uneekwahn replied:

There are a few places up there that rent out 4wds with roof top tents. Why not hire one of those and take a ground tent too?

I know some places don't allow their vehicles on the GRR, gbut I'm not sure specifically which ones do either way.

HTH.

Jason.

Member - John and Val replied:

Hi Paul,

In a motorhome you are not really going to see much apart from Broome itself and maybe Windjana Gorge, Tunnel Creek and Fitzroy Crossing/Geikie Gorge and Derby, Horizontal waterfall. Now you could possibly spend 10 days taking that lot in but what a pity to go all that way and not see all the other Kimberly treasures which really need a 4wd - Gibb River Road with all its gorges, waterfalls and great swimming spots, Mitchell Plateau, Cape Leveque.

South of Broome the country is flat and windy and coastal access limited. Exmouth is very busy and it can be difficult to get into the Cape Range NP camping areas (see our 09 blogs).

Remember too that apart from swimming at Broome/Cable Beach you cannot swim at Windjana Gorge or at the Horizontal waterfalls; not sure about Geikie Gorge but probably not.

If you are flying to Broome maybe getting cabin or motel type accommodation and hiring a 4wd would give you a bit more flexibility?
Just a thought,

Cheers,

Val

Member - Oldbaz. NSW. replied:

G'day Paul, have to agree with John & Val, your maui may not be even allowed
off sealed roads. Get a cabin or such in Broome, hire a Britz Troopy or similar &
do the Gibb RR to Kunnunurra, return on tar via Halls Creek, Bungles of course,
Fitzroy Crossing, Gieke Gorge, & back to Broome. Fabulous trip........oldbaz.

Motherhen replied:

Lots of people do the GRR in Landcruiser based campers which appear to be hire ones, and even some of the camper trailers may have been hired. That would be preferable to one that you can only take on the bitumen.

Motherhen

kingswoodwagon replied:

Paul,

I think you would be stretching it to fit Broome and Exmouth return in 12 days.

Heres an idea - its a bit out of the square, but it will give you your beach and gorges fix.
Fly to Newman or Paraburdoo (not sure if you can get direct flights from Melb)
Hire a car - visit Karijini NP (kids can climb in as opposed to going on a boat tour at Geiki). Stay at Karijini ($$$) Auski or Tom Price.
Drive to Broome - there are 4 good station stay/caravan parks on the beach along the way, Pardoo Stn (may need 4x4 to get down to the creek), 80 Mile Beach, Port Smith and Barn Hill (not sure of the chalet capacity of Barn hill). Most kids love each of those places.
Then spend the remaining time at Cable Beach. With a side trip to Cape Levique.

Have fun

wendys replied:

I think the only hire motor homes you would be allowed to take off bitumen are the specific troopy-type 4WD ones. The other types have clear bitumen-only rules and you can forfeit quite a bit of money if caught. Britz maui allow a little leeway to go into somehwere like Eighty Mile Beach camp area - a few km of good gravel road, but that's about it. We were at El Questro a couple of years back when two large Maui motorhomes came in and stayed for a few days - traversing the river at the entrance several times, and once getting a rock stuck between the dual wheels. Unfortunately for them, a senior Britz staff member was also camping there and reported them back to the hire point.

jezza68 replied:

Hi Paul,

Qantas and Virgin fly direct to Broome weekly from Melbourne.( Wed and Sat night? Dry Season Only!))
I would suggest doing 3-4 weeks if possible. Start off with a fly/stay package at one of Broomes Resorts for 4 nights. Do the tourist/relax thing.
Then hire a Camper Van and drive South.
Suggest 80 Mile Beach, Karijini ( Gorges), Exmouth ( Gorges and Beaches) , Shark Bay ( Beach and Dolphins), Kalbarri ( Beach and Gorges), Cervantes ( Pinnacles and Beaches) then on to Perth. Watch a real game of AFL and fly home ex Perth?
Each destination is approx 4hr drive apart so easy to achieve and relax along the way.

Cheers,
Jerry

HGMonaro replied:

I had entertained the idea of doing something similar as we loved Exmouth and specifically Turquoise Bay in the Cape Range Nat Park, however when I checked flight costs it was going to be very expensive... Unless you can snag some super-special deal, including getting your family to Perth you're going to be up for around $4.5k just to get there (online quotes via Skywest and Qantas). We've decided to go to Fiji instead! If that's not an issue, you could spend some time around Exmouth and possibly hire a camper to drive over to Karajini (maybe via Corel Bay) for a few days to see a bit of different countryside.

Member - Paul M1 (VIC) replied:

Thanks guys for the responses. Time frame seems too short to do what we want to do, so off to Magnetic Island for some wreck diving this holiday.

Will try WA next year when we have more time

thanks for your contributions

Paul