advice on TOP END TRIP

Julian
Sounds like an excellent trip just make sure you stay a night a The Lions den just near Cooktown. It's a pub set in the middle of nowhere with great camping down near a magic river (no crocs).

Duncan........

Well Julian , all going well we might see you , leaving Pinjarra WA early July to go to Cape York , via Gregory National park , Daly Waters pub (gotta have a beer there - didn't last time) Gulf country , Cape York , then home via Longreach , Birdsville , Dig Tree and a sprint across the Nullarbor - taking 10 weeks - with a Cavalier & GU Patrol 4500.

wow.. Busy place... I am also leaving 07/07/2003 from Adelaide going through Birdsville, ( taking a look at big red ).to Cape York. I have 5 weeks and coming back through Innaminka, dig tree etc. Definately going to need traffic lights..

Julian; did the Gulf track to Darwin and then Kakadu Arnhem Land etc to Barkly Stockroute and back to Sydney via Birdsville , a couple of years ago....4 weeks and we hardly had time to stop... ( and that's only a bit of what you intend doing) ...I reckon you are biting off a hell of a lot and as for getting in a bit of fishing !!!! Hope you like driving from dawn to dusk and you will probably make it ...

julian, I believe six weeks is enough, i did 14000km through the kimberley in 2001, did long days to and from, but had a rest day about every 3 days, and a couple of stops of 3, 4 days. We also had camp set up about 4.30 of an afternoon.
Jeff

Julian, The trip took 6 weeks, 8 days of that was getting there and back from Albury, and we went through ivanhoe on way home via menindee and Broken hill.

Julian - we like BIG TRIPS ie kimberleys, cape york, simpson etc but the longest we've had is 18 nights - what we do is drive to a starting point as were from melbourne so we drive (42 hours) from melb. to cairns and have a top end holiday etc etc. We find it good with that big drive, swapping drivers (two of us) with the kids (11/13) in the back seat get to where we want to start/end and enjoy the biggest amount of time in our desired location and we thought we were strange but we have met many people on the road doing the same thing - have a good trip - regards tim ps. the kids have done this sort of trip every year since they were born, so its fair to say that they are aclimatised!

I hope all you guy and gals have a great trip.
But if I had anything to say about it..........Take your time, pick less places and enjoy more of the places you do go to.
Trust me, a trip with not much but driving is not as memorable as one that is spent casually enjoying the places you stop and meet the people there.
You've always got next year or the year after to hit those other places.
The best part of the trip is the things you get up to away from the vehicle.....
I would expect that 6 weeks would be the minimum time just to enjoy the Cape.

Enjoy

Hi Julian,

sounds like a good trip. Try to fit in a couple of nights at least at Litchfield NP. If you like getting away from the hoards, do the Southern Access Track and camp at Surprise Creek. Not too difficult but fun just the same. Enjoy yourselves.

:o) Melissa