Crossing the FLOODED Simpson Desert • Patriot Games Season 3 • Episode 6

shape metal was my livelihood but I never thought I'd be building gear like this every week we turn tons of Steel into rolling works of art some of the toughest gear in the world comes out of this Factory [Music] is only half the fun now on Tesla Vader [Music] my passion is taking my family to the edges of the earth wife the guy we know how to play it patriot games it's that time of year again the feet desert race is almost here this year Justin and Tommy will be racing in an all new Polaris side-by-side not being able to leave it well enough alone the team have reengineered it from the ground up the quickest route to the Finke desert race is through the Simpson Desert which will also put Sarah's new arti 15 super turret to the test the crew are rolling out with only four days up their sleeve to make the 2500 kilometer journey buckle in crew to make it to Fink we'll need to drive through the night air Creek is flooded with the most water this desert has seen in over 50 years [Music] rolling into Birdsville the ceiling is just look we're here apart from being tied by an absolutely shattered from driving all night you know the sun's popping up we're rolling down the main strip you know you come and pass the servo you see the birds will pop on your right-hand side and this is it the Gateway to the middle of Australia the center of Australia and we're gonna be getting across it in the next few hours hopefully just like hey guys how are you mate how are you hey Ben man good look I'm Ben fuller I'm the publican of the birds will hotel and we're out in Birdsville Channel country Queensland here's a gown yeah good big trip here how is the water out here plenty of water yeah you can tell by my eyes it's been a big truth yeah we drove straight through the night so what spring yellow right we've just been pretty quiet for a little while with her you know a couple of big floods through here and probably more water than what we've seen since 1974 we've had we've had a couple of dry floods so we've had no rain at all and it's flooding that's come down from Winton first one was a big a big waterfront storm front that came across that winter long reach area followed by cyclone Trevor which really topped it up and and put a hell of a lot of water down through the channel country which is all gone into lake eyre which is really exciting as of this morning the qaa line across the Simpsons opens it is open open as of this morning awesome which is good news we've been stressing about we were in the gauntlet coming area you did look like I actually fought it might have been another three or four weeks the whole time driving out last night you know Justin was saying you know we could get there and it might not be a the cross you might not be open so you know we're gonna have to head north what's there air crate crossing can get across it or not yeah look the actual air creek the the one on cue a a it'd be way too deep I've got a bit of a flow in it right so yeah the bypass is open so it's about an extra 75 K these guys from Patriot campers were very lucky because I actually fought to be close for another couple of weeks and it's open this morning so once you get close to air Creek yes a couple of signs out there and you track north about 30k right and just follow the crack up yeah how long is that 75 K is it rough that it's a little bit wet in places it's not overly rough it's slower going than it would be if you're on the normal route yeah but the crossing itself is is not that boggy it's so important that we don't get stuck because we have to get to Alice if we don't get to Alice you know no one's there to look after the buggy and this whole trips gonna be wasted he's giving us the lie down they've opened the desert which is a good thing but err crazy saying is impossible unless you take the bypass but don't really have time to take the bypass so we've decided the best thing to do is jump and play and gone do the rake on ourselves not ready to give up on air creek yeah the team decide there's only one way to know for sure chatting with publican aired here we're not sure whether we can actually get across air creek so we've decided to go up in the plane and have a scout and check it out and see what's going on today's mission was to observe the cue a light also the VA Creek which runs through the qaa line so you guys a good good track over it and hopefully get over it [Music] there we go when I feel the little plane it was kind of scary because it was so small for those so many people inside flooding in the Simpson Desert is rare and as frustrating as this situation is it's still a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see it from the air flooding around Birdsville is is really an amazing thing to see because it brings all these birds in pelicans bird life you know when when water goes they say just add water when water goes through the channel country and down to the lake it's something that you rarely see yeah so the dommatina river flying up north of the channel country had the most rain for the past 30 years and because of that the sort of everywhere and all that green is back you'll see completely everywhere it's quite amazing at the moment it's been over 30 years since they've received this amount of water out here and apart from just going and scouting air creaking true and we can get across I'm actually really excited to see the perspective of what this water does traveling down right into the middle of Australia coming up to egg Creek I thought it was just one crossing there's actually three that we have to get across there was more flooded than what I thought yes so this air Creek this is what we've been concerned about good yeah so you can flow to see how much glittery dip above it seeing the creek from the air that's in question is definitely one situation and it looks possible to me but I know when we're on the ground and depending how soft it is how deep it is it might be a completely different situation what does concern me is there's actually three parts to that Creek that we need to cross there is an option to take a bypass but we just don't have the time to do that yeah so basically all these flood water and still coming through yeah it's pretty hard to go through but see guys can't get through and it'd be quite a feat honestly that would be a really good bird wait is that Rob who would have thought flying over the Simpson Desert and we bump into you no no you would never even write about it dad left the Gold Coast's three days before we did I thought he was well into the Simpson and wouldn't you know we're flying over in the plane Sarah comes over the mic there's a white land cruiser down there and it's towing something we spin around so we dive in we drop down about 400 feet and sure enough there's my old man doors flying open the plane was waving at him we're sitting there waving back and then he jumped out of the car with Belinda we're doing laps around him flapping the wings he's waving from the ground it was just just absolutely amazing the center of Australia this massive country and there's my old man the only person in the Simpson Desert and I've got to say he's the first person to cross after the wet for 2019 which is pretty happy was that fun oh yeah it was good to say once we're done we'll finish these off you couldn't know if yourself good job where you go flying in a play 45-minute flight and you managed to find beer at the pump it's nasty and I'm time talking good and proper nasty like nasty nasty mmm there's not one crossing there's three crossings from the air I would say 50/50 possible but I think we can get down there I think it's deep and I'm talking deep down like swallow a whole 2,500 Graham day thanks I guess at this stage what's making me really nervous is I know what Justin's like and I know he's gonna go somewhere where no one else has been and typically you know things can go wrong so I'm just hoping that we do them make the right decision so we can get to where we need to be to take on the buggy and go testing and then to hear from Justin just how epic the water was through that through that Creek blew my mind I can't wait to get in there and see are we gonna get these get these Rams across it or are we not the boys who came I know the gears up for it one way or another we're going to get across the Simpson with a successful recon of air crate complete the team has decided to take on the track and they're fully aware it might be a struggle let's roll out if the team hopes to face the feet desert race this year they better get some distance in quick good to be back back home back in the black truck and towing a new x1 H across the desert the boys are well and truly in their element the iconic black truck has been all around the world and was only just in Colorado a few months ago taking on the Alpine loop [Music] Sara and Mia are commandeering Sara's new car and the latest in the super to arrange the arty 15 this supercharged v8 petrol engine Hemi gives the humble Land Cruiser a real run for its money and is slightly smaller than its big brother the 2500 for the Duster this little track here and ran to be granting out the convoy is Tommy and Dave in the big rig VRT 25 super Tura made to haul large loads the arty 25 is bigger in size than the 1500 and boasts a turbo diesel engine as the crew crest over little red they get their first taste of the desert that looks pretty good from where I'm sitting if you think that's impressive guys wait till you see be red so pulling up to big red today you know it was there's one of those things that you don't really really expect to see until you get there you know it's a that's a big big mound of sand and so to come here today and actually see it you know it was it was crazy it was very daunting though so this is big red [Music] nice you picked a track yet tell me which one you gonna do everybody has to know one we have to look at a few of the tracks and to be honest with you this trip is not about breaking gear it's definitely about testing gear we have to get to Alice Springs of what no two ways about it so I suppose the stupidity that we normally experience when we go on these trips that's out the window we've got to take it easy Gords what are we thinking so how you feeling about that oh I definitely want to be going first yeah I feel the same way yeah you know what maybe I'm getting old or something when Justin said let's not break the trucks and let's take an easy track I'm thinking mmm what happened there what happened to my husband but to be honest you know we've got deadlines we've got to get somewhere we need these things to get there intact and on time I just don't want to spend an afternoon digging that is exactly what I'm getting at because it's getting late and I'm tired and I'm hungry all right can we go round one of those other tracks on the right that's fine one of those ones on the right you go and so we can get up I choose your lines wisely team it's time to take on big red so we pick the track that's still look pretty challenging but we knew that we could get all the trucks up and first up is the black truck all right here we go we're rolling I'm good enough run up here how good does that look going up that hill you I'm into it in the black chalk grab third gear the things revving down straight up this is not a drama well dancing back up the track and as we got to the top started running out of revs and I thought on I should have left it in third but the black truck she did what she does best and just tracted all the way to the top sort of feeling real soft it is a real soft up here real soft popped over the ridge line we're clear now we've gotta try and get Sarah all right say you got me copy oK you've got to keep the pair on up here you have to keep it on just trust me it's gonna feel really weird ready man [Music] my butt was like jumping out of the seat so was me is but I just had that foot firmly pressed down [Music] hey guys you'll or not crazy yeah it's Frankie when you get to the top if you feel like it's in your life there's nothing there yeah yeah do you feel like you want to fall off the top of every you just gotta keep it well done if it was kind of like lemon yeah when you can say let's get the big girl up all I've got a thing I looked at Dave my said what do you reckon they said mate you've just got to put your foot to the floor and keep it on so that's what I did mate the trick is it's a big truck you got a lot of weight you just need to hold the power on it's all about momentum I trust you go all right send it this doesn't always coward whoa said and the left and I think we say that's how you do that and that's how you do that would you check out that view hold on Justin didn't you say hold the power on I'm not CLE wasn't a full sentence fancy that told you have to pull the black truck here hey I thought you said just keep the power on it will come up around the track and I'll start with flawless study into it maybe I didn't so I've bogged down the trailers quite a jackknife well you know Justin said give it everything you've got and we'll make it over I don't think he listened to himself because this is where we're stuck how embarrassing at least we're just on the return that there had to be a recovery right yes yes I mean that this is this is pretty good for me today my first recovery in the 2500 ram is recovering the black truck so you know Justin's beer beer I reckon Tommy to the rescue with the big rig it's been a massive day on the dunes for the crew that's embarrassing yeah that's that's not even match I'm like embarrassed it's time to take in the scenery and get some rest for a big day ahead tomorrow [Music] there's no time to lose and the crew is up at first light to make the most of the next two days doing it Fink for scrutineering the crew can't afford for anything to go wrong [Music] I know mold men's somewhere out there is on the other side of the creek so there's two reasons now that I want to get across as quick as possible I want to get across because we need to get in Dallas by Tuesday morning but I want to try and catch my old man in the desert how cool would that be you know catching up with him the kids get the same out in the Simpson you saying what I'm saying here guys hey this is really good can you say that big swimming pool in front of us definitely can't it's not the one we're gonna go through that's when we kind of need to go through so that day to us on that we're looking at there's obviously for the bypass this is what looking in the plane yesterday but once again man this is going to come down to Tom I think we get down there and check it out we'll have a look at it but I can almost guarantee that we're not going through that looking at it for me this crate crossing could cost the team Fink [Music] Justin's just called me over this has to be serious sounded exactly like what I put on Fraser dude remember how I thought it was a hub yeah but we knock those teeth off those gears it's as soon as we come over that June we popped over that June as I came down and grabbed another gear it just went kook honk and just clunked again might lock it it I hope I'm wrong but it sounds and that's a brand new diff Center right maybe I'm got time to be doing this do you want to walk with it I'll do I'll do a hard right hand down and we'll just do some circles in here and see if we can we can hear it I'm trying that's the time what's down on but it didn't sound good it's all of that or really lucky and it was a spring sate popping back in so far this trips just gone from bad to worse everything has worked against us it's been really light nights getting the two new trucks built getting the race car all built the one thing that I was certain that I wasn't going to have a problem with was the black truck and ultimately that's coming bidness in the ass didn't have the locals on but didn't even have more but just when I pulled up here and did it again but it was only really soft it was over here that's dis senator I've heard the noise the once my initial thought was or is it possibly is it possibly just in our hub but walking next to it listening to that sound just and I both know it we've done that front if that's the Senate that night two ways about it yeah what's happened is obviously it's skipping today it's skipping tea so it's going good good good skip good good good skip that's yeah you'll get another buddy another one or two kilometres by that time that that pinion gear says she's going to be stripped to help I don't think this could have come at a worse time I've just put a brand new dip in this truck before we left brand-new nitro gears for 88 years this is the second set of gears that I've put into this car and it's just this is absolutely killing me the product the problem we've got is or would say that if we go we got to be we got to be in the Alice Tuesday morning right what are we today Saturday so we've got two days mmm all that's going through my mind is how do I get this to the other end of the Simpson so we've got two hundred and thirty kilometres of of sand dunes maybe a little bit less time is against the storms our biggest problem right now I just can't believe we're in a situation with this truck but could possibly mean we're not going to make it to think next time on Patriot Games the team have only just made it into the Simpson Desert and the black truck is experiencing some issues with only two days left across the entire desert and make it to think the crew are stuck in one of the harshest poke holes they've ever faced rigs gear and tempers are pushed to the limit as big feels further away than ever be careful it's taking you just to get there see how it's going to take my track and you know what when someone tells me I can't do something that's the time and I'll get it done

Channel: Patriot Games

Views: 184,670

Rating: 4.8875742 out of 5

Keywords: patriot games, simpson desert, birdsville, outback australia, australian outback, patriot campers, ram 2500, 2019 ram 2500, 2019 ram 1500, ram 1500, 79 series landcruiser, sand driving, outback, northern territory, finke, 4wd, toyota land cruiser, 4x4, 4wd action, dune driving, desert safari, dune bashing, camper trailer, offroad camper

Id: V3HPHYNrnJ8

Length: 24min 56sec (1496 seconds)

Published: Mon Dec 09 2019