2008 treks

into the desert . . .

Australian Desert Expeditions is continuing the tradition of camel-based exploration of the Australian desert, using that heritage in contemporary expeditions. Our 2007 Arid Rivers Research Expedition made numerous megafauna fossil discoveries adding to the knowledge base of the southern & eastern Simpson Desert. In July 2008, the ADE Archaeological Trek (Private Charter) will explore areas around a recently discovered site in the Simpson Desert.

On this 6 Day Trek you will learn how our cameleers work a team of pack-camels as we trek for four days with the camel string in the red dunes of the eastern Simpson desert.

The trek is designed to give potential ADE supporters an insight into, and understanding of, the many things that we represent and are already achieving on our treks and expeditions - our environmental fieldwork of the desert ecology, on ground exploration of aboriginal history, 19th & 20th Century European exploration history, the Muslim cameleer heritage, contemporary exploration, an education in desert living /survival . . . these treks are a concentrated opportunity of discovery.

The trek is fully contained within 6 days ex-Sydney. In addition to our usual crew of cameleers, we will be accompanied by field experts in archaeology, botany and the ecology and history of the Simpson Desert. We will be collecting plant specimens and also hope to find Aboriginal artefacts along a section of Eyre Creek.

The trek is moderately paced and can be enjoyed by those people who are reasonably fit and have a love of the outdoors.

The 6 Day Trek includes:

charter flight from Sydney to Birdsville
lunch at the Birdsville Hotel
4WD transfer to the camel camp in the Eastern Simpson Desert
4 days trekking with a string of 17 camels, accompanied by trek leader Andrew Harper, five ADE cameleers and at least two experts in archaeology/botany/ecology/history of the Simpson Desert
trek bag for your personal gear
swag, cutlery & crockery
ADE carry bag and merchandise
books and maps relevant to the area
170,000 square kilometres of desert silence
return vehicle transfer to Birdsville
meals and accommodation at the Birdsville Hotel in the evening of day 5
tour of the Birdsville Working Museum
return charter flight to Sydney

Accompanying this trek will be several ADE supporters including,

Don Rowlands, Wangkanguru elder
Dr Mike Smith, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Historical Research, National Museum of Australia (days 5 & 6)
Robyn Davidson, author & explorer
Central Australian historian Dick Kimber
Marsupial expert Ken Johnson

click here for further detailed information and photographs . . .

Itinerary: 1 day air transfer Sydney > Birdsville, 4 days with the camels, 1 day return air transfer Birdsville > Sydney

Dates: June 28 to July 3 2008 - Completed

Tour price: $4220

Tour price including return airfares, vehicle transfers, museum entry, Birdsville Hotel accommodation & meals: $5810

Crossing a dune

Leading the camel strings over a dune - eastern Simpson Desert

Hat on sand