In the west of the Northern Territory.
Capricorn Expedition 1999, 2017 & 2023
A solo crossing of Australia along the Tropic Of Capricorn, using three camels as transport, raising funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Andrew has a very strong aversion to following tracks or roads across deserts and so one of the objectives of the journey was an exercise in pure desert navigation - to keep as close to the Tropic as possible, hence using the camels to cross vast tracts of wilderness. The camels carried all of the provisions and this 229 day, 6 million 830 thousand step journey included 86 days of lone travel across the Little Sandy, Gibson and Simpson Deserts. As acknowledgement of this achievement Andrew was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in 2000.
Capricorn Expedition continued in 2017 with A Walk Across The Andes. In October 2023 the wobbly walk continues across northern Argentina and Paraguay. www.capricornexpedition.com.au
Expeditions with the Outback Camel Company
The Outback Camel Company has been exploring all of Australia's great inland desert's since 1976 and has a heritage that stretches back to 1860, encompassing the golden years of camel based desert exploration. Since 1995 Andrew has led treks & expeditions across all of the major deserts with Australia's last remaining team of continuously working packcamels and he has been the owner of the Outback Camel Company since 2000.
As far as contemporary Australian desert exploration goes, he believes that this is as pure as it gets and that packcamels are still the best way to explore Australia's great deserts with the smallest environmental "padprint" possible. The expeditions begin where the roads stop - in fact if ever contemporary walking treks were described as 'off the beaten track' these would be it - there are no tracks or roads and in most cases the expeditions are blazing a new path across the red dunes, alongside inland river systems, and across vast gibber flats and claypans.
Andrews ethos for these trips is simple - provide travellers with a real experience of discovery that is grounded in the grand traditions of Australian desert exploration.
Expedition Leader, Northern Simpson Desert Expedition 2009, 2010
Expedition Leader, Simpson Desert Expedition 1996 (x2), 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004
Expedition Leader, Great Victoria Desert/Gibson & Little Sandy Desert Expeditions 1997, 2003, 2005
Expedition Leader, Great Southern Simpson Desert Expedition 2014
Expedition Leader Munga-Thirri Expedition 2014
In 2014 the Outback Camel Company ceased operating commercial camel expeditions and now works solely for Australian Desert Expeditions on their scientific and ecological surveys. See www.desertexpeditions.org
With Australian Desert Expeditions
Nearly 45% of the continent is yet to be comprehensively surveyed by scientists. Realising that desert exploration by camel could play an important role in increasing our desert knowledge, Andrew founded Australian Desert Expeditions in 2007. The scientific community have quickly recognised the great value in traversing remote country by foot assisted by a team of packcamels. These rigorous scientific and ecological surveys have traversed previously unexplored areas of the Simpson Desert as well as providing a unique ecotourism experience for desert trekkers.
Expedition Leader, Arid Rivers Expedition 2007
Expedition Leader, Simpson Desert Archaeology Expedition 2008
Expedition Leader, Kalamurina Reserve Survey with Australian Wildlife Conservancy and Eyre Creek Ornithological Survey 2009
Expedition Leader of the 2010 & 2011 ecological surveys in partnership with Bush Heritage Australia
Expedition Leader, Kallakoopah Creek Expeditions 2014, Mikiri Surveys 2014
Expedition Leader, Simpson Desert Project 138 Surveys 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018
Expedition Leader, Simpson Desert Songlines & Shared Journeys Surveys, 2019 & 2021
Central Australian (Tanami) Expedition 2002
With colleague Kieran Kelly. A 720km, 35 day, 2 man, 5 camel expedition across the Tanami Desert to link the routes of explorers John Stuart and Augustus Gregory. The historical challenge for Harper & Kelly was to connect Gregory’s failed attempt in 1856 to cross the Tanami from the west with John McDouall Stuart’s unsuccessful attempt in 1860 to cross the same desert from the east. They were setting out to 'join the dots' and celebrate the achievements of two of Australia's greatest land navigators.
"We wanted to find out what defeated them – why did they retreat? What was the country like at the exact position where they turned back? What would have happened to each of them, to their men and horses, if they kept going?"
reconnxpedition 2012
reconnXpedition was a 35 day, 700km west-to-east solo walk across Australia's Simpson Desert, the world's largest parallel sand-ridge desert. It took place in August/September 2012 and in 2013 will be linked with Education Through Expeditions (www.etelive.org) to provide school children with a direct connection to the ancient centre of the Australian continent.
In collaboration with Adventurers & Scientists for Conservation, Andrew carried out a ground-truthing project for Sydney University's Institute of Wildlife Research. He didn't realise it at the time, but the expedition is now believed to be the first recorded solo exploration of the desert from west to east with camels.
Walkabout Expedition 2007
A nomadic walk from the western side of the Simpson Desert in the Northern Territory, to the Warburton River near Lake Eyre in South Australia. A two person, 6 camel, 1 dog journey over 35 days and 430 kilometres.
The world's largest parallel sand ridge desert. reconnxpedition travelled right across the desert in a wobbly line from west to east.
The Walkabout Expedition route was from the west of the desert to Lake Eyre in the southeast.
