LOCAL Glasshouse veteran Rick Canhan travelled from Alice Springs to Darwin in his WW2 Jeep during the “Back To The Track 2021” event in Aug 2021 has travelled West again in May 2022 this time to drive his WW2 Jeep over the Simpson Desert. He was joined by another five WW2 Jeeps from South Australia who met up with Rick in Birdsville.
All the Jeeps have been meticulously restored by their owners and performed as expected. “I have previously traversed the Simpson Desert in modern 4×4’s and was confident the little wartime Jeeps could handle the trip over the desert,” Rick said. Although the Jeeps were made during a war, they were specifically built to handle difficult types of terrain such a this. The life expectancy of a Jeep in a war zone was ninety days and here they are now, almost eighty years old and still going strong; a tribute to the design, construction and durability of these versatile vehicles. Rick explained his Jeep was transported to Birdsville on a trailer prior to heading into the desert. “Each Jeep was fully fuelled and carried eight jerrycans of extra fuel plus forty litres of water and sufficient supplies for an estimated twelve-day travel. There were two support vehicles on hand for safety reasons, but the concept was for the Jeeps to be totally self-sufficient and handled the trip with ease.” Any breakdowns, (and there were a couple) were fixed practically on the spot or in one of the night locations, he added. Once the group reached the western side of the Simpson Desert it was time to start the trip back home.
Rick stated that a trip over the Simpson Desert is an experience to remember, and believes everyone should at least do it once in their lives. “The tranquilly of the beautiful and endless starry night skies are just unbelievable” he said. “Add to that, the sunrises and sunsets and you have the recipe for a memorable trip.”
Main image: Chris Dewar, Nicolas Gray and Rick Canhan
