hi guys i go up there (gilles) a bit, yeh the entrance is a bit hard to spot i the last time i put my trip meter of the speedo to 0 at iron knob and measured it from there that way i always know when i'm getting close, the track in follows the vermin fence at the edge of the park until you get to the stock gate where it becomes part of Gilles Downs station then through the gate back into the park again,, the track is or can be a little over grown and because it's a conservation park Nat. parks don't relly like to cut trees back but if you vehicle isn't to high it's not all that bad just take it easy,,the jump up/down is the last tricky bit before the run to the entrance to the lake surface but it's not impossible even with a 2wd car as long as you use some sence,, when i go up i prefer to camp back off the lake up in the scrub particularly if it's a bit cold as it seems to be a bit warmer back there and i have made a bit of a camping area back in the trees for the camper trailer, a fire pit and such there's plenty of dry wood although you're suppose to bring in your own so i'm told but a 30 min walk around the scrub finds plenty laying on the ground for a couple of days suppy, i take the land yacht down to the lake and just leave it there over night, that way it's easy to get bad up the jump up section without towing the camper trailer should things turn nasty, i was on the lake when the rain set in once and didn't have any trouble getting out but better safe than stuck, it's a fair walk back to the main road,,, when you drive out onto the lake just turn right along the edge of the lake and the camping spots are abbout 100 mts or so along there but anywhere seems ok, that is the best track into the lake there is another one a bit close to iron knob but it has been badly washed out and would take about 20 mins longer if you could get through at all...as for weather reports I look on the Adelaide BOM site and look at the reports for KIMBA and NONNING station which is just on the other side of the lake, they seem to be the best two.........also forgot to mention the track entrance is about 45 k's from Kimba so if you heading towards kimba from port augusta it's about 45 k's from kimba and if you look for maker post 837 (it was still there the last time i was there) the track is just a bit further on from that post.........hope this helps,, at this stage i'll be going if it's not wet but will be goin up on sat'day and coming home on the monday but i might be staying in port augusta and just coming out on sunday to sail,,, a check of the nonning station readings a few days before hand should give a reasonably good indication as to what it's going ot be like,,, intend to give the clay pans around port augusta a try as well hence the reason for staying in the port...
