What is your State of Readiness? vision + planning = confidence:

"Surrounded by water, with the most rain in living memory, we found ourselves having a conversation about our very survival".

This was our experience in the remote outpost of Innamincka, 500km from civilisation in the South Australian deserts, during an unexpected rain event resulting in extreme flooding.

So extreme, the wild dingoes even lost their food source causing some dingo packs to make raiding parties on the pub store. Innamincka at the time consisted of two buildings, one of which was the pub, and had a population of six. The dingoes tore a hole in the external wall of the store, broke through an internal partition and pilfered 15kg of dog food.

Do we we evacuate, with a 500km drive to civilisation, and risk getting stranded on a remote impassable desert track or do we stay and risk the whole town going under water?

We did run the gauntlet by driving out and the town did go under water. This story had a happy ending for us but it could have easily gone the other way.

This post tells the story of how we plan an expedition to remote wilderness destinations.

A successful expedition is not measured by the absence of problems but rather your capacity to respond to whatever comes your way.

State of Readiness includes Deployment Readiness which refers to being ready to depart and Operational Readiness which refers to your capacity to respond to any situation.

Our mantra for Operational Readiness is 'Improvise, Adapt, Overcome'. This mantra was displayed on our group T shirts as seen in the photo above from our group trip to the Simpson Desert "Operation Desert Sky".

This post is written in the context of a 4WD touring adventure to a remote wilderness destination. Of course, these de-risking principles can apply to any expedition and can be applied to the extent they are relevant.

How much planning is enough?:

Only since about the mid 1980's has it really been possible for people to travel just about anywhere in Australia. Destinations have become more accessible and vehicles have advanced significantly in capability and reliability.

An explosion in recreational 4WD'ing, since the 1980's, has also led to the popularity of exploring remote outback and wilderness destinations. However, there has not been a corresponding awareness of the need to prepare for risk. This is partly because there is very little in the way of resources in the market to help a family de-risk an expedition.

The above photo is from our group trip to the Simpson Desert, Operation Desert Sky, In this photo we are three days drive from civilisation.

There are 3 reasons to plan well for remote travel:

1. Remote outback travel can be very hazardous. You should not under estimate the possibility of encountering extremely harsh elements and conditions that can place you into an 'extreme risk' situation;

2. Problems arising from poor preparation can spoil the expedition for you and your fellow adventurers. You may even have your trip cut short;

3. Problems arising from poor preparation can be very expensive to remedy, such as broken down vehicle recovery from a remote location costing thousands.

Do not attempt to access remote areas in an ill-prepared vehicle as your vehicle needs to get you in and get you back. Do not attempt to access remote areas without adequate emergency communication equipment.

The planning phase can be one of the most exciting parts of an expedition where everyone is fully pumped for months and very motivated with all kinds of preparation. After all, your adventure begins the moment you decide to go.

This post offers invaluable expedition planning tips from our 40 years experience in planning and leading over 60 group trips including some of the most iconic and remote wilderness destinations in Australia.

What could go wrong?:

This is an obvious question to ask when planning a trip. However, we never anticipated the incidents shown in the following photos:

The above photo shows the iconic Strzelecki Track when we ran the gauntlet in the story at the beginning of this post. It was so wet and sticky we could not get out of second gear for the first 440km using fuel at a rate of 31 litres/100km. One family in our convoy broke the draw bar clean off their camper trailer when crossing one of the many sand dunes. Fortunately, a cattle station 15km away was able to weld the draw bar back on. Our overnight campsite, in the middle of the remote Strzelecki Desert, was near Mount Hopeless. See the whole story in 'Cracking stories from our group trips Part 5' - Story # 1.

In the middle of the Simpson Desert, on our group trip, Operation Desert Sky, we came across this stranded family. Their ute had its chassis bent like a banana and were waiting for a flat top to come and rescue them. This had occurred from the punishing crossing of the 1,200 sand dunes between Mt Dare & Birdsville.

The photo above shows my mate Tony's Suzuki which was working pretty hard on this steep challenging hill when the front diff literally exploded spectacularly with smoke and oil everywhere. This incident occurred at Pineapple Flat, being a remote part of the Victorian High Country, on our group trip Operation Southern Cross. See the whole story in 'Cracking stories from our group trips Part 2' - Story # 2.

The photo above, shows a hole from a 7.5cm diameter tree branch that came right through the floor between the brake and clutch pedals coming right up between my legs. We were immobilised, the stuff of nightmares. This incident occurred in a remote part of Baw Baw National Park in the Victorian High Country. See the whole story in 'Cracking stories from our group trips Part 2' - Story # 2.

The photo above shows our daughter & son-in-law's back diff completely broken in half on their Suzuki Jimny. The back wheels were sitting on a 30 degree angle. This incident occurred on a remote track on K'gari (Fraser Island). See the full dramatic story in Cracking stories from our group trips Part 1 - Story # 3.

The photo above shows the aftermath of a Code Red, severe storm on K'gari (Fraser Island) which we did not know was coming. This storm hit on 27/12/1999 with 200mm of rain overnight, 75kph winds and a 4m swell. One of our three camps was obliterated and there was absolute carnage along the beach front with many other camps decimated. This incident occurred on our group trip Operation Los Seis Amegos. See the full dramatic story in Cracking stories from our group trips Part 1 - Story # 5.

The above photo is from my mate Wayne's 4WD on our group trip to the Simpson Desert, Operation Desert Sky, where he lost a bolt that connects the rear sway bar to the chassis. The incident occurred on the remote Oodnadatta Track, a days drive from civilisation. The rear sway bar holds the diff in position and the back wheels were floating all over the place.

True to our 'Improvise, Adapt, Overcome' mantra, we managed to jack the sway bar back into position then slip a tent peg in where the bolt was missing which held things together until we got to Oodnadatta. Wayne was able to get a replacement high tensile bolt at Oodnadatta. The tent peg remains mounted in Waynes trip memorabilia in his shed. See the whole story in 'Cracking stories from our group trips Part 5' - Story # 2.

Don't be put off :

Don't be put off by the above examples. We have embarked on remote expeditions for the last 40 years and serious problems have been very rare. In every example of ours, in the photos above, there was a happy ending including rich campfire story telling for years to come.

More likely hazards in remote country include:

• Running out of fuel;

• Running out of provisions - food & water;

• Vehicle breakdown;

• Unsuitable clothing for conditions;

• Driving incident in unfamiliar conditions such as losing control on unsealed roads;

• Inadequate emergency communications or inability to access emergency services;

• Inadequate first aid supplies or inadequate first aid skills;

• Experiencing heat stress from activity in hot conditions;

• Breakages from vehicle overloading;

• Camping in the wrong place - under trees, in creek beds or exposed to severe weather;

• Incident with flora & fauna.

How we plan a trip:

Firstly, this post is written in the context of a non-commercial expedition with friends and family and is not relevant for commercial use.

Helpful resources that influence how we de-risk our trips include:

• ‘Australian Adventure Activity Standard’ (AAAS) by Outdoor Council of Australia;

• ‘Adventure Activity Good Practice Guide’ (GPG) by Outdoor Council of Australia;

• ‘Four Wheel Driving Adventure Activity Standard’ (AAS) by Outdoors Victoria.

We attempt to reflect the recommendations of the above standards to the extent they are relevant for a group of friends doing a non-commercial trip together.

There is no obligation to comply with these standards even for commercial operators and 4WD clubs. Yet, it is good practice to do so and some elements reflect measures you would find in any workplace.

In our case, our remote trips have always been a group of friends doing a non-commercial trip together. We found that these standards reflect common sense and include many things we had always done.

In a nutshell, the key planning elements of our expeditions include:

Element:	Purpose:
Preliminary information - Flyer:	Things participants need to know before committing to a trip.
Trip Plan:	A schedule showing the plan for each day including: location, travel distance, driving time, travel time, highlights and accommodation details. All sorts of issues are likely to change plans so the actual journey may be different and that’s OK.
Vehicle Preparation Checklist & Tips:	A checklist, plus tips, on all matters relating to your vehicle. Your vehicle needs to get you in and get you back.
What to Pack Checklist & Camping Tips:	A checklist, plus tips, on all matters relating to what to bring and how to camp.
Travel Tips	A list of travel tips for touring the Outback & Wilderness areas
Risk Management Plan:	A schedule showing examples of hazards that may be encountered with notes on how to control / reduce those risks.
Emergency Response Plan:	A plan of what we will do in the event of an emergency including local emergency services contact details and how they will be contacted. Do not attempt to access remote areas without adequate communication equipment.
Emergency Contact Details:	A schedule showing participant next of kin contact details in the event of an emergency.
Medication Information Form:	To understand any significant medical conditions of participants and any relevant medication including: why is it required, what is it, how is it administered and where it will be stored.
Pre Start Briefing checklist:	A checklist for our group briefing on the eve of the trip as a final reminder of what to expect on the trip ahead.
Daily Briefing Checklist:	A briefing each morning of the trip to ensure all participants are aware of what to expect on the day ahead.
An information night:	A general discussion on all matters about the upcoming trip and a chance to meet other participants. Always, held over a meal.
Terms & Conditions:	​A statement or document that serves as a release & indemnity for leaders, seeks permission to use photos, authorises others to obtain medical services (including evacuation) and sets out obligations for participants.

The photo above shows our group enjoying a meal over the final trip briefing on the night before departing into the final frontier of Cape York on Operation Pajinka. There was adrenaline and testosterone dripping from the roof.

The Wilderness Trip Planning Package - soon to be available for purchase:

If you would like all the detail behind the above summary, you will soon be able to purchase a package as an invaluable resource to help you plan your own trip.

You can add these documents to your own planning to suit your own circumstances and use them on every expedition. The documents in this package will include the following:

Part:	Element:	Included in this package:
Part 1	Preliminary Information - Flyer:	A template of a 'Flyer' - 10 pages in length.
Part 2	Trip Plan:	A template of a 'Trip Plan' - 7 pages in length.
Part 3	Vehicle Preparation Checklist & Tips:	A 'Vehicle Preparation Checklist' plus Tips' - 9 pages in length.
Part 4	What to pack Checklist & Tips:	A 'What to Pack Checklist' plus Tips' - 10 pages in length
Part 5	Travel Tips:	A list of 'Travel Tips' for touring the Outback & Wilderness areas - 28 pages in length
Part 6	Risk Management Plan:	.A 'Risk Management Plan' example - 19 pages in length.
Part 7	Emergency Response Plan:	An template for a 'Emergency Response Plan' - 1 page.
Part 8	Emergency Contact details:	A template for a 'Emergency Contact Details Form'.
Part 9	Medication Information Form:	A 'Medication Information Form' template.
Part 10	Pre Start briefing checklist:	A detailed example of a 'Pre Start briefing checklist'.
Part 11	Daily briefing checklist:	A template of a 'Daily briefing checklist'.
Part 12	Information night template:	An example of the agenda for an evening about an upcoming trip and an example of the notes from the discussion.
Part 13	Terms & Conditions:	Suggestions on what you want to achieve from establishing terms and conditions and suggested issues to consider. We do not provide a sample document as we can't provide legal advice.

Photo above shows the first page of each planning document in the package.

Other planning packages soon to be available for purchase:

Element:	Included in this Package:
Trip Planning for Outback Touring Adventures - Part 3: Vehicle Preparation Checklist	An 'Vehicle Preparation Checklist with Tips' - 9 pages in length.
Trip Planning for Outback Touring Adventures - Part 4: What to Pack Checklist	An 'Extra things to Pack Checklist with Tips' - 10 pages in length.
Trip Planning for Outback Touring Adventures - Part 5: Travel Tips	A list of Outback Travel Tips - 28 pages in length.

Free Tips available now:

Refer to hundreds of other tips in the 'Tips & Insights' section ('The How'): https://www.australiatt.com.au/blog/categories/the-how-tips-insights

Plus a plethora of Expredition Trip Notes ('The Where'):

https://www.australiatt.com.au/blog/categories/expedition-trip-notes

David & Rosemary Allan – the faces behind:

May adventure & discovery be your constant companions.

Reflection:

For me, a trip is memorable when I am enriched by a deeper sense of connection to a place which triggers an emotional or spiritual response. This comes from feelings of Awe when I feel part of something bigger. Such as, seeing dramatic landscapes, being caught up in the history and sensing the passion of the human spirit.

A memorable experience will cause me to day dream about the next trip even more than the last trip.

Remember: Your adventure begins the moment you decide to go.