Dry Lake Racers Australia at Lake Gairdner South Australia
 
March 9th - 13th 2009
By Les Johnson
Lake Gairdner is where Donald Campbell attempted to break the Land Speed Record. He was successful in 1964 at Lake Eyre which is just North of Lake Gairdner.This was the first time the record had been broken outside the USA. Lake Gairdner is 100 miles long and 20 miles wide..
The decision to have a bit of an adventure came about when one of the Contractors at work (Neil Jacobs) mentioned that he, along with a syndicate of six, had a Ford Model 'T' Hot Rod in which they were attempting a speed of 200 m.p.h. on the Salt Lakes in South Australia.

After reading about Lake Gairdiner on the Internet I decided this was one adventure too great to miss out on. Roselee organised a cheap airfare to Adelaide, as the lake is located app.550 kms NW from Adelaide, towards Perth. It's just a right hand turn from Iron Knob, and then about 150 kms of dirt track to the lake.

I arrived in Adelaide early on Sunday morning, hired a Falcon XR6 and headed towards the small town of Auburn. This is where my grandmother was born and as it was only a few kilometers detour, I thought it well worth it.
The old homestead is still in the family and situated in Undayla, app.15 kms from Auburn. The home is in the Clare Valley, and known as 'Clarevale'. It was built in the late 1800's and for it's day was a large holding but has been reduced to about 225 acres on which grapes are now grown.
The old bluestone and sandstone house looked a bit run down and showing definite signs of age but is still run by my mothers cousin, Bill Long. Unnfortunately he was not at home, so I took a few photo's which are below.
   
'Clarevale' 1860. The family home at Undayla in the Clare Valley.
After leaving Undayla I headed for the town of Iron Knob as I was keen to reach my nights accommodation at Mount Ive, a homestead just 35kms from the lake. I had looked up the station on the Internet and had arranged my accommodation for the princely sum of $20.00 a night plus linen fee of $15.00. No camping for this little bunny !
I arrived at Iron Knob, (what a dump!), to fill up for my dirt road trip, as a fuel supply was not guaranteed at the homestead. A sign said "No Fuel"so I had no alternative but to back track to Whyalla, some 50kms each way. I decided it was better to be safe than sorry and perhaps lost in the outback never to be seen again
   
Iron Knob. "Visitors Not Encouraged Here - Just Keep Moving".
I finally arrived at the Mount Ive homestead and after checking in I set off to the lake which is a round journey of some 70 odd kilometres. Petrol was of great concern to me until the homestead came to the rescue and allowed me to fill up and so allaying my fuel fears.
   
Trying to pull submarine out of the sand at Mount Ive homestead.
   
Mount Ive homestead 35 kms from Lake Gairdner.

After inspection of the lake from the shoreline, (as it had been raining we were not allowed on the lake due to it's fragile edge) I headed back to the homestead to setle in for the night, as it had been a long day. After stopping en route to have my photo' taken alongside of a 'pretend' submarine,(made up from an old boiler just for fun). I tried to tow the sub' out of the sand but the Falcon lacked the grunt to budge it.
   
Lake Gairdner in South Australia
Upon arriving back at the homestead with limited supplies, too tired to really care, I ran into Allen Shepard who was a fellow competitor in the Panama Alaska Rally in 1997. Jim Peters and Terry Daly would remember him, and he is still running his trusty pale blue 'E' Type. Allen, his two sons Phillip and Grant, together with their support crew, made me feel very welcome.
The next day I left the homestead at 6am to return to the lake. Still not permitted to drive onto the lake I settled for bacon, egg, toast and coffee served at the canteen, really a tin shed hotel set up at the lakes edge for breakfast, and at night they served a full on dinner.
We were allowed to enter the lake on foot. The pits were located on the salt, a walk of about 3 kms, and the whole scenario could have been from Mad Max or an Arabian Desert camel camp, with the heat haze shimmering in the distance.
   
   
Allen Shephards road registered 'E' Type. Class E/PRO. Top Speed 146.603 mph.
The track itself is 9 miles long, 3 miles of wind up, 3 miles of officially timed, and 3 miles of wind down. The array of cars, bikes, and trucks were too many to list, (see photo's). The drivers and crews are mainly Hot Rodder's and very enthusiastic about their machines.
There were a token number of about six women compared to around four hundred guys; it really is a mans event! The crews that had managed to set up on the previous Saturday had been trapped out there on the salt with no showers, and only porta' dunnies, etc.
   
   
We were finally allowed out on the salt on Tuesday, so I joined up with Neil Jacob's group who had been living out on the lake in an old bus. Their camp may my accommodation seem like heaven. Food on the lake was usually a pie purchased from a pie wagon that came out hourly with soft drink and water. There were never enough pies and pasties to go around. They always ran out leaving twenty or so guys missing out each time.
Allen Shephard and his son Phillip managed to get their car through scrutineering OK, after a few minor adjustments, and prepared for a couple of runs.
We left the salt around 6.30pm, after blowing any excess salt from the vehicle so no salt can end up on the land, (all dirt has to be blown off the vehicles prior to entering the salt lake), and returned to the homestead where I was thankfully invited to share a meal with them. I had managed to purchase a slab of beer, so I didn't feel like a freeloader.
Wednesday and Thursday at the lake were very similar, with new drivers obtaining their licences. You first had to show the Clerk of the Course that you are capable of contolling your car up to 125mph, then you were allowed to proceed to 150mph, and so on up to 175mph. After that different rules applied to the vehicles including chutes, etc.
   
 
188.67mph - 155.199mph
  
   
 
102.029mph
198.096mph
146.389mph
  
   
 
190.536mph
209.399mph
192.876mph
  
   
   
   
 
137.028mph
    
   
 
100.502mph
  
   
 
77.532mph
227.373mph
133.779mph
  
   
   
 
Sunset over salt Lake Gairdner
  
This was a once in a lifetime adventure, never to be repeated. All I can say is WOW! For all the Speed results go to: www.dlra.org.au
   
1932 Ford Coupe B/BGCC 142.970mph.
It was a great experience for me, and a real eye opener. Would I do it again?.............Who Knows!! A few facts to consider:
A. The event has been cancelled for the past two years due to either unsuitable weather conditions, or from water travelling through the lake.
B.The salt lake is very fragile and I witnessed water dripping from a car parked in the pits area that had cretaed a hole about 75mm deep in the salt.
C. Approval from the indigenous people must be sought before the event takes place.The aboriginals believe the first fifty metres surrounding the lake is sacred ground and if you can get passed the first fifty metres you can enter the lake.
D. Any vehicle that is parked on the lake must be directly over a plastic sheet to prevent oil spills on the salt.
   
Desert Arab Camp
Worst End........Best End
Salt holed from Water
 

 

 

 
 
CLICK HERE return to Homepage