The Kimberley

Submitted: Thursday, Sep 28, 2023 at 21:16
ThreadID: 146315 Views:2875 Replies:8 FollowUps:6
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Hi, I'm planning a caravan trip through the Kimberley, not to keen on putting my rig
through the Gibb River Road.
Would I be missing out on much by not travelling on the Gibb ?
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Reply By: IvanTheTerrible - Thursday, Sep 28, 2023 at 22:41

Thursday, Sep 28, 2023 at 22:41
Plenty to see and do without the Gibb
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Follow Up By: Nomadic Navara - Friday, Sep 29, 2023 at 07:42

Friday, Sep 29, 2023 at 07:42
If you want a quick look along the road there are bus trips from Broome/Derby to Kununurra.
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Reply By: Member - McLaren3030 - Friday, Sep 29, 2023 at 07:06

Friday, Sep 29, 2023 at 07:06
Hi Julio,

When are you planning to do this trip? It is getting late in the season now, so unless the graders have even over the roads, it can be pretty rough leading into the wet season.

There is a lot to see in the Kimberley, and you will miss quite a bit if you do not travel the Gibb. What towing vehicle and caravan do you have? A well prepared vehicle and caravan driven to the conditions should be OK, depending on how rough the road has become.

A lot of the reason why corrugations develop is that people do not let their tyres down, and drive at too high a speed. This causes the suspension to “bounce” and helps create the corrugations. Of course, you need to be careful when letting your tyres down that you do not go too far if you are carrying a lot of weight, and you need to reduce your speed as well to avoid the tyres from overheating.

Good luck with whatever you decide, safe travels.

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Reply By: Member - Cuppa - Friday, Sep 29, 2023 at 08:50

Friday, Sep 29, 2023 at 08:50
Depends on your rig & your tolerance of rough roads vs not seeing some of the Kimberley's best jewels.

If you choose not to travel the GRR there is still much to see in the Kimberley.

First time we visited the Kimberley, in 2009, we drove just the first mainly sealed section of the GRR from Derby to visit Windjana Gorge in our motorhome. Since then we have returned in a more suitable vehicle to see all that the GRR offers.
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Reply By: Life Member - Duncan W (WA) - Friday, Sep 29, 2023 at 10:11

Friday, Sep 29, 2023 at 10:11
Morning Julio, there is a fare bit to see aroundHalls Creek, Fitzroy Crossing, Kununurra, Wyndham, Broome & Derby all accessible by bitumen roads.El Questro is only a short dirt road drive to get in and this will give you a good taste of the waterfalls typical of the Gibb.Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek are similarly accessed via a short gravel road drive.

If you are concerned about corrugations and your van you can leave it in one of the close by towns and day trip into the spots mentioned above.
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Follow Up By: Nomadic Navara - Friday, Sep 29, 2023 at 11:07

Friday, Sep 29, 2023 at 11:07
We did just that. Another interesting drive starts on the Gibb RR on the eastern side of the Pentecost River Crossing. If you open that crossing in Places, you will see a road running north on the eastern side of the Pentecost River. If you follow that up you will meet the King River Road, turn left onto that and it will take you through to Wyndham. We made a round trip of that from Kununurra.

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Follow Up By: Richard M29 - Friday, Sep 29, 2023 at 12:08

Friday, Sep 29, 2023 at 12:08
same as, not logged in
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Reply By: MarkLH69 - Friday, Sep 29, 2023 at 20:48

Friday, Sep 29, 2023 at 20:48
You can see both ends of it (El Questro, Windjana, Tunnel Creek) without going off the bitumen of the Gibb River Rd itself.

Though the tracks into the stations, gorges and campgrounds themselvesare often quite rough and may include water crossings.

April to September is the season generally and a lot of places are closed now until next year.
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Follow Up By: Member - nickb boab - Wednesday, Oct 04, 2023 at 21:52

Wednesday, Oct 04, 2023 at 21:52
Agree .. you would be missing the Kimberly if you don't do the attractions along the gibb they are a must see must do if traveling through there , more you can do the better ideally you could park your caravan up at Home Valley and somewhere at the other end in do a road trip in just with your car .
there he of people towing their vans through there but there are also plenty of Disaster stories .good luck
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Follow Up By: Nomadic Navara - Wednesday, Oct 04, 2023 at 23:16

Wednesday, Oct 04, 2023 at 23:16
Mark & Nick, you don't seem to realise some of us do not have what we consider a suitable rig to cope with the Gibb. So why keep on at us? I could be similarly telling you that the best of the Kimberley is a trip around the top end from Broome on a small boat and ask you why you have not done that.

Yes we know our limitations and prepared to give a tiny amount of the country away and just look at the surrounding bits. We have been into the Bungles on a fly-drive and around the coast and thus have not damaged our soft road rig. I can thoroughly recommend the Odyssey Expeditions trips.

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Follow Up By: Member - nickb boab - Thursday, Oct 05, 2023 at 10:37

Thursday, Oct 05, 2023 at 10:37
Peter ..maybe you should read what I wrote and not what you're trying to make up in your mind . Your travel history ramblings may be very interesting but has got very little to do with my comment. Off topic .cheers
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Reply By: Member - DickyBeach - Saturday, Sep 30, 2023 at 16:12

Saturday, Sep 30, 2023 at 16:12
Having done the GRR and Kimberley 3 times - the first time in 1988 - I feel it would be a shame if you did not do it. I recall all of the many gorges along the way as each being different and it was their separate "uniqueness" (if there's such a word) which encouraged my wife and I to re-visit about 10 years later and again a further 10 years later.

Do not miss the GRR.

Other responders have mentioned tyre pressures and speed and they're 100% spot on with their advice.
AnswerID: 644536

Reply By: Peter_n_Margaret - Thursday, Oct 05, 2023 at 11:07

Thursday, Oct 05, 2023 at 11:07
We drove the GRR about 7 or 8 times between 1995 and 2008, towing a boat on 3 of those occasions.
I don't put the GRR into any special road category. If it is open to public traffic it is just another graded bush road and its condition varies with the grader timing, the weather and the traffic.
Drive too fast for the conditions and your vehicle and you will break something.

The Kimberly is possibly the most spectacular part of Australia and the GRR provides access to many of its gems.
Some of our later Kimberley tracks.

Cheers,
Peter
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AnswerID: 644565

Reply By: Alan H11 - Thursday, Nov 30, 2023 at 07:23

Thursday, Nov 30, 2023 at 07:23
I must say that of all of the places we visited on our "big trip" to Australia the GRR was one of my three highlights, and so I suggest looking for a way to explore as much as you can - perhaps leave the caravan at one end and head up and back, with tents perhaps.
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