FEATURE
DARYL BEATTIE'S AUSSIE OUTBACK TOUR
P90
natural, upside down shower of
around 80 holes called mound
springs. The water itself comes
from Queensland and the North-
ern Territory and is heated by the
earth's core, traveling under layers
of hard rock until it springs to the
surface through rock faults. The
result is a massive pool of mineral-
laced water with fish and frog spe-
cies found nowhere else, the water
reaching 90-100ºF in the swimming
area. West of the main pool the
water can reach 109ºF, with a flow
rate of 42 gallons per second. It's
the world's biggest bath.
Back in gear, after we pass
old colonial housing wrecks and
windmills and the ground gets
progressively sandier, we see the
first dune. The French Line is the
shortest and most direct route
across the Simpson, but it's also
the toughest and can be one of two
things: Paradise on a dirt bike or
hell if you don't know how to ride
one. The CRF450Xs are built for
this kind of riding, and the harder
it gets the more the bikes love it.
It's conversely the opposite for my
arms, which are now pumped to
the point where I can hardly hang
onto the bike. A bit of stretching
and yet more beer drinking from the
guys gets me right, though, and I
decide to take it a bit easier on day
three just to make sure I'm good for
the run to the flag.
Our campsite for the night is
Georges Corner, a massive cra-
ter in the middle of nowhere, like
someone dropped a bomb on the
place a thousand years ago. It
seems to be a happy place to die,
as at the end of the crater I see a
few dingo skeletons turning to dust.
By now we've seen some of
what the Unimog can do. This
thing is a beast! Daz picked it up at
the army auctions and has done a
few mods to it (see sidebar p94).
Scooter has the thing dialed up—
he nails dunes and almost has the
big girl drifting in some sections.
It's 10-ton fully loaded and plows
on through practically anything.
Day three sees us taking in the
Rig Road to Lone Gum. The Rig
Road is the longest route across
the Simpson and was once used
for heavy machinery but its old clay
THE FRENCH
LINE IS THE
SHORTEST AND
MOST DIRECT
ROUTE ACROSS THE
SIMPSON, BUT IT'S
ALSO THE TOUGHEST
AND CAN BE ONE
OF TWO THINGS:
PARADISE ON A DIRT
BIKE OR HELL IF YOU
DON'T KNOW HOW
TO RIDE ONE.
