Travelling to WA Feb 2016

Hi Steve and Maggi

I can give you advice privately about camping across Nullarbor and the south coast of Western Australia which will cover most of your journey. Most of the Western Australian coastal Shires do not allow camping outside of designated camping areas, and although there are not a lot that are free there are low cost campgrounds. The Augusta Margaret River Shire has a number of low cost campgrounds in their Shire. I can be reached via my profile or My Blogs.

My wife and I toured through the south of WA and over the Eyre Hwy from west to east a couple of years ago. We went over there via the Gunbarrell Hwy. We were using a 4wd single cab with a camper on the back and had no trouble finding free sites but it may not be so easy with two vans.

In areas like that we usually try and avoid main roads, unless there is something worth seeing on them, and go down every back road that we can find. It is amazing what you find when you do that.

One night was spent on the old Dundas Coach Road at the remains of the Lady Mary town site.Dundas coach road We followed a track up over a hill on the eastern side of the site and immediately found a spot with beautiful views and a million wild flowers.

That road is unsealed but in excellent condition and well worth seeing. That is the reason why I mentioned it. If the tourist bureau in Norseman says it is not suitable for vans then leave them in town and take the short run around it without them.

Another camp spot with a difference was on a 40 k section of the old unsealed section of the Eyre Hwy between the road up to Cook on the railway line and Nullarbor Roadhouse. If your vans are suitable for easy dirt roads then you should not have any problems.

The original road was about five lanes wide. It is now covered with only sparse vegetation because it is so hard packed. There are now two easy wheel tracks winding along it.

We stopped half way along it and it was a strange but pleasant feeling camping there. The country is completely flat, the vegetation is very low, you can see the horizon in all directions and you feel like you are in the middle of a calm ocean with not another person for miles.

Get your hands on the free camps in the south west of WA book available on this site. We camped at roadside rest areas on the nullabor, they are large and frequent so no worries there, all listed in the camps book u have. School holidays will make camping around southern WA area interesting at that time of year but if you avoid those you will be fine. Not too many free areas here but some quite cheap. Enjoy!