Simpson Desert 2023 — Farina to Purni Bore
A changed plan at Farina, the Maree Man mystery, a storm at Eringa Waterhole and the ruins where the Simpson Desert was first crossed. Parts 1–3.
Read the trip report →
Published by AllOffRoad
Simpson Desert Travel Guide
250+ pages of hard-earned desert knowledge — vehicle prep, fuel calculations, sand driving techniques, permits and emergency protocols. Written by an accredited 4WD trainer with 20+ crossings.
The Complete 4WD Crossing Manual
Everything you need to cross Australia's most iconic desert — and get home safely
The Simpson Desert is 1,100 km of remote, corrugated track, 1,141 sand dunes and some of the most extreme temperatures on the continent. It doesn't forgive poor preparation. Wrong tyre pressure, insufficient fuel, no satellite communication — any one of these can turn an adventure into an expensive helicopter retrieval.
This guide draws on 15 years of desert experience and more than 20 personal crossings to give you the detail that online forums can't — the specific numbers, the proven gear, the decision trees you'll actually use when things go wrong in the middle of nowhere.
- Fuel calculations — exact figures for your specific vehicle and route
- Tyre pressures and sand driving technique for every dune type
- Satellite communication — Zoleo vs Garmin inReach Mini 2 and PLB compared
- Permits, access rules and current desert crossing requirements
- Navigation — offline maps and app setup for 500 km without signal
- Campsite locations, water sources and emergency extraction points
What's Inside the Guide
Six chapters. Everything that matters.
Every chapter is built around real decisions you'll need to make before and during the crossing — not generic advice, but specific, tested knowledge from someone who's been there more than 20 times.
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Vehicle Preparation
Pre-departure mechanical checklist, modification priorities, recovery gear selection and what actually fails in the desert versus what the forums worry about.
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Fuel Planning
Exact consumption calculations for your route and vehicle. How to carry enough fuel without compromising your payload — and where the refuelling options are.
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Sand Driving Techniques
Tyre pressures for every surface, momentum management, dune reading and cresting, and how to recover when you're bogged far from anyone who can help.
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Navigation
Digital navigation setup with offline mapping, Memory-Map and Hema 4WD pack, why dedicated GPS units often let you down and what to do without signal for 500 km.
Best 4WD Nav App 2026 →📡
Emergency Protocols
Satellite communicator comparison, PLB deployment, Ground Charlie system, Starlink in the field — and the 45-second decisions that could save your life.
Zoleo vs inReach Review →📋
Permits & Access
Desert Parks Pass, Queensland permit requirements, seasonal closures, current access conditions and what you're legally required to carry and register.
About the Author
Stephan Fischer
German-Australian, accredited 4WD trainer and assessor, desert expedition driver, and the person behind the AllOffRoad YouTube channel. Immigrated to Australia in 1997 after travelling more than 50 countries, and has spent the decades since covering approximately 500,000 km across the continent.
Everything in this guide is built on one principle: safe, self-reliant travel in genuinely remote country. It's not the official advice. It's what actually works — from someone who has crossed the Simpson Desert more than 20 times and has trained hundreds of 4WD drivers through the NSW 4WD Association and commercial operators.
More About Stephan →
From the Blog
Simpson Desert Trip Reports
Real crossing narratives — mechanical problems, route decisions, satellite comms tested in the field. These are the trip reports behind the guide.
Simpson Desert 2023 — French Line to Bedourie
Flooding blocks Birdsville. Then a dead car, a cracked fuel tank and two punctures hit the same day on the Hay River track. Parts 4–5.
Read the trip report →Why I Wrote the Simpson Desert Travel Guide
After 14 years crossing the Simpson and watching people struggle for avoidable reasons, the videos were never going to be enough.
Read the backstory →Also field-tested in the Simpson: Zoleo vs Garmin inReach Mini 2, GME PLB review, and the best offline navigation app for remote Australia.
Ready to Cross the Simpson Desert?
The full guide is at simpsondesertguide.com.au
250+ pages covering everything from the moment you start planning to the moment you reach Birdsville. Vehicle prep, fuel, sand driving, navigation, permits, emergency protocols and campsite detail — all in one place.
Visit Simpson Desert Travel Guide →www.simpsondesertguide.com.au