Sturt's Hell : 2008 Simpson Desert Crossing

Click here to view the Sponsor Update #4 (23rd July 2008)

I have been overwhelmed by the generosity that I have encountered in seeking support for the expedition. I offer my warmest thanks to the following people and organisations for supporting such a crazy idea.

	Neil Ross, director of Ross Engineering for supplying the materials for the cart frame and building the cart. Without the cart, the expedition just wouldn’t be possible.
	Dave and Mel Cox from Mt Dare Hotel for the use of an Iridium satellite phone which will be used for regular media updates from the centre of the desert and daily location and blog updates. Mt Dare Hotel is a great place to spend a night before visiting Dalhousie Springs and the Simpson Desert.
	Corey and the team at Ultimate Ride (the best bike store in Alice Springs), for your time, knowledge and advice about wheels, and for building the tough high-end mountain bike wheels for the cart.
	Jan and Trevor Howie for their most generous donation, encouragement, warped sense of humour, and desire to see the ‘I ♥ Trevor Howie’ banner travel across the Simpson.
	John Deininger and Oz Group (SMA) for their generous donation. To JD and Lisa for putting up with some hellish hikes in Victoria’s alpine country in the past.
	Greg Hains, owner/manager of hainsNET for web hosting, design and updates. And mainly for responding to my request for support within minutes and building a webpage that same day!
	Jonathan Rossiter for the fantastic design and creation of the web pages, the blog, and the Google Maps component on the trek page.
	Sandra Murphy and Mick Mirovic for their extremely generous donation and many years of great friendship.
	Simon Reu at Lone Dingo for the remaining equipment to fit out the expedition: Leki walking poles, lightweight fly, water bladders, and the ultimate magazine cover plug, a Lone Dingo t-shirt. Lone Dingo is an outdoor adventurer’s dream store in the centre of Australia.
	Jason Stephenson from Healthworld, makers of Endura rehydration formula and Endura Optimizer protein carbohydrate mix. These products greatly enhanced my ability to train for the gruelling physical demands of the expedition, and will form a valuable daily supplement to my diet for energy and recovery.
	Rob Lithgow at Adventure Airsports in Torquay (Vic) for finding and supplying some aircraft-grade aluminium poles from broken hang gliders. These light, strong poles were indispensable.
	Cath Tenni, and Alan and Stuart Dyer for their generous donation, encouragement and environmental consciousness. Nicole McIntosh for her generous donation and encouragement.
	Jim and Vicky Dinas of Dinas Estate Agents for their generous donation, warm wishes, and positive energy.
	John from Desert Dwellers for three 20 litre water drums and a 3 litre hydration pack-cum-cart harness. The drums will hold most of the water (the rest in small, light bladders) for the slog across the desert.
	Paul Cilka at Neata Glass & Aluminium for a sheet of security mesh that sits atop the gear frame on the cart, and for the ready support for anyone crazy enough to walk across the Simpson Desert.
	Rob McSporran at Sea to Summit for a pair of spinifex-proof gaiters, iPood toilet trowel, extra-large stuff sacks and collapsible kitchen sink.
	Helen at Vacuseal for the invaluable tough plastic rolls to package the dehydrated and vacuum sealed home-made meals.
	Rohan Barwick at 783 ABC Alice Springs for media support and regular ‘live’ updates during the expedition.
	Larry, manager at Woolworths Alice Springs, for supporting community organisations and projects with the WISH Gift Card program.
	Mandy and Carolyn at Carman’s Fine Foods for the best muesli and muesli bars that I’ve ever tasted. Home-made recipes cannot be beaten.
	Rohan Barwick and Sarah Aitken at 783 ABC Alice Springs for media support and regular ‘live’ updates during the expedition.

And to the many people who have provided valuable information, assistance or words of encouragement, including:

Greg ‘Soli’ Solomon for transport to Bedourie
Simpson Desert National Park ranger Don Rowlands in Birdsville
Bryan from the Bedourie Visitor Information Centre
Brian Mooney from the Bedourie Visitor Information Centre
David Brook (owner of Kamaran Downs and Muncoonie stations) and Steve Cramer (manager of S. Kidman Company’s Glengyle station) upon whose properties I will walk upon for the first week, and for information about water sources along the Mulligan River and station bores
Central Land Council and the Southern Arrernte Traditional Owners of the Pmer Ulperre Ingwemirne Arletherre Land Trust for permission to cross their land
Cameron Buckley for the best coffee in Alice Springs and for advertising the expedition in his drop-in café
Sandra Thibodeaux of the NT Writers’ Centre for letting me take four weeks of time-in-lieu
Lucas Trihey, who crossed the Simpson from west to east (East Bore to Birsdsville) solo and unsupported in 2006, for advice on cart design, equipment and terrain
Jon Muir, Australia’s foremost adventurer, for seeding the idea of an east to west crossing when I was beginning to plan it the other way
Michelle Walker (Water Conservation Officer for the NT Department of Natural Resources, Environment and The Arts) and the crew at Arid Lands Environment Centre for information relating to water in Central Australia
Colin Kneebone and the crew at AdventurePro for media support and encouragement. AdventurePro is the all-in-one site for outdoor adventure news, jobs and information

My wife Sharon for putting up with my focussed approach to the expedition over many months and coming on the training walks with me and our camp-dog Kanji in the ranges and dunes around Alice Springs, and for being there at the end to pick me up (after her trip to the Cape York rainforest)