Flooded crossings, pumped waterfalls & stunning gorges. Gibb River Road 2. Ep 31

[@streetleswa8053]

Love it , spent many a day at Galvins and Adcock gorge traveling in our mazda 808 from Derby for the weekend , great memories .

[@nextleveloz]

Mazda 808 down the Gibb!! Wow

[@StephenFogarty2023]

Thanks David & Paula. Another great episode. Official wading depth of Defender is 900 mm But Not as much for the van. Only a short crossing, but, not worth the risk. Under the circumstances, I can understand why others did it… I’m a firm believer in “ mechanical sympathy “ Best to not push your vehicle to its limits. A lap around Oz, is a loooong way, and tough on a vehicle. It’s a marathon drive, not a sprint. Cheers. 👍

[@nextleveloz]

Hi thanks again. Sorry did i say the Defender earring depth was something else - apols. 800mm for most (including our companions and the official depth to open the crossing. So with all the numbers sorry if i got that wrong. TBH our car and van did the crossings easily - i can’t say the same for some other vans in particular where the lower step and door submerged. I know at least one (timber framed) van got water into the step well to floor height - not us though! And yes i believe the limits are there for when you have non choice not for when you do have choices!

[@StephenFogarty2023]

@@nextleveloz No problem I didn’t pick up where u quoted wading depth of your vehicle. LR advise - 900 mm with Air Suspension 850 mm with Coil Springs. I think in the video, u showed a water height indicator, which showed water level at about 900 mm Yes When u crossed, u did it safely and easily. When other vehicles crossed, water level was much higher. These vehicles would most likely have been exceeding their recommended wading depth, but, it was only for a very short time, for this crossing. But Still risky, as water could have got into air intake system, particularly if they had a Raised Air Intake, rather then a fully sealed snorkel. And many people don’t have correct technique when water crossing, which adds risk to what they are doing. Cheers. 👍

[@nextleveloz]

@@StephenFogarty2023 All good. Yes main roads didn’t open the crossing and the road until the Barnett and the Durack was just under 800mm.

[@grahameroberts8109]

Perhaps a natural walking stick for Paula you can stow in the vehicle? Also, you can buy large bandaids and carry them in your first aid kit in your backpack on walks. Thanks for the vid. 👍🏻🙏🦘

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks for watching and the suggestions. Regrettably on that case Paula got distracted and was looking elsewhere as she climbed a rocky pathway. She collected her shin on the way down - ouch. Yes we carry two first aid kits with heaps of bandaids and options. This one was a long scrape down the shin. We just cleaned it up and knowing we weren’t far off doing a river swim we waited and got the Betadine onto it when we got back tj the van. Appreciate the thought and thanks again for watching. cheers

[@grahameroberts8109]

@@nextleveloz On second thought, maybe the collapsible ski poles?

[@nextleveloz]

@@grahameroberts8109 We tried walking sticks when we went to Antarctica and didn’t really like using them. Some people love them. I reckon Paula just needs to watch where she’s stepping 😂😉. But she didn’t appreciate me suggesting that of course. 🙏🙏 cheers

[@PeterRowe-ip7ow]

Another great video guys. I’m with you David - why pay all that money for a car and van and then risk them when you don’t need to. I’m also with Paula on the cold water thing but good on her for always having a crack. BTW, you just can’t fix stupid (or nongs).

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks for comment. Yeah I got people being frustrated. We did two stretches of a bit over a week each in two locations so it was actually good just a fraction long at each but not intolerable . Some of those people had been 9 days at Manning Gorge campground before we got there - and for half of that they couldn’t use the road in by car as the road was too soft, so they had to walk the 7km each way to the roadhouse for any basics. So they were fed up. But as you say and my thoughts exactly - you still had to weight the risk of travelling on a closed road and for this crossing the the rivers at around 1m just increased the risk factors. And Paula is a good egg having a go isn’t she!

[@michaelnugara1]

Can I ask what month of the year this is? Thank for sharing

[@nextleveloz]

Hi, thanks for watching. This was early July just after the unseasonal rain and flooding in what is normally mid dry. We saw some pictures of Manning Gorge at a similar time in previous years and the flow was significantly less (less than half) and the Manning Creek swim much shorter and shallower. If you are planning a Gibb Trip that time of year is normally dryer with some water in the crossings but nowhere near that. cheers

[@AndySmith-rg7mh]

Mate, what extension mirrors are you using * guessing this may have already been asked.

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks for watching. Yes, it’s a regular question but no problems at all. We are currently using a Milenco mirror and arm mounted in a mount from Defender3D on the defender3d.co.uk/products/ols/products/tow-mirror-mounting-solution cheers

[@Chance_It_Oz]

Another great ep guys. Well done on raising the $700 so far! Can I ask what type of wet bag you are using? Cheers

[@nextleveloz]

Hi thanks for watching and the good wishes. We’ve had that drybag for a 4 or 5 years - we took it to Antarctica!! Its a generic brand from Amazon. If you buy from Amazon try QFFL 15l coating waterproof dray bag. This one has two shoulder straps so we can carry it as a light back pack noting it’s not that comfy but if it’s lightly loaded it’s great. We’ve noticed this one seeping a bit of water on recently so we don’t know if it’s a seam (can’t find any gaps) or the roll tip isn’t quite up to it these days) OR spend a couple of bucks more for a higher end known brand. But to be fair for the price we’ve paid and the places we’ve taken it to keep gear dry and as an impromptu flotation aid - been great.

[@fourbysolo]

Did you air the tyres down on the Gibb River Road?

[@nextleveloz]

Yes. Absolutely. Aired down at Lennard River Crossing. Didn’t air back up until we left El Questro even though the road from the Pentecost to ELQ turn off is sealed, ELQ itself is gravel. Ran mid 20’s in the van 27 on the rear of the car and 22-24 on the front. We have 18’s on the car so i didnt want to go lower. And then took our time as well. Some road sections as slow as 45km. Probably averaged about 60kph overall. Some section let us get to 70-80, but they were rare. We saw plenty of people tearing it up faster or not airing down and for the most part they looked dangerous and at least one we passed with a flat tyre.

[@fourbysolo]

@@nextleveloz thanks. I’m looking at doing the Gibb River soon and trying to get ideas on how best to tackle it safely. Really enjoying the videos, thanks.

[@nextleveloz]

@@fourbysolo The Gibb is a great trip. Was one of our must do bucket list items on the Lap. Good manageable legs and some great gorges etc along the way. Yes the road (and some drivers) can be a problem but be prepared, take your time and its fine. I felt that the biggest risk was likely tyre damage. We carry an extra car spare BTW - all the time because we were doing the Gibb, Flinders, Cape, Hell’s Gate and likely Oodnadatta. We carry the second one on the rear of our van (so one van spare and two car spares). On the Gibb you can get basic tyre help (repair or replacement for common sizes) at Over the Range (near Imintji/ Mt Barnett) and a couple of the stations - like Drysdale and ELQ. But its totally doable with some basic precautions. You will love it.

[@fourbysolo]

@@nextleveloz thanks for the info. Much appreciated.

[@davidthomas9267]

No matter where your at you can't fix stupid, if people don't want to do the safe thing it's hard to convince them that they are heading for a disaster. That's is why we have the Donner Pass out west - Donner wagon train keep going and got snowed in going to California.

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks for watching. Geez I’m sure glad those who crossed the river didn’t have to eat each other like the Donner people did. Pretty horrendous story that one!!

[@StephenFogarty2023]

Agree 💯 I love SF And been to South Lake Tahoe to snow ski a few times. People do take a lot of stupid risks with the weather & snow etc, which is crazy. And they don’t drive to the conditions… “ you can’t fix stupid “ It’s, sadly, a worldwide thing… 🤷🏻‍♂️