I have raced Bonneville Speedweek 2011, 12, 13, wet in 14 and stayed at home 2015. So on a holiday to OZ to see daughter we did a 2 day trip to OZ speedweek to check it out.
Before you read below, visit the DLRA website www .dlra.org.au/spectators.htm and the other pages. Below is our experience of the trip.
Lake Gairdner is a bit remote, well quite remote. Drive to the middle of nowhere and turn right, or is it left?
It is about a 7 hour trip from Adelaide airport to Iron Knob. Turn right on the dirt road just after Iron Knob turn off, you then travel 121 km to the Mt. Ive Station turn off right if you are staying there, or keep going another 8 km, past one cattle grid, then you come to a creek sign. Turn right just before the second cattle grid. Then it is another 21 km past 2 gates then a water well, then the salt.
Myself & daughter arrived in Adelaide to collect a Toyota Land cruiser 4WD for the journey north. This came with a roof tent, fridge, ground tent, cooker, sleeping bags, awning, tables, chairs etc and all kitchen stuff plus everything you need to keep the truck going outback of beyond, because that is where we were going. You can take your car there but it is going to get dirty and may fall to bits. A dirt road means just that, a red dust corrugated typical bush road that will rattle you teeth out. Go fast enough and you may skip over the tops but the dust is extreme. Drive at 60 - 80kph is about right but don't try and follow anyone. We did it in the dark, stupidly and missed the turn offs to the camps. Thankfully we also missed the wildlife.
You could take a camper but don't tell them you are going off road. The 4WD we had could run on the gravel at 60 - 80kph OK. We passed several camper vans who were struggling along at 40kph to prevent them falling apart and disintegrating everything inside but this is what you are going to need as a team. Good portable accommodation. Some teams had tents, some had campers others had tough outback caravans. It needs to be stocked with enough of everything for 5-6 days at the salt. You can get more beer and food but it is limited. There were 2 of us and because our tent was on the roof we had to up sticks each day to go to the salt.
There are 3 places to stay. Mount Ive Station, DLRA Camp or the Saltbush camp. Camp means just that, CAMP.
We stayed at Mt Ive Station first because it was late, 11pm, and it was the only one we could find in the dark. Camp site is good, with showers are good but it is a long drive to the salt each day, 18km of gravel road. It has food and beer and some fuel. The second day we packed up and drove to the salt. Entrance to the salt is $30/person for the week. As you drive on to the salt you have to blow the dust off the car with the supplied leaf blowers. This can cause long queues to form waiting to get on the salt. Likewise when you come off the salt you have to brush the salt off before going back on to the land. Again, queues. We did not hit these queues because we arrived late morning each day but I could see it can get busy..
The second night we stayed at the DLRA camp. A bit nearer at just 8km from the salt. This is where some of the racers stay. Again good showers and toilets and power if you need it. No food or beer or fuel. A theme of "self sufficient is repeating here".
The other campsite is the Salt Bush camp. This overlooks the salt and is by far the nearest and it has food, a bar and a general social atmosphere but, no toilets, no showers, no power - nothing. There were however 2 x portable toilets when we were there but this they say is rare. Everyone at the salt bush camp had their own toilet and shower tent and power.
So basically, you have to be self sufficient. You have to take your hotel/motel/tent/shed or whatever with you and everything you need to both survive and race a vehicle.
As for racing on the salt. the DLRA is a voluntary organisation. This means that all the jobs required to run speed week are done by the racers and crew of those competing at speed week. Every DLRA member has to volunteer for 1 morning or afternoon job on one of the days of speed week. Check their website for this. It means that the job you do is only done for half a day and for that half of a day you cannot race. It sounds odd, but it does work. I only saw it operating for one mornings scrutineering and half a day's racing so my opinion is limited, but it is a bit slow and does not quite gel and is not a slick as Bonneville.
The salt itself is long, hard, dry and very quick. So if you can cope with a week or so with limited creature comforts and lots of flies, I did mention the flies didn't I ? Then go for it.