Denis Bartell OAM has died at the age of 90

Dubbed one of Australia’s great outback adventurer’s and pioneers’, Denis Bartell has died.

Denis Bartell died on January 2, 2024, aged 90.

One of Australian’s modern pioneers, renowned outback adventurer and author Denis Bartell OAM has died.

Mr Bartell died aged 90 on January 2, 2024, with his daughter Susan Bartell sharing the news with The Advertiser on Thursday.

The Adelaide born and raised outback legend was famously known as a “contemporary Australian Explorer”, “quintessential character of Australia’s inland” and “an Australian adventurer.”

In 1989, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the general division, and was presented with the Adventurer of the Year Award Gold Medallion in 1994 by the Australian Geographic magazine – founded by Dick Smith.

Desert Walker – Outback Adventures with Denis Bartell. Picture: Vicki Wood / Caboolture News

Mr Bartell attended Kings College – now known as Pembroke College – and later married his wife Jeanne on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland.

He later embarked on his first solo cross-country vehicle journey when he crossed Australian and the Simpson Desert – the largest parallel sand dune desert in the world.

Then endured another solo 390km unaided walk from west to east across the scorching hot Simpson Desert with no back up vehicles.

Mr Bartell boated solo down the Murray River – a 2350km journey – and the 3500km stretch of the Darling-Murray River system.

SA adventurer Denis Bartell driving solar car "Spirit of Adelaide" 140km north of Port Augusta, cruising along at 30 km/h, during his Jubilee 150 3188-kilometre trip from Darwin to Adelaide, 13 Dec 1986.

Denis Charles Bartell trekked across the Simpson Desert in the 1980s.

He completed a five-and-a-half month solo walk across Australia – north to south – when he was 53-years-old.

In another solo adventure, he drove the first solar powered vehicle in a 3200 journey to cross the continent from north to south – setting a world driving record for distance travelled using only the sun’s rays to drive.

Nine years later, he crossed the Simpson Desert with a camel and launched the Optus Satellite phone system by carrying their phones strapped to the camel which enabled him to call anywhere in the world.

Denis Bartell with his solar-powered car.

Denis Bartell in his "Suzi II" Suzuki LJ80 four-wheel drive.

Then at the age of 64, Mr Bartell canoed solo for 880kms down the Murrumnidgee River.

He featured in numerous radio shows and TV interviews with stars such as Bert Newton, Ray Martin and Kerri-Anne Kennerly.

More notably, Mr Bartell featured documentaries including The Desert Walker and Panorama Australia Journey to Australia’s Inland Sea.

Following in his footsteps, Susan and three of her friends – dubbed the Desert Mums – were treated to a guided walk by her father across the Simpson Desert in 2006.

They raised over $170,000 for breast cancer research.