Travelling to WA

Good reply..but unfortunately no ALDI's in Perth.
Enjoy our big sun burnt land...... which is also a reminder to take plenty of water ALWAYS.

Yes, I did mean insurance for the vehicle. Thanks for the reply. It's very helpful :)

I'm coming with camping gear, but after getting a heat stroke in Death Valley and lying around for the rest of the day w/o shade and too ill to find any...I thought about getting some sort of canvas shelter, not to sleep in but to, well, shelter in. I'm very familiar with desert heat but not well acclimated to it.

I reckon a 4x4 is a good option because;

- generally more robust, closer to the specs of a commercial vehicle,
- can safely carry a larger payload,
- have higher clearance if needed, and
- if you need 4x4 you've got it.

Even if you don't intend to go bush bashing, it would be a good idea to have a snatch strap and a couple of rated shackles on board, just in case you, or someone else, might need them.
A basic tool kit can be handy because if you don't know how to use it someone else might come along that does.
A tyre repair (plug type) are cheap and handy, plus a tyre gauge and a small air compressor.

You can probably get the lot for about $150 these days. Not top quality gear but good enough to have just in case you need it.

Hoo roo,
Steve

PS,

the Camps Australia Wide book is a great reference book for the type of travelling you have in mind.

Steve

Hi Cloudseeker,

I would agree that Camps 6 would be a very good investment for you as it details all available camping sites with a legend to identify what facilities are there...they all vary a lot. Some have a small charge as well. I note that Camps 6 is on special at the Shop on this site at present for $49.95 (probably because Camps 7 is due out soon). It may pay to get one air freighted to you in the US so you can study it before leaving home.
As for hire vehicles... I would ask for a Toyota as they are very reliable and if something does go wrong nearly every mechanic in outback Australia knows how to fix them.
Have a great trip.
Cheers

I'm packing titanium-zinc sunscreen, in case it's not easy to find. :)

Suggest buy the book Camps Australia after you arrive - it includes comprehensive road maps as well as details of lots of free and low cost camping opportunities.

Enjoy WA. When are you planning on coming and for how long?

Cheers

John

Is there some reason not to get the app?

I do wonder if it requires internet access, but I'm guessing not.

It's probably so new no one here has seen it yet...

I haven't got a ticket yet. I was thinking somewhere towards the end of February, for several weeks. No exact dates yet. Depends on work, etc.

.Why not get the app? The paper version includes good maps that you will need anyway. (You appear to be experienced in remote area travel - certainly in this country you should be carrying good paper maps in addition to any electronic gadgetry if you go remote.) Also the app may rely on web access which will be pretty restricted if you want to explore less populated areas. Can someeone else confirm this?

WA in late February - maybe the locals can advise better than I can, but
It will be HOT, and worse the further north you go. Worth a look at BOM.gov.au for climate details.

Cheers

John

Agreed...February in Western Australia is a bit hectic. Would definitely suggest checking out climate details and setting a later date if you can. Especially as you have experienced heat stroke before.

Shopping: Midlands as suggested is great for outdoor equipment. I head there each time I enter through Perth.

Preservative free foods - Australia is really good in this respect. Plenty of health stores with a wide range of goods. I live on organic dried fruit and nuts etc or at least preservative free as much as possible. The big department stores also have well stock health sections. Cottesloe is an affluent area and therefore a good place to buy luxury/organic foods. Far away from Midlands, but worth a tourist drive and a little shop.

I discovered the app requires GPS, which I don't have on my iPad, and a connection, which is especially pointless when you only have Wi-Fi, so I'll have to wait till I get to Australia and get the book.

I had a heat stroke in Death Valley, btw, hiking up to Zabriskie point. Yeah, definitely point taken.

That's good to know about fruits and nuts - we have a great co-op here, and I'm often dismayed at the difficulty of finding non-artificial food elsewhere. They prepare little packets of nuts and fruits here and I always grab a few and nibble when I go hiking.

LOL, hope not to be on the news. My hair will be a mess - it would be embarrassing! :) Should lose some weight, though, just in case...

You're right, when you rent in the US you don't need AAA - forgot that. So same for Australia.

How do you get around the 'no softroad' restriction? Do you simply keep mum?

You need to be careful with the no offroad restriction - if you break down or have an accident it will cost a lot.

There have been radio ads in Adelaide recently for "Sargent" 4WD rentals, and the crux of the ad is that they let you use them off-road, while other 4WD rental companies don't. Their website is http://www.sargent.com.au/ - may be an option.

Note - I have no involvement with them - have never even used them. I'm just going by their advertising.

Thanks - they seemed geared towards commercial clients, but I e-mailed them, so we'll see. It's comforting that they have a wide network of repair shops in the outback.

"I've met many international travellers who have hired 4WD vehicles in Australia - yet the rental companies wont allow them offroad (unsealed). ie Softroad vehicles. Beware of this when booking your vehicle.

Not entirely true.... from the Britz agreement T&C's....

16.2 Road restrictions apply as follows:
(a) 2WD vehicles must not be used on any
unsealed road (being a road not sealed with a
hard material such as tar, bitumen or concrete).
Off road conditions include, but are not limited
to: fire trails, beaches, sand, tracks, fields or
paddocks. The only exception to this is reasonable
use of access roads limited to a maximum
of twelve kilometres in length to recognised
commercial campgrounds.
(b) 4WD vehicles can be driven on recognised
unsealed tracks.
(c) 4WD vehicles may only travel to the following
areas with the written permission of Britz:
Simpson Desert, Strzelecki Track, Gunbarrel
Highway, Cape York, the Bungle Bungles,
Oodnadatta Track, Birdsville Track, Tanami Track,
the Plenty Highway, Gibb River Road, Burke
Development Road from Chillagoe to Normanton,
Savannah Way from Normanton to Borroloola,
Fraser Island*, Finke Road (between Alice Springs
and Oodnadatta), Central Arnhem Road and
Arnhem Land in general, and
(d) Vehicles are not permitted on the Canning
Stock Route, the Old Gunbarrel Hwy, the Lost
City in Litchfield Park, the Telegraph section of
the road to Cape York, Boggy Hole (Finke Gorge
National Park) and the Old South Road from
Maryvale to Finke at any time. Travel to Cape York
between the months of December to May is not
permitted. The Customer is responsible for all
damage if travelling on these roads as defined in
clause 22.8.
* The Britz Safari 4WD is not permitted to travel
to Fraser Island where any objects are being
stored on the roof of the vehicle. This requirement
is legislated and fines, enforced b

actually worth reading this:

http://www.britz.com.au/CentralLibraryDocuments/Britz/English/AU/AU_Britz_RentalAgreement_Camper-Car_1213_English.pdf

Good Call, I never knew Britz rented soft roaders.

Check these Budget T & C's. Just needs some preparation before the trip. I didn't know of this.

WHERE YOU CAN AND CANNOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE
3.2 You and any Authorised Driver must not, unless authorised in writing by Budget, drive or take the Vehicle in Western Australia:
(1) to any parts North of Carnarvon;
(2) beyond 100 kilometres of the Perth city limits between dusk and
dawn; or
(3) otherwise, outside any town or city limits between dusk and dawn;

Budget Terms and Conditions

Actually, I wouldn't describe either of these as 'soft roaders' ....

http://www.britz.com.au/challenger-4wd-camper
http://www.britz.com.au/campervan-hire

you probably find those are the standard boilerplate restrictions for 2wd's....

Budget do hire 4wd's kitted for mining and outback ...... bit silly if you can only drive on black-top..........

Hm. Got the info from Sargent rentals. This is way too expensive. I'm pretty sure the standard companies rent 4WDs at Perth Intl for 100/day (need to look again). What the heck is a bond anyway? It's far too expensive, both the daily cost and this bond. And what's up with the limited mileage? Never heard of such a thing. A bond?? :-( /annoyed.

>

Oops, message got cut off. Here are their terms:

Prado GX $134 per day including standard damage liability. This comes with 150 free km per day and .28c
After that per km. The bond required for this option is $3300.

Prado GX $134 per day + $55 per day maxi damage liability = $189 per day. This comes with 150 free km per day and .28c after that per km. The bond required for this option if $550.

Looking at Avis, they too ahve limited miles :(

But it is about 100/day for a 4wd. 'Mistubishi Pajero or similar'.

They don't mention any 'bond'. ? At least as far as I can see.

I'm trying to rent a car, not get someone out of jail.

cloudseeker, agree.

I had a look at he Seargent rentals, definitely aimed at mining / prospecting rentals, and they charge a premium for the service. Definitely not what you want.

Not sure what your budget / duration is ... the Challenger 4wd in my link above is a good option, however works out at about $130 per day standard agreement.

Thanks for the link. :) I don't want a camper, though. I like to sleep outdoors, and no point paying extra for something I don't need.

I looked at all the Britz cars and the 4WD SUV is manual. I need an automatic...

Budget in Perth doesn't have 4WD, at least not for the dates I plugged in. Avis has a a policy similar to the one cited above. According to this (I think it applies to all vehicles) you can't drive to Broome, for example, or above the snowline (what's a 4WD for?), unless authorized in writing. So...does every renter get written authorization to travel to Broome? Are people denied? What a pain.

I've never had to rent a 4WD in the US, so for all I know they might have similar peculiar restrictions here. 'No getting dirt on your car'.

I'd ask them but I can't find a contact link.

********

"Where You Can and Cannot Drive The Vehicle
You and any Authorized Driver must not, unless authorized in writing by Avis, drive or take the Vehicle
(a) to Gove Peninsula or any island off the coast of Australia (including, but not limited to, Kangaroo Island,
Bruny Island, Fraser Island, Magnetic Island, Groote Eylandt or the Tiwi Islands);
(b) into or out of the Northern Territory, Western Australia or Tasmania;
(c) in Queensland:
(1) on Highway No.27: beyond Chillagoe in a Westerly direction;
(2) on Highway No.1: beyond Normanton in a Southerly, direction and no further North than Karumba;
(3) if the Vehicle is a passenger vehicle or truck, beyond Cooktown to the North or Lakeland to the
West and no further North than Cape Tribulation on the Coast Road; or
(4) on the Coast Road from Helenvale to Cape Tribulation, or from Laura to Lakeland, unless the
Vehicle is a 4 wheel drive vehicle;
(d) above the snow line in Tasmania, New South Wales and Victoria (being Jindabyne in New South Wales
and Bright in Victoria) from the beginning of June until the end of September;
(e) on beaches or through streams, dams, rivers or flood waters;
(f) in Western Australia, to any parts North of Carnarvon or
(g) in the Northern Territory, on the Jim Jim Falls Road to Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls."

If you re going to WA, I wouldn't worry about the "above the snowline" restriction - Western Australia doesn't have a snowline.

I was a bit surprised about the "north of Carnarvon" restriction - that rules out the entire top half of WA. Perhaps it's worth sending them an email.

You're right - they don't have an email address listed. You can contact them through their website - https://www.budget.com.au/contact_us/default.aspx or by phone - +61 2 9353 9399 (Reservations, obviously in Sydney) or +61 8 9479 1919 (Perth Airport 4WD Rentals).

Hi Cloudseeker

Get Outmore forgot to mention that Midland is also 10 minutes from Perth International Airport.

Good access to the 4WD Hire companies mentioned by others in Belmont/Redcliffe also about 10-15 mins from Midland and is well serviced by public transport to Perth City (25 mins) and other major shopping areas Morley, Cannington etc.

There are also several reasonably priced caravan parks with camping, caravans or on site cabins in the area.

Midland will make a good starting point for your adventures as it is the gateway to the northern and eastern parts of the state with the major highways starting their (Great Eastern, Great Northern-which also leads to he Brand Highway) and quick access to the Coastal routes like the Indian Ocean Drive.

Hope you enjoy your stay when you get here.

Cheers

Anthony

Thanks! I'll check out Midland. It's helpful to have some orientation point to start off with.

Ha! No worries there! I'm a water maniac. I grew up in the desert and never outgrew the one liter per hour guideline. Water is always my number one priority - completely agree. Not everyone is aware of this - so it's good that you said it.

I'll stock up the car with large water bottles, always do.

For walking, I'm a fan of Platypus bottles. Especially this onehttp://cascadedesigns.com/platypus/water-bottles/plusbottle/product

I hope you found your son! :)

That's really what I wanted to hear...

I don't see the point of going to the great outdoors only to be in a dingy and crowded campground with no privacy. I'd like to meet people and if there's a friendly campfire all the better, but I like to be free...

Did you mean http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g255102-d1229750-Reviews-Barn_Hill_Station_Stay-Broome_Western_Australia.html#REVIEWS

Thats the one. It is a paying campsite but well worth it. Very different from others. I ended up staying there 6 weeks on my first visit and almost 2 weeks my second. Broome is just a couple of hours away for eggs benedict and cappuccino's :-)

Sounds great. I like to do exactly that - break up a camping trip once in a while in a nice coffee shop with a good cappuccino (and Wi-Fi if possible).

I'd also like to have the option of motels as back-ups, in case of fatigue or just to clean up (I'm a woman, so my standards are probably higher) and do laundry, but the reviews for the area are dismal and the prices outrageous...same for reviews for hotels in all of Western Australia as far as I could see.

I am also a woman :-). I have been traveling to Australia since my twenties and intensively around Australia for the past 4 years.

If you are talking about Barn Hill as 'the area'.

Is the glass half full or half empty?

From the link you provided these are the stats of the reviews:

Excellent 8
Very good 4
Average 0
Poor 2
Terrible 2

4 unhappy customers and 12 very happy customers.

One thing Barn Hill Station is not - and that is average. You either like that style of place or you don't.

If you are talking about Broome as being 'the area', yes it can be seen as being over priced, but that is to be expected. It is a tiny spot of civilisation in a very big and rugged landscape with nothing like it for a thousand miles or more. Broome is a major tourist attraction. It is small. Prices will be high because of demand. I would mostly go in for the occasional day visit for shopping and luxury eating. It provides a welcome brief break from rugged outdoor travel.

A word of caution.

A lowering of expectations with regards to hygiene and accommodation cleanliness is imperative when traveling in rural Australia. That does not mean you have to lower your own standards. Just don't expect everyone else to have the same standards. It can be quite a shock. Australians consider me compulsive when it comes to cleaning. In South Africa I am just average. We have cheap labour. Everything is always clean. I know no difference. I maintain my standards as best I can. That means I spend much of my time cleaning where ever I happen to be.

Australian labour is amongst the most expensive in the world. Few people will take a cleaning job. If they do clean, mining snaps them up as they pay really well. Your average person cannot afford a cleaner and it takes a lot of effort to keep things really clean. In order to live with the situation, a great many Australians simply do not see the dirt in their homes, cars or clothes. You need to adjust to that standard, pay for cleanliness or clean up your self.

When you want to stay in something nice, as you have found out, it is available, but expensive. Best to camp in the bush. The view is better.

As you will find out, the strong Australian dollar makes Australia one of the most expensive destinations in the world. Not just accommodation, but food prices are going to give you a fright. The only way I can afford Australia is by traveling in the outback, staying away from shops and pay accommodation. One week in a city will blow an entire three month outback budget. Fortunately, Australians are the amongst the most friendly, caring people in the world. I have a network of friends across the continent, people I call in on and stay with for a day or a week or two each time I am in their area. It helps a lot and you too will make friends easily where ever you go if you are open, accepting and engaging.

What is priceless and worth so much to me, is that as a female traveler, Australia is one of the safest, freest places in the world to roam.

This sentence is detracted - 'I know no difference.' I do know the difference as I have experienced a range of standards in my travels around the world.

I do not mean to offend anyone with my views on cultural differences, but some may feel offended. Please do not take it personally if it does not apply to you. If it does apply to you, I acknowledge and accept that we all have different priorities that make up our respective cultures and it is why I leave mine behind and keep coming back to yours.

Excellent info.

I didn't mean the reviews of Barn Hill were bad - I read the two bad reviews and they were about things that didn't bother me.

The US hotels (where I stay for work) are very clean, thanks to the efforts of a crew of immigrant women who don't speak English. Where they come from changes over the years, but it's never Americans. It's a hard and thankless job, though I guess as a first step up it might be a good deal. They do a very good job, though, in part due to hotel chain standards which they have to adhere to and are enforced by their manager. They're also nice and friendly.

I meant reviews for Western Australia in general - the prices are shocking, and the places don't sound very nice in general, so it's a problem for those times when you do want (or need) a break from camping. This is true for Perth too - the prices are outrageous. I know it's a known problem.

In general, yes, I much prefer to camp in the bush. If there's space around, you can walk out a bit and wash.

I think we have the same ideas about travel! Your post was very helpful.

Now I've read the 2-star reviews for Barn Hill, and they're more convincing, unfortunately.

Western Australia might be a hard first-time-visit to this country. I am not sure what peaked your interest in the first place? The east coast fringe is easier to adjust to and it is where I first visited in my twenties. I can certainly recommend Tasmania as being very beautiful although I spend most of my time these days in NSW, specifically Manilla and Barraba, for paragliding and country living. It is only in my forties that I have come to really love Australian deserts, appreciate its endless shades of brown, the open, beckoning horisons, the connectedness I feel in the quiet of the Australian bush and the friendliness and diverse nature of its people. You have to learn to look closely to see and appreciate its treasures. And if you take the time to listen closely enough, you can hear the land speak through you ... or so I imagine. Many people come to Australia for different reasons. The most common, I have found, is to heal. This ancient land has magical qualities that cannot be expressed in adequate words ... only felt.

I love the desert. I love red earth and I love the combination of ocean and desert. I travel in the US and go camping and hiking in a 4WD with what I'd term mild off road, i.e. gravel for sure, sometimes dirt, pull over and camp. In the US you can camp anywhere on public land for free, and some national parks and BLM lands have nice, open campsites, where you pay a bit. I wanted to know if this is feasible in Australia and from the entire thread I gather that it most certainly is! My trips usually last a week, so the difficulty might be in not having a break, that's all.

Hi Cloudseeker,

Just a few comments from an older female who has travelled and camped in some of the area you are proposing to visit.

Be aware that you do need to pick the time of year for your visit. February will be very hot - Perth has just had a week of temps hovering about 40 degrees Centigrade - thats over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. And the north will still be wet and there could be a cyclone or two so if planning to go north watch out for road closures due to flooding.

WA has plenty of big National Parks, but in many camping is restricted to designated campsites where a modest fee applies. If you have a look through our blogs over the past 4 years you will get a feel for some of these NPs. But there are also a lot of places away from the NPs where you can bush camp for free which is something we like to do wherever possible. But closer to the more populated areas it can be harder to get a free bush camp. The area around The Pinnacles is a case in point. Broome is another area where getting a free camp is problematic. Barn Hill - the best I could say about it is that its an experience!

WA gravel roads are generally very good, even the minor roads are good. In mining areas they may carry heavy traffic but tend to be well maintained.

Cleanliness - what one person thinks is clean may be quite different to what others think! If you are travelling and camping in a hired vehicle then its not much of an issue and its up to you to maintain things as you wish. When we go to caravan parks or established campgrounds we have found that the amenities blocks are usually OK, though an odd one might be a bit suspect. If in doubt wear footwear in the shower. In mining areas the washing machines get hard use and some machines are marked as not to be used for work clothes. (I believe that there is a special way to use the washing machines at Barn Hill). We don't use camp kitchens much but some may need a bit of a clean to pass muster. Just be aware that outback Australia IS dusty, and getting supplies of good quality water can be tricky. Most water is bore water which is a bit hard.

Hope you have a great trip.

Cheers,

Val

Thanks! I did look at the temps but didn't realize it's 40 in Perth! I do Celsius, btw. Ouch.

I can go w/o showers (in fact I always camp primitive) as long as I can go off in private sometimes with some water and biodegradable soap. It's OK except for, y'know, certain times, when camping is a hardship. We're probably in TMI territory here and have turned off our male readership who are now frantically clutching the remote and concentrating on the game (doesn't matter what game). :-)

I'm really glad to learn from this thread that I can do what I do in the US.: decent roads, people do bush camp, etc. Sometimes it's hard to do it on your own but the sense of freedom can't be beat. I just don't like being caged. Only backcountry backpacking is better but alas I'm not fit enough for that. Maybe someday. Good that I have light backpacking gear which means I can take all my camping stuff as a second bag, then I'll just need to get a shelter of some sort, water and food. Just bought some new stuff recently too, so it's all clean for the customs.

I can reciprocate with advice about US camping if anyone has questions.