moneypenny20

I can't see it matters which way you do it, providing you make sure you're not up the top end during the wet season. Sort that one out and the rest 'should' be a breeze - albeit a hot one If you do it, please set up a blog on here and post all your adventures and photos. Wayne (WMoore) and Vanessa started but then selfishly got work in Darwin and then offered work back in Brissie so they were pretty useless

darendon

to get you started, read twisting throttle ( a kiwi who does it on a motorbike)
and cold beer and crocodiles, and this nutter does it on a push bike! Both good reads, you can get them off amazon.

Alan-

OK,

Just to be clear:

It can be done on black top with a 4x4 and normal caravan.

Its a long way round !! (ithink about 14,000 kms)

I might die in the process ?? especially if I watch "wolf creek", so might not be a good idea to get it out on DVD.

Racht70 might come, just to do the cooking ??

I need to know when the wet / cyclone season is ??

Are there generally campsites in the major stop off points.

I realise I need to look deeper into planning it properly, but just looking at feasability and overview at the moment.

I will do a blog if anyone thinks it will be a good idea, and I can figure out how to do it.

I suppose it could be a the guide for future others, that I need now !!

Alan.

asher

do you have a copy of twisting throttle?

I tried to order it and its not available on play.com

worzel

Another point to remember is availability at camp sites. During school holidays and long weekends you might need to give several months notice, though if it came to it, having a 'van, you could always stay on the side of the road.

darendon

do you have a copy of twisting throttle?

I tried to order it and its not available on play.com






asher pm me with some details and i'll post it to you (uk?) very funny read
"hairgamma" you'll know what i mean when you read it!

to the op don't watch wolf creek, just don't!

linabey

Hi Alan-,

Highway 1 continues right around Australia and is bitumen all the way. This highway does miss out some of the more interesting areas, like Cape York. As far as vehicle/accommodation combination, this depends very much on personal preference. Obviously, if sticking to bitumen, there is not an absolute need for a 4WD, although they have some advantages as a tow vehicle, especially for larger caravans (heavier weight and good engine capacity etc.). Also, they give you the option of venturing off-road, although you will need another form of accommodation for anything other than day trips. A lot of caravan parks will allow you to keep the caravan there, while you explore the surrounding country. Would need a tent, however, for sleeping while off-road.

Another option is towing an off-road camper trailer, these come in various makes, some of which are quite 'luxurious'. These will travel on most dirt roads, but will be limiting the towing vehicle's normal off-road abilities. Fuel consumption is always going to be a lot higher when towing, too, especially when off-road.

Personally, I think the '6-month trip around Oz to see where you want to end up' is a brilliant idea! My partner and I did just that when we first arrived. However, we preferred the 'off-road' option, and as such did the trip in a Nissan Patrol (diesel, of course, one obvious benefit being the longer range between fuel stops - fuel is much more expensive in the 'outback', and in many places is only available every 600-800 km or so!) and a roof-top tent. This gave us perfect flexibility to pull up anywhere we liked, without having to pre-book accommodation. And no trailer to pull gives you access to some amazing country, which to us was what a good deal of the trip was about. (Although we did put in regular stops in caravan parks, for laundry and decent shower facilities!) Roof-top tents have mattresses built in, and are easy to put up in 5 min or so.

If starting from Perth in May, I would definitely recommend heading clockwise, as the dry season up north generally lasts from April/May to October/November. Obviously heading anti-clockwise if starting from the east coast.

Incidentally, we started on the east coast, headed up to Cape York, then across to Darwin and Kakadu, then the Kimberleys, and Pilbara in WA, before heading down the rugged and beautiful west coast to Perth, around the SW corner of WA and on to Kalgoorlie, along the Great Central Road towards the Centre (the Kata Tjuta, Uluru, Alice Springs and the McDonnell Ranges), then down to Adelaide and back around the SE corner of Oz. The trip took us around 6 months. We probably could have kept going, but we had a job starting in Brisbane.

Anyway, sorry about the length of the post; keep planning and go for it!

denkar101

Hi Alan,

http://www.exploroz.com/Default.aspx

have a look at some of the options on this site.

Cheers,
Dennis

Alan-

Hi,

Great post and valuable insight.

I'll have a look at the roof tents, we have a stockist near Peterborough UK

Which one did you get in OZ ??

Alan.

Alan-

Thanks Dennis

That looks a great site.

I need to view it carefully to make the right choices.

Alan.

AndyR1976

I would just emphasise that you need to be prepared and have a little idea of what you are doing - ie, know where the next fuel stop is, know that if you can break down you have enough water and food to survive for a few days, know that you have enough mechanical experience to get yourself out of trouble!

I reckon a satellite phone is a good investment.

I've travelled lots and my parents are always off somewhere (they have a good 4wd, caravan, long range fuel tanks, enough food and water stored to put them through ww3 type of set up).

My brother has done the right round trip - took him and his mate 3 years, 3 cars, 2 caravans and a kombi to get it done.

My mum and dad's last trip they set off with a set of tyres that were only 5000kms old on their 4WD ...when they got home they had 4 new tyres!!

You will often see some of the vehicles people use to do these trips, landcruisers and troopies are common, most with 2-3 spare tuyres, winch, long range tanks and all sorts of other crap tacked on.

My longest trip was about 7,000 kms in one go (over a period of about 4 months)....you really need much longer to actually see anything - especially if your gopnna go right round!

Good luck, take lots of photos!

linabey

Hi Alan,

we got the 'Howling Moon' tent, which I believe is a South African brand (they would be the ones to think of sleeping off the ground to keep out of the way of hyenas and other night time visitors, although it also comes into its own in 'croc country' in northern Oz!) There seemed to be other similar types of tent, made by ARB, Hannibal, Maggiolina and others. We found it a great tent, quick and easy to erect, nice and waterproof (it went through 3 or 4 pretty heavy downpours) and was robust enough for everyday use during our 6 month trip and for a couple of weekend trips since then. Being roof-top, it managed to catch any cooling breeze going, and it is easy to regulate the inside temperature, as there are mozzie-net openings with canvas covers on all 4 sides of the tent. On the other hand, in windswept country with little cover, it could get a little 'flappy', a problem that you wouldn't have to the same extent with a 'standard' ground tent, as you could position the vehicle to act as a windbreak.

There have been several posts saying how well prepared you've got to be to travel in Australia; whereas you can never be overprepared, it has to be said, that the further away from bitumen you get, the more self-reliant and equipped you have to be. Whereas one spare tyre would probably be alright on solely 'black-top' trips, the outback dirt roads can be a little tough on tyres, with 2 spares and an ability and equipment to make emergency repairs (spare tubes and/or tyre repair kits along with tyre levers and bead breakers as well as a decent 12 Volt pump for re-inflation) becoming more essential the further off the beaten track you are.

An ability to carry sufficient fuel between anticipated fuel stops plus an allowance for contingencies is essential. Once again, diesel 4WDs are often factory-fitted with extended range or secondary fuel tanks, but these can also be retrofitted.

Water must be carried in sufficient quantities, this can be carried in 20L jerry cans, or in various steel or flexible tanks that can be fitted to the vehicle. Make use of areas to refill water supplies whenever the opportunity presents itself, but it may be an idea to separate bore water (for washing up and personal hygiene) from town water for drinking.

Anyway, a lot of this info may be superfluous to your needs, if you do decide to stay on 'black top' roads, but I reckon you might miss out on some of the great parts of Oz. Although having said that, you can get to placesw like the Red Centre and Kakadu Nat. Park and see most parts around there without leaving tar roads.

One other popular option you may want to consider is to hire or buy a Toyota Troopcarrier that's been decked out as a camper. This leaves you more mobile than towing a caravan, but is a little more cramped. A Toyota Hilux fitted out similarly is also widely available from the hire companies (not quite as off-road worthy as the Troopy).

Anyway, good luck and keep planning that trip!

Alan-

Thanks again Linabey,

You put a less intimidating slant on things.

I think caravan and 4x4 is the way to go for me, as I'll be it it for more than 6months so some element of comfort is required.

Also the van can be left on a site for a while, so day trips to off road bits can be "attempted"

Alan.

tartankoala

The "Cairns > Cape Trib > Darwin > Broome > Perth" adventure is something that Mrs TK and I are looking into doing this year. Probably start in Cairns in mid July and aim to get to Perth for mid October?

Lot's of top info and tips on this thread. I'd be grateful for any more and please feel free to PM me. Also, does anyone have any recommendations for books? Are the Lonely Planet ones for Queensland, NT and WA adequate or are there better ones?

Thanks

No Dramas

Have a look at....

http://www.honda.com.au/wps/wcm/conn...ound+australia