Travelling to Darwin

Hi Judith, sounds like a great trip. Assuming you have done some touring with your
rig, your prep will be little different for NT...longer distances of course. You need to decide your route..dirt or no dirt, both are possible. Good tyres are essential & a well
serviced car & camper is a wise move..especially bearings on trailer. Night travel is
risky & should be avoided. Stop early for the best free camps if that's your plan.
Basic spares are belts & hoses, extra fluids such as coolant & oil, & a basic tool kit.
There is plenty of good advice on this site...feel free to ask..cheers.....oldbaz.

Hi Judith you may wont to think about travelling a month or so later, the reason being is that it will still be quite hot and humid in April, not only that but a lot of places will still be closed due to the wet season not being finished.

Most dirt roads and main attractions will still be closed, even by the middle of May not all attractions are open, if we get any rain in May this will prolong the opening of places up here in the North even longer.

If I was planning a trip up here I would plan for early to mid June, hope this helps.

Regards.

Hi Judith

If you nervous about doing the trip, you might like to think about carrying a sat phone. There are quite long distances with no phone signal. Try Peter at Lara Electronics - he used to rent them and his rates were reasonable. Don't be afraid to get off the beaten track if you see a sign that interests you. We did this trip last year and took 10 days each way and we are about your age - great trip. Carry basic spares and plenty of drinking water. But mostly - just have fun! And by the way, the roads (sealed) were great.

Hi Judith,

Where to start? We were about your age when we did our first big inland trips, though we had done long trips in less remote areas so knew a bit about travelling and camping, but nothing about inland conditions. I can still remember the excitement and yes, apprehension prior to our first inland trip. But there is really no need to be nervous - do your planning and preparation well and you will have a wonderful time.

Perhaps you could tell us how long you plan to take for your trip, then we can make some recommendations for possible routes and places to see. Also help you refine your timing as you dont want to get to the northern areas too early as it could still be hot and possibly wet.

A couple of pointers: look at the member profiles of people on here (link is near their signature photo) and sometimes you will find a lot of info about the gear they take. Also search through the blogs - as well as searching, members blogs can also be accessed via the link near their sig. photo. We have done trips in the areas you mention and have written blogs about them so there is quite a bit of info there that might give you some pointers.

You could do all of that trip on bitumen, but by going onto gravel you will see much more. You probably wont use 4WD much, but its good for getting into those out of the way special camps etc, and can make for better travel on rough roads.

Finally there is a fine line between planning enough and overplanning. There are long distances involved and conditions and circumstances can change as you travel, so its best to have plenty of flexibility built in. You dont want to be on such a tight schedule that you have to leave a beautiful spot just because you have a timetable that says that you need to be at spot x instead.Talking to other travellers on the road will give good info on places to see and road conditions.

Make sure you have at least a UHF radio for local communication. Mobile phones only work around remote towns and communities so dont rely on them for emergencies in the outback. As others have said, maybe a sat phone or HF radio for long distance communication and peace of mind.

Cheers,

Val.

Hi there, We live in Darwin and travel a fair bit. Carrying spares for your car take an extra fuel filter and before leaving home learn to change it. Make sure all tyres on the car and camper are fairly new and in good condition. Many people carry two spares, we take a plug kit and small compressor but our tyres are always in good condition before a trip. Extras for in the car 10ltrs water for you or the car, it is still hot and humid that time of year and many roads including highways can close due to rain, but reopen quickly when rain stops. Dont worry about to many plans do some research before leaving but always keep an open mind some places you dont plan on staying at are often the best spots. In most states the racq,racv etc will give road conditions but if your still worried call ahead to police stations for updates. Have fun

Thankyou so much for your advice. Uncertain now if we are planning to travel at the right time.