The QAA line is accessed 18km north of Poeppels Corner. It is heavily trafficked and badly scalloped. The line travels through classic Eastern Simpson Desert country, typified by wide swales and high well-defined dunes. The swales are full of gidgee groves, and the sand is a deep orange. A spectacular contrast occurs when crossing Eyre Creek, which drains the Mulligan & Georgina Rivers and flows through the desert. The swalesare thick with Coolibah trees (Eucalyptus microtheca), and the whole flood plain can be extremely verdant following floods. When muddy there are crossings close to the track to the south, however the usual detour is north to Dickerie crossing. From Eyre Creek you travel through pastoral land leased by the Brooklands Pastoral Company.
A line less travelled, the WAA is similar to the French Line but more remote. It crosses many clay pans, the Erebeena Track, the Beelaka airstrip, and a large salt lake shortly before it arrives at the intersection with the Knolls Track. The line is subject to very deep blowouts, invariably sloping to the north. The line was once a welcome respite from the scalloped French Line, however over the past few years it has seen more and more use.
 
 
  The Knolls Track track is mainly sand, following the dunes and corridors north from the Rig Road to Lindsay Junction on the French Line. If heading north it is your first encounter with groves of gidgee (acacia georginae)
 
 
  Several kilometres to the east of the Approdinna Attora Knolls a clay capped road intersects the French Line. To the north of this lie the Mirraponga Pongunna Lakes. There is no road across these lakes, and the surface is often boggy. Following vehicle tracks across these, you will come to a maze of disused lines heading in numerous directions. You can find disused campsites and well sites and lots of rubbish left over by the oil companies. There is a line, which will bring you back out on the K1 line, around 40kms north of Poeppels. There are some formations here similar to the knolls, outcrops of qypseous material.
     

The main east track into the Simpson Desert from Dalhousie intersects the “Rocks Road” at Freeth Junction. The Rocks Road is an emergency track only that heads south through Macumba Station to Oodnadatta. It is very rough going, and in many places the track has all but disappeared. Permission to travel on this track must be sought from both National Parks and Kidman Pastoral Company.

   The Colson Track was built as an access track to Alice Springs. It is slow going, following swales between the sand hills north to the rocky Atillera tablelands, and on over the Hay River. The crossing over the Hay can be quite rough. It then continues over floodplain country to Nummery Station, where you join a graded road west to Alice Springs (300kms). It takes two days of solid travel to get to Alice Springs.There is no public access on this road.
     

Just beyond Freeth Junction is an indistinct track to the north which will take you to the ruins of Alka Seltzer Bore, and further on into thick coolibah country and Oasis Bore, in the Finke Floodplain. This track if followed will bring you out at Mt. Dare Homestead. Oasis Bore is an Aboriginal homeland. There are several culturally sensitive sites in the area, and visitation by non - Aboriginals is discouraged.

Permission to use it must be sought from the Irrwanyere Traditional Owners. Call 0889560966
   
 
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