French Line Simpson Desert
French Line Crossing the Simpson Desert
French Line Simpson Desert.
In this post we take you through the French Line in the Simpson Desert and what to expect on this popular track when starting or ending your Simpson Desert crossing. We did the French Line when we crossed the Simpson Desert for the first time in July 2020. During this trip we crossed the Simpson Desert starting from the QAA Line in Queensland and then on to the French Line in South Australia.
We have covered off some of these points already in our post on the QAA Line (read it here) but we will summarise some of them again in this post on the French Line.
When to Travel to the Simpson Desert
The best time to travel to the Simpson Desert is between May and October when it is cooler. The Simpson Desert is closed between December and mid-March due to the summer temperatures. You will need at least four days to cross the Simpson Desert depending on which route you decided to take. Our first crossing was done along the QAA and French Lines which took approximately three and a half days from Birdsville to Dalhousie Springs.
- Travel between May and October.
- Simpson Desert closed between December and Mid-March.
- There are more than 1,000 dunes in the Simpson.
- You need at least 4 days to cross the desert.
East to West - Poeppel Corner to Dalhousie Springs
The French Line goes from Poeppel Corner all the way through to Dalhousie Springs when travelling East to West. It is approximately 260 kms from Poeppel Corner to Dalhousie Springs and expect to average around 20 km/h per day, including breaks, while driving in the Simpson Desert. The French Line from Poeppel Corner to Dalhousie Springs took us approximately 2 days to complete with a few breaks along the way. We left at around 7am in the morning and pulled into camp at around 4.30pm / 5.00pm. You could do this track quicker with less breaks and longer drives during the day, but we prefer not to rush and take in all the Simpson Desert has to offer.
The QAA Line and French Line are the most popular route combination when crossing the Simpson Desert as it is the shortest route. As a result, you can expect the two tracks to be challenging depending on what time you visit and the amount of traffic that has passed through. More traffic leads to the tracks becoming more rutted out and bumpy in places, especially up some of the more challenging sand dunes. East to West is a slightly more challenging route as the sand dunes are bigger and steeper on the Eastern facing sides. This is because of the direction of the winds in the Simpson Desert.
When taking the French Line East to West, the track basically starts at Poeppel Corner, crosses Knolls, Erabena and Colson Tracks, as well as Rig Road, continues through to Purnie Bore and then on to Dalhousie Springs. Not long after Purnie Bore the French Line becomes the Spring Creek Track that continues to Dalhousie Springs. This will of course be in reverse when travelling West to East and starting from Dalhousie Springs. You start in the Simpson Desert Regional Reserve and then cross into Witjira National Park while travelling along the French Line.
Poeppel Corner
Poeppel Corner is one of the must see stops when crossing the Simpson Desert along the French Line. Poeppel Corner is where the three States of Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory all meet. It was named after the surveyor Augustus Poeppel who originally marked the site in 1880. The original marker was incorrectly placed in Lake Poeppel 274 metres west of the current marker position. The reason for the error was due to Augustus Poeppel’s survey chain lengthening one inch from wear and tear which caused the inaccurate measurements. The marker peg was resurveyed and replaced in 1883-84 by Larry Wells which is now shown today by the timber marker at the site (see photos below). In 1968 another surveyor Bill Haylock placed the current and correct survey marker which you can see below. It is extremely impressive how Larry Wells in 1883-84 was able to get the survey marker so close to the now current accurate position with the tools that they had in the 1800’s. Be sure to stop in here and take it all in, there are plenty of good camping options around the area.
Ever Changing Dunes
We found that the French Line track is very different to the QAA Line. The sand dunes on the QAA Line are spread far apart. Compared to the French Line where the sand dunes are far closer together. On the QAA Line the tracks, up the dunes are straight, that is you just drive straight up the dune. The tracks on the French Line can snake up the sand dunes if that makes sense. Most tracks up the dunes are not straight with bends and turns especially when driving East to West. This can make some of the dunes a bit more challenging to get up especially when they are rutted out and bumpy in places. From West to East the tracks are easier. As the dunes are far closer together, we found that our travel speed was much slower than that on the QAA Line. The tracks in between the dunes can also be extremely bumpy compared to the QAA Line, so we preferred to drive much slower for a more comfortable ride. As you progress further West the dunes become smaller and smaller and then eventually disappear as you approach Purnie Bore.
Tyre Pressures
As per our post on the QAA Line, remember to drop your tyre pressures. We had our tyre pressures at around 15 to 18 PSI for our entire Simpson Desert crossing until we got to Purnie Bore. Keeping your pressures this low will make the drives up the sand dunes that much easier as well as being more comfortable when dealing with all the bumps and ruts that you find along the French Line. Once we arrived at Purnie Bore and the dunes had basically disappeared, we aired our tyres back up to around 25 to 28 PSI. After Purnie Bore the French Line becomes Spring Creek Track and the track conditions change significantly. You will have hard packed base to drive on and the roads become extremely corrugated most of the way to Dalhousie Springs.
Camping on the French Line
While in the Simpson Desert you can camp anywhere along the French Line if it is within 100 metres of the main track. There is an abundance of spots that you can camp so it is just a matter of looking out for a great spot somewhere between the sand dunes when you are ready to setup camp. While in the Simpson Desert Regional Reserve you can have campfires. But remember that as soon as you leave the Simpson Desert Regional Reserve and cross into Witjira National Park, which is clearly signposted, you are no longer allowed to have fires. Please make sure that you do not chop down any of the small trees or break off any branches when having a fire. You are in the desert and the vegetation must be protected. In our Simpson Desert crossing in July 2020 we amazingly had a large amount of rain that started in the early hours of the morning until mid morning. This was unexpected and thankfully we setup our awning every night as this helped to keep us dry. The rain then made a few of the salt / clay pan crossings a little more interesting. But be prepared for anything to happen when you are in the Simpson Desert.
Purnie Bore
Purnie Bore is in the Witjira National Park and is approximately 30 minutes after the National Park sign when travelling East to West. This is another great spot to stop and take in the abundance of bird life and other wildlife. Purnie Bore is not a natural watering hole, it is manmade from the oil exploration days. Here you will find hot water being released from the artesian basin that has been allowed to continue to flow for the wildlife that has come to rely on this water over the years. The amount of bird life here is amazing. Here you will also find a block of toilets and is used as a campsite by many a traveller.
Spring Creek Track
Not long after Purnie Bore the French Line becomes Spring Creek Track and takes you on to Dalhousie Springs. From Purnie Bore to Dalhousie Springs expect to take about 2 hours. Here you travel speed will increase significantly from the 20 km/h on the French Line closer to 50 km/h. This is because the sand dunes have disappeared, and you will now be driving on a level road but be aware that this track is extremely corrugated and can be slow going in places. There are sections of the track that are sandy that will be a welcome recovery from the more corrugated and bumpy sections of this track. Keep your eyes out while driving this track as you are likely to spot a dingo or camel if you are lucky. As you get nearer to Dalhousie Springs, look out for the dump site on the left-hand side as this is where you can throw out all your rubbish that you took out of the Simpson Desert with you, as any responsible traveller will do. Please also remember to pick up any rubbish along the way if you see any lying around.
Dalhousie Springs
Dalhousie Springs is the perfect ending to any Simpson Desert crossing. After four days of no showers and only baby wipe cleans, jumping into Dalhousie Springs is magical. Dalhousie Springs are fresh hot water springs that come from the artesian basin. Spend us much time here as you can. We found that several pool noodles had been left at the springs which made for a far easier float in the fresh hot water. Dalhousie Springs has a nice camping area that is covered by your Desert Parks Pass and has facilities. This is an extremely popular camping spot for most travellers. However, we chose to camp just outside Dalhousie at a nice quiet camp spot called 3 O’clock Creek. You can find this on the road that takes you to Mount Dare.
Dalhousie Ruins
While you are at Dalhousie Springs, take the time to stop into Dalhousie Ruins which you will find on the road that takes you to Oodnadatta. Dalhousie Ruins are the remains of Dalhousie Homestead that was built from limestone blocks between 1872 and 1885. The homestead was built here due to the natural springs in the area being a great source for freshwater due to the low levels of rainfall in the middle of Australia. This homestead operated as a cattle station but was abandoned in the early 1900’s. When you visit you will be amazed at how people managed to live permanently in such an isolated and dry location. We would highly recommend stopping in here and spending 30 minutes walking through all the old buildings and seeing the amazing palm trees in such an isolated area. Many old remains have been left in the ruined buildings providing you with a glimpse of what it might have been like living here in the 1800’s.
Use Channel 10
As we highlighted in our QAA Line post, remember to be on channel 10 whenever you are in the Simpson Desert. This is the channel where everyone can communicate. When you approach a dune, grab your UHF, and call up. Something along the lines of “two vehicles heading west along the French Line”. Anyone else within range will hear your call and can then start to communicate. You are now all aware that there are others on the same track within a few kms of each other. We made this same radio call every time we would make a start from a break.
French Line Summary
Here is a summary of the key points made above about the French Line in the Simpson Desert:
- Track oes from Poeppel Corner to Dalhousie Springs (east to west).
- Approximately 260 kms long.
- Takes around 2 days to complete.
- Much slower going than the QAA Line.
- French Line crosses Knolls, Erabena and Colson Tracks, as well as Rig Road.
- Dunes get smaller as you go east to west due to the winds.
- Dunes are also steeper on their eastern sides.
- Dunes are far closer together than the QAA Line.
- Tracks can snake up the dunes i.e., they are not as straight up as they are on the QAA Line.
- Dunes will be easier when travelling west to east.
- Dunes disappear once you get to Purnie Bore.
- You will cross a few salt / clay pans so stick to the track as it can get boggy if you do not.
- French Line becomes Spring Creek Track after Purnie Bore.
- Spring Creek Track takes you to Dalhousie Springs.
- Spring Creek Track is less sandy but corrugated and is faster going than the French Line.
- Camp anywhere within 100 metres of the French Line.
- Really steep tracks up dunes will require low range however we did not find we needed low range on the French Line.
- For most tracks we used high range (will depend on your 4WD).
- Tyre pressure of 15 PSI on the French Line.
- Tyre pressure of 25 to 28 PSI on the Spring Creek Track.
- You need a compliant sand flag.
- Average around 20km/h on the French Line and closer to 50 km/h on the Spring Creek Track.
- QAA to French Line is the shortest and most popular route when crossing the Simpson Desert.
- QAA to French Line will take approximately 4 days to complete.
- Over 1,000 sand dunes in the Simpson Desert.
- Make sure you have a UHF and are on channel 10.
- Use handheld UHFs to communicate between multiple cars to keep off channel 10.
- Call up on channel 10 when approaching dunes.
- Salt Pans are muddy off the main track, so stick to the track or get stuck.
- Fires allowed in Simpson Desert Regional Reserve.
- Fires are NOT allowed in the Witjira National Park.
Getting Prepared
We have done a few posts to help you get prepared for a Simpson Desert crossing.
Read our blog post on getting ready for a trip to the Simpson Desert, a detailed post on everything you need to get prepared. When planning on how much fuel you will need, we have also done a post on our fuel consumption when we crossed the Simpson, check it out here. For more information on the QAA Line, you can read our post here.
We hope you have enjoyed this post on the French Line track in the Simpson Desert. If you do have any comments or questions please comment below this post, we will respond. To keep up to date on future posts and become a part of the 4WD Adventurer community sign up here. For more regular updates follow us on social media. We are most active on Instagram.
Thanks for reading legends.
The thoughts of Peter.
13/05/2022 @ 8:32 AM
Handy article -well done. My Dad cut this line through the Simpson from West to East in the early 60’s with French exploration company Total – hence the name ‘French Line’. You may recall Total was a fuel supplier to Australia and had several service stations around the country in the 60’s & 70’s.
Their intention was to identify any oil or gas bodies beneath the surface of the Simpson using seismic survey. Needless to say, they found nothing but had a bit of fun cutting the track through.
It took them 3 months. By the time they got to Birdsville, the power was out at the pub so they had to settle for hot beer – but this didn’t deter them from getting stuck in.
16/05/2022 @ 10:46 AM
G’day Jock,
Thanks for sharing that history about your dad, that is awesome to hear, and amazing that your dad was part of the creation of the French Line. All their hard work has provided many an explorer a fantastic adventure over the last 50 years. I remember Total well, as I grew up in Africa, it was still around there until we immigrated to Australia. I can only imagine the fun they would have had at the Birdsville Hotel after the 3 months, warm beer and all. Thanks for sharing mate and thank you to your dad for all his hard work in getting the French Line cut through the Simpson Desert. There are many travellers that would appreciate all their hard work.
Cheers,
Peter