Gold coast - Uluru - Kimberlys itinerary

Submitted: Saturday, Jan 23, 2016 at 17:01
ThreadID: 131442 Views:2275 Replies:11 FollowUps:6
This Thread has been Archived
HI first post so be gentle.

Apologies if this has already been asked.

Would appreciate some input or links to the planned trip above from travellers who have done the same / similar any advice welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Simon
Back Expand Un-Read 0 Moderator

Reply By: Idler Chris - Saturday, Jan 23, 2016 at 17:07

Saturday, Jan 23, 2016 at 17:07
How about a bit more info. Type vehicle, how much time, what offroad experience, what are you towing, one way or both ways would be a good start.
What other people think of me is none of my business.
Do unto others what you would have them do unto you.

Lifetime Member
My Profile  My Blog  My Position  Send Message

AnswerID: 595331

Reply By: Top End Az - Saturday, Jan 23, 2016 at 19:38

Saturday, Jan 23, 2016 at 19:38
Also, are you looking at sticking to highways or do you want to explore the inland outback tracks through the boon docks.
AnswerID: 595342

Reply By: Motherhen - Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 at 01:01

Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 at 01:01
Hi Simon

I have prepared eight different route options for someone who asked for the best way Sunshine Coast to Broome with an off road caravan. These may be of interest to you and can be shared by MM.

Motherhen

Red desert dreaming

Lifetime Member
My Profile  My Blog  Send Message

AnswerID: 595350

Reply By: Robyn R4 - Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 at 07:45

Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 at 07:45
Hi Simon!
We did this, minus the Uluru bit (been there...) last June.
We cut across at Nerang, up to Toowoomba, then to Barcaldine. Up and around to Boulia and west on the Plenty Highway. Up the Tanami, around the Gibb River Road and back via Katherine, Borroloola and Mt Isa, Winton and Augathella.
We have lifted and tweeked Kia Sorento (the older model with low range) and towed a trailer. Our only downfall was the sharp gravel on the graded roads...it didn't give a chance to use the puncture repair kits...instant shred!
The Plenty was ok (apart from a shredded tyre) and the Tanami ok too (as a guy asked the other day, the NT side is ok, the WA side is awful and more caution is needed!) We did note that the grey nomads with their big fancy vans and expensive cars took the blacktop from Alice to the Kimberley...and to be honest, we'd do that route next time too! Don't get caught needing fuel at Billiluna on the weekend-try to get to Halls Creek if possible.
Gibb River Road was mildly corrugated and fairly easy but we had to call it quits at getting to Kulumburu because the road was pretty awful there.
The Savannah Way was our downfall only when we busted a leaf spring on its horrendous corrugations.
We freecamped about 25% of the time, in parks/station stays the rest..
It's an amazing trip and it'll fill your camera's memory cards!!
...and PS, we did it with a small dog, too!

:) Robyn
AnswerID: 595354

Reply By: Member - GC Ranger - Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 at 11:21

Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 at 11:21
Hey thanks everyone.

Yep fair enough was a bit brief, so:

Rnger PX & Pajero
Jayco outback type camper
Tarmac / Tracks dont want real heavy stuff
Medium experience.
Return trip
Open to any route
3wk duration?

Thanks
AnswerID: 595359

Reply By: Member - GC Ranger - Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 at 11:44

Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 at 11:44
Hi Robyn

Not sure how to reply direct to your reply? I have tried twice so soorh if duplicating.

Was your tyre trouble on car or trailer and what brand?

How long was your trip.

Thanks

Simon
AnswerID: 595360

Follow Up By: Robyn R4 - Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 at 13:20

Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 at 13:20
We're not grey nomads (greying gently!!) so we only had 4-5 weeks. We pushed it to Boulia in a few very big days because we've seen so much of everything in between. Grey nomads would have a fit over those distances!!
The car did the trip superbly. Shook a radiator bracket a bit loose on the Gibb but that was it.
The shredded tyres were all on the trailer. The first one was the original and we did in on the Plenty.
We bought 3 new tyres for the trailer in Alice. Not sure what they were (and hubby's at work so I can't ask him at the moment) but we went on the tyre bloke's advice...hmph. We later learned that you must have decent side walls because the gravel they use on the roads is damn sharp!!
Funny, we'd done Birdsville and all sorts of tracks in previous trips and neither of us had had a flat in 20 years...and yet on the Kimberley trip we did 3....including our spare...I learned why hubby had always insisted on steel rims! We did a tyre at the end of the Gibb and no longer had a spare. We couldn't get a spare in Kununnurra so we opted to head for Katherine to try there (we're on tar now...should be ok!!).
No. Bloody Murphy's Law.
We did our spare tyre in, about 40km from Katherine at 4pm.
No spares left, no RACQ around the corner, and well, we had "steelies" to get us out of pickles such as this.
Drove slowly on one good tyre and the flat/rim (pulling over when road trains appeared behind us-you could see their headlights from about 20km away on those straight roads!) and then, when the rim finally collapsed, we put the flat spare on again and did the last 20 km fwop-fwop-fwop-
fwop...!!
All up we did 4 and a bit weeks. We missed a few bits around the Gibb because of the dog but consider that we saw an amazing amount of things anyway. You'll have grey nomads say that you need 3 months alone to do the Kimberley but when you have to return to work and reality that's not on the cards!
Don't be put off by "how little time you have". Do bigger distances past the bits closer to home and get out there to the more distant bits.
We've seen a lot of outback Qld so we high-tail it to the edges and then meander (on the way home we did Camooweal, Augathella and home...3 days, 2 nights. Love all the places in the middle but been there, done them and work beckoned.)
If you've only got about a month or so, you may even consider heading up to the Kimberley and doing the Uluru bit another time. I mean, from our corner of the world here, it's maybe 5 days across the Plenty to Alice...you could do it in a separate trip perhaps?
We did one night stops in about 2/3 of the places, arriving a bit after lunch in most cases. The other 1/3 were 3 nighters (Fitzroy River Lodge, Home Valley Station, King Ash Bay,etc) So, we didn't see everything because of our time constraints and the dog, but it was better than staying home!
By the sounds of it, your vehicle and trailer and experience are very much like us.
Get good advice on the tryes, add an extra spare and if you get to use your puncture repair kit, good luck to ya!!

:)
0
FollowupID: 864029

Reply By: Member - GC Ranger - Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 at 11:47

Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 at 11:47
Hi Motherhen

Very interested in what you can offer.

New to this MM?

Thanks

Simon
AnswerID: 595361

Follow Up By: Motherhen - Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 at 23:41

Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 at 23:41
Hi Simon, I have sent you a "member message". Click on your "Profile" at the top right of the page, the click on Member Message bar.

Motherhen

Red desert dreaming

Lifetime Member
My Profile  My Blog  Send Message

0
FollowupID: 864073

Reply By: wendys - Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 at 12:44

Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 at 12:44
GC Ranger - a 3 week time frame is totally unrealistic for the trip you propose. Suggest you just go to Uluru and back and even that will involve you in a lot of days of driving and not much time to look around!
AnswerID: 595364

Follow Up By: Member - GC Ranger - Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 at 13:45

Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 at 13:45
Thanks Wendys only based that on other info I have been given.
0
FollowupID: 864030

Follow Up By: Motherhen - Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 at 23:21

Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 at 23:21
We spent over three weeks on the Gibb River Road alone (with Mitchell Falls and Kalumburu extension). This was only seeing the basics, and not going to anything a long way from the road like Mornington.

Motherhen

Red desert dreaming

Lifetime Member
My Profile  My Blog  Send Message

1
FollowupID: 864071

Reply By: Bob Y. - Qld - Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 at 15:52

Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 at 15:52
You haven't said what month you're planning to do this, GC?

What about GC, Charleville, Birdsville, Marree, Oodnadatta, Ayers Rock, The Alice, Plenty Highway, Boulia, Winton, Longreach, Emerald, Springsure, Biloela, Gayndah, Gympie and back to Gold Coast.

Pretty sure that would eat into your 3 weeks no worries.

Bob

Seen it all, Done it all.
Can't remember most of it.

Lifetime Member
My Profile  My Blog  My Position  Send Message

AnswerID: 595374

Follow Up By: Member - GC Ranger - Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 at 16:16

Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 at 16:16
Thanks mate, open to suggestions on time of year.
0
FollowupID: 864041

Follow Up By: Bob Y. - Qld - Monday, Jan 25, 2016 at 14:10

Monday, Jan 25, 2016 at 14:10
If you're not governed by travel in school holidays then anytime from say mid-May to mid September would give you good weather, ie warm-cool & even cold.

Avoiding school hols would be wise too.

Just to give you an idea, we went to Lake Eyre about 22 June, 2011, and ice on everything each morning, but beautiful cool weather each day. From 21 - 27 August, 2011, we went over the Plenty to Yulara, cold every morning, but mild days though just getting a bit warmer mid arvo.

Check BOM or Weatherzone to research likely Min/Max temps for the places you want to visit. Just remember it is usually very low humidity, so higher temps are not always uncomfortable.

Bob

Seen it all, Done it all.
Can't remember most of it.

Lifetime Member
My Profile  My Blog  My Position  Send Message

1
FollowupID: 864098

Reply By: Robyn R4 - Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 at 22:48

Sunday, Jan 24, 2016 at 22:48
Time of year...
We've been out west at Easter (Winton, Hughenden etc) and had a few warm ones but not too bad. 35 degrees was the worst. Nights were nice.
We've also done September holidays (Birdsville etc) and had 37 in Tibooburra and 38 at Innamincka but then a storm hit and dropped the temperatures and the rest of the trip didn't go over 30 if I rceall. Nights were ok.
The Kimberley trip was June because you wouldn't want to hit the Kimberley too early being so far north (unpassable roads) or too late (damn hot in the lead-up to the wet). The nights were cold going through the centre but it was absolutely gorgeous and low-thirties up around the Kimberley...bit of a shock to get back into Qld to find a southerly had moved through, and the wind chill factor in Camooweal was partly what made us hightail it home to the warmth of the coast again!!
If you're not restricted to school holidays like we are, the middle of the year is best as long as you're not a sook with cold nights!!
We did note the lack of grey nomads when we did the Easter trip and were told that they head north after Easter and then start meandering back again to be home for the footy grand finals!! Hey, we were Victorians for 10 years and can relate to this fanatacism with footy!!!
Life on the road amongst grey nomads is wonderful (they are very knowledgeable campfire companions and it makes you suprememely jealous of their lengthier trips!!) but if you want to go to more popular spots without booking, heading towards the "shoulder season" is a thought.
We didn't book once with any of our outback trips and have never had an issue of fitting in somewhere.
Perhaps with Uluru, however, you'd be either trying to work out a date to be there and book it, or at least call through from a few towns before? Don't know on this one...we went there in 1988 (woah!) and back then it was a case of less accommodation choices and having to book 6 months in advance for enough space for a motorbike and 2 man tent!!
:)
AnswerID: 595388

Reply By: Member - GC Ranger - Monday, Jan 25, 2016 at 22:13

Monday, Jan 25, 2016 at 22:13
Thanks for all the input so far, it's much appreciated.
AnswerID: 595416

Sponsored Links