TRAVERSE 98
It doesn’ t care how many bikes and 4x4’ s are lined up. It doesn’ t care if you ' ve prepared for weeks, plotted routes, checked forecasts. When nature decides to throw rain at one of the driest parts of Australia, it does so with intent. That’ s what we faced this year on the Frontline Safari, a ride that was meant to traverse the Simpson east to west. Instead, it became a lesson in adaptability.
This is the story of chasing adventure through one of the harshest environments on Earth. It’ s about being tested, soaked, rerouted, and reminded, that in the outback, you ' re not in charge. The desert is and you are just the passenger.
Getting There is Half the Job
I started the trip with a long drive north from Tasmania to Marree, days of bitumen, dirt roads, and plenty of time to shake off everyday life.
This year for the Frontline Safari, riders were coming from every corner of the country to central South Australia. Marree is a real outback town, the kind where the pub is the heart of everything. A place where phones get left in cars and good old-fashioned stories of past adventures get shared around a bar.
Day 1 took us from Marree to Oodnadatta. Dust, corrugations, wide skies. A few mechanical issues
TRAVERSE 98