Goog's Track - Easter 2004

A number of Adelaide Jeep Club members planned an extension to the Coffin Bay/Port Lincoln Easter weekend to a further few days travelling to Ceduna and completing Goog’s Track.

On this extended trip were eight vehicles, with five of them towing off-road camper trailers. 

Those who attended were:

*          David S. and Aleida
*          Gary|
*          John & Chris
*          Rose & Rene
*          Steve & Kathy with Cameron & Hayley
*          Bert & Roger
*          Brenton & Gayl
*          David & Maria

Vehicles represented included:
*          1 - WJ Grand Cherokee,
*          5 - XJ Cherokees,
*          1 - TJ Wrangler,
*          1 - Mitsubishi Pajero (affectionately referred to as “the Pajeepo”.

 After saying farewell to seven Jeeps and their owners on Easter Monday, we cheered the fact that none of us had to be back at work the next day and followed the morning sun to our first overnight stop, the Streaky Bay Caravan Park.

On the way to Streaky Bay the group split up into two — one, the sightseers and fishing hopefuls and the other — just sightseers, intending to meet that evening for dinner.

The fishing hopefuls attempted to score dinner on the way.  The effort to supply dinner was greatly appreciated by the rest of the group.  John scored a cockle and a darker tan.

We visited Baird Bay, seeing the sealions frolic and bathe in the sun, and also took a detour to see Murphy’s Haystacks.



Lunch at the Elliston Bakery is recommended by those who dined there.  “Real chunks of meat in the pie” was an accolade given by David.

 The Streaky Bay Caravan Park boasts a fabulous location, great ocean views and just as important to some of us, great bathroom facilities.  We dined at the Streaky Bay Hotel which was an elegant pub with an extensive menu.  Dinner followed a few glasses of red back at the Caravan Park.  Gary introduced some of us to the delicious Jacob’s Creek Merlot (yum!).

The following morning David S., Aleida and Gary headed off for a spot of fishing, while the others headed off to Ceduna.  We were again going to meet for dinner at Ceduna.  On arrival at Ceduna most of us had to stock up on food and other necessities ready for the remoteness of the Goog’s Track. 

Thanks to our three fishermen, there was enough salmon to share for the entire group’s dinner at the Ceduna Caravan Park.  The fish was cleaned and cooked to perfection by our three weary fishing companions.

Finally Wednesday morning arrived.  The day we were all heading off to Goog’s track.  As we had three vehicles that were not towing, we took the safe option, having a non-towing vehicle lead the convoy, another one as tail end Charlie and the third one in the middle.  Thanks to Gary, Steve and Bert for taking on these roles.  Roger was the GPS expert, who willingly kept us all informed.

The drive to Lone Oak at the Southern end of the Track passed without incident.  There, we all let our tyres down to 18 psi or so and headed off.  The first 30 km was fairly badly corrugated with a few fairly mild sand dunes.  The Memorials — a tribute to Goog and his son Dinger — were moving.  Bert even managed to wedge a coin in the money tree.  We reached Goog’s Lakes after searching for the “better camp site” as described by the Tourism Office in Ceduna.  On arriving at the recommended camp site, we took one look, and decided that the site adjacent to Goog’s Lake was the better option.  During this part of the trip we met a couple of travellers in Landcruisers.  Obviously, it was not as isolated as it appeared to be.  The Lake was dry.

That night we dined and played “Worst Case Scenario Surival Game” under three awnings, as the rain came down most of the night.  The highlight of the silly game was John taking at least twenty minutes to ask a question about seizures.  Not because seizures are amusing, but Chris’ reaction to some of his ideas and adventures obviously provided him with similarities.  I won’t mention John’s obsession with Gary’s huge aerial.  Does size matter?  On waking Thursday morning, the sight of the Lake was breathless.  The rain had enabled the lake to adorn a mirror finish. 

 Getting ready for the next leg of the trip, John spent considerable time trying to store his brand new shower bag on his roof rack enabling it to soak up the sun and without piercing it.  Much to his dismay, Chris and Gayl were offering suggestions whilst ‘admiring’ his technique and laughing at the same time.  Not happy Jan, I mean John!

We packed our wet camper trailers and tents, hoping that on opening our bedding that night they would not be too wet or damp. 

Our next stop was Mt Finke.  During this part of the trip the sand dunes appeared more challenging.  At one time, our TJ Wrangler and camper trailer had to be pulled over by Steve.  Thank goodness this did not happen while I was driving!  Other drivers such as Brenton, Rose, John and David S. had to reverse several times to get over some of the dunes.  It was a much more difficult task reversing on these dunes with camper trailers which had “minds of their own” due to the terrain.  Momentum, sufficient run up space and low tyre pressures were a must.  I hope I don’t hear the description of “lumpy, soft and bumpy” on the radio again soon.



The 70-odd kilometre trip to Mt Finke took us about five hours.  This included a number of Code Yellows and a snack break.



Once we set up camp at Mt Finke, Aleida made a small fire to cook potatoes and damper.  Thanks to Gary, we also used the fire to eat marshmallows.  The night was spent playing a Truth and Lie game, Cameron’s shared version of “Celebrity Heads” and Charades.  Hayley’s performance of Mary had a Little Lamb was second to none, and worthy of an encore the following day.  At least the rain had stopped and did not need to cramp under awnings, even though it was cosy. 

 When we got to Mount Finke, John decided he wanted to try out his new shower.  After finding a suitable tree and, with the help from Brenton, John managed to get the shower bag up.  When John decided to use it, the water was cold, so he obviously needed to fill it with hot water.  However, that was going to be too difficult - so cold water it was!  The next thing that caused John a problem, was that the hose was too long.  John attempted to shorten it by cutting it off, but after everyone informed him of the reasons why the hose was the length it was, he decided to leave it the original length.  The next thing John did was put his trunks on, soap himself up and braved a very cold shower.  One way or another, John was determined to save face and use it!  John’s offer to use the shower was rejected by everyone – thanks anyway John – the entertainment value was priceless.



On closing up camp, Rene was visited by a friendly local – a huge scorpion.  After the visit, Rene wore closed shoes for the first time during the trip.  Who could blame her?

From what we had been told through our research of the Track, the worst part of the Track was now ahead of us.  As the rain had not reached this part of the track, the dunes were less compacted and much softer.  Fortunately, no driver had any dramas and we reached the dog fence earlier than expected.  Rose greeted some of the drivers with splashing water to celebrate, asking us to pretend it was champagne.  It was a relief to arrive without damage to person, vehicle or trailer.



That night we spent at the Glendambo Caravan Park, with the Wrangler’s camper trailer sporting a flat tyre.  Thanks to Gary for helping fix the tyre.  It was an early night for most of the weary travellers.  We headed off back to Adelaide at around 9-30am, elated at having completed the Track trouble free, but sad because the trip was over.

 n planning for this trip, we conducted the usual research, including speaking to people whom had completed it, contacting locals, and also using the information available on the Internet.  What was evident in our research was the feedback from many others that the Track was not suitable for travelling with off-road trailers – “it could not be done” it was often claimed.

Well, we proved that with rigour in our planning, we did it, and without compromising our group priorities of:  respect for the environment, safety and fun.

For me personally, Goog’s was the most memorable trip so far.  I enjoyed: great scenery, the best people to share it with, fabulous weather, great challenges, and a sense of accomplishment.
In summary – I want to do it all again!  

MARIA ADAMCZAK