This series is dedicated to my good mate Denis Bartell — a man whose knowledge of the desert was unmatched. Rest in peace, mate.
Part 3 of the Serendipity crossing picks up on Day 4. There's drone technique, the best kind of camping there is, a snake bite story that would have hospitalised most people, the Tricky Bar making its desert appearance, and a full field test of five Nebo lights.
Day Four — Coffee, Fire, and a Good Morning
There's something about being an early riser in the Simpson. The birds start before the sun. You stoke the fire, get the coffee going, and for a while it's just you and the desert waking up together.
Breakfast: oats with apple and cinnamon. Chopper was doing what Chopper does — lingering around the other vehicles, sitting in the Y62 Patrol, weighing it up against the 105. The old workhorse won, as it always does.
Taking Off and Landing a Drone Without Leaving the Car
Given I'm usually the only one filming, I minimise interruptions where I can. One skill that saves a lot of time is taking off and landing the drone without stepping out of the vehicle.
On older DJI drones this was simple — just force the drone down and it lands in your hand. Newer firmware versions have made this harder, but it still often works. In the desert where stopping the vehicle, getting out, and managing dust is a real pain, it's worth mastering.
Why I Camp on Top of Dunes
We only covered a few hours of driving this afternoon — deliberately. When you find the right dune and the wind drops, you stop. Camping on top of a dune is one of the genuine privileges of desert travel: 360-degree views, sunrise and sunset unobstructed, complete silence when the wind isn't blowing.
Tonight was one of those nights. No wind. Just the desert.
Chopper's Eastern Brown Snake Story
Around camp, Chopper shared a story — a previous run-in with an Eastern Brown at home, one of the world's most venomous snakes. He'd been bitten on the foot, washed the area, had a stern word to the snake, sat in his chair, and waited to see what happened.
Nothing happened.
He didn't go to hospital. Not recommended — Chopper is a trained medic, it was his third bite, and he made a judgement call. The point: the Australian outback has real hazards and being prepared matters. Carry a snake bite kit. Know how to use it.
The Tricky Bar is Open
After a day like that, Chop set up the sail and opened the Tricky Bar. Camping on top of a dune, supplies that have been preserved since home — if you've watched the Victorian High Country series you'll have some idea of what's in it.
Sugar-free mixer. Cheers.
Seven Years With My Redarc Foldable Solar Blanket
I haven't mentioned this much, but I've been running the Redarc foldable solar panel for about seven years. It wasn't cheap when I bought it — close to a thousand dollars — but the form factor is still the best I've found, and after seven years of heavy use, it's still working.
Nebo Lights — Five Models, Honest Field Results
Before this trip I attended the Auto Expo and spoke with the Nebo distributor, who sent me a full range of lights to test. Here's what I found:
Luxtrem SL100 — Laser spotlight/flood. 1,600-metre throw with a laser LED. Fully magnetic — sticks to car bodywork or the underside of a camp table. On Fraser Island it deterred dingoes. I like this one and will keep using it.
Slyde King 2K — Hand torch. Very heavy and sturdy construction. Strong magnet that can nearly lift the camp table, plus a 90-degree adjustable work light on the side. Stick it under the bonnet and angle the work light where you need it.
Mycro 500+ — Compact hanging light. Silicon base, extremely small footprint. I've been using it as a position light around the stretcher — the red mode means it's easy to find your way back to camp without blinding yourself. One improvement needed: it needs a hook.
Einstein 1500 Flex — Headlamp. Good output and a red light, but after about an hour of wearing it, those rubber bands start pressing into your head. Fine for a quick job; not ideal for a full evening around camp.
The light output across all five Nebo lights is genuinely very good. The Luxtrem SL100 and the Mycro 500+ are the two I'd buy again.
