Gibb River Road - some questions :)

no worries on all counts - the deepest water crossing i at King edward river on the way to Mitchel falls and depending on the wet late april/may it hould be down to 7-800mm hich a standard vehicle can handle with no mods blinds tarps snorkals whatever. fuel is readily available at Mt barnett roadhouse, drysdale river and other spots. Diesal is no worries to carry in the vehicle I have both a etal jerry and a plastic one which have lived in the back fornearly a year now with no worries (actually you haveremindd me they are there perhaps i will use them t turn them over)
Dont run your pressure to high on the tyres (28-32 depending on load) and carry a plug/seal repair kt as well as a compressor. 2 spares is more than a good idea for most travelling. i made it to Kunnunurra with 10 pound in my final wheel and 2 trashed tyres. go the 2 jerries.
Earlier in the season is better (late april on) as the rivers/falls are still flowing and numbers are down as well a roads re freshly graded (no corragations but more puncures)

Did your proposed trip last year. Fantastic. Glad to see you are giving yourself some time.
Make sure you get the vehicle thouroughly checked out before you go. Anything loose will shake itself off on the corrugations. Standard vehicle should be OK as long as it is well serviced. Don't hit water too fast. We came across at least 3 vehicles with fan through radiator from hitting water too fast. Our Hilux runs 31 inch tyres and has a lift of about 40mm, so not much different from yours I'd say. We were well loaded and towing a 1,500 KG camper trailer. Had no problems, you you should be fine.

Take 2 spares. We carried 3 spares (including for CT), plus full repair kit. Had no punctures. Speed and tyre pressure are the key here. Cooper ST-Cs will be fine. We run STs all round (including CT) and they were good.

With a couple of gerries you will have no problems with fuel, but it can be expensive. $2.05 at Drysdale River and $1.99 at Mt Barnett last year.

All the Gorges are worth doing. Some have fairly long walks, but not too difficult, particularly for a young fella like you. Some spots are worthy of 2 or 3 days. We loved King Edward River and spent about 6 days there in total (2 stays - in and out of Mitchell Falls).

Do a search on this site and you will get masses of info on camp sites etc. Jan Holland's book 'Priceless Campsites and Rest Areas in NW WA is well worth the investment.

Make sure you have a Digital camera and a way to down load pics. I think we took about 2,500 pics on our trip.

Have fun with you planning and have a great trip. Easily the best we have done so far.

You wont need any more diesel than your tanks hold..save the space !! throw away the jerry cans ..tits on a bull !!..and weight ...also you wont need a snorkel ...just bring a tarp...keep it folded tight..you probably will not use it ..ever !! Tyres ..well get in the bleep with everyone out 'there' who know ...but you haven't mentioned 'size'..and what other options ...Coopers are not cheap and IMHO..are a load of crap for the price, so have a look at something else ...but as i say .you haven't mentioned size..!! you should remember this if you are getting married !!..size does matter ...in tyres anyway !!
You are heading into one of the best parts of the country ...its not all bells and whistles ..and plenty of bleep areas , but ...DRIVE SLOWLY, and you will love it all the more speed does the damage on the Gibb Road,,...
The time of year is busy ..We were at Broome 2 years ago , and vowed never to visit again ...stuffed to breaking point with citizens living 10 cm apart in the van parks and closer free camping !!! will not be seen there again ....however Derby we found to be a really sweet place to stop and would be happy to stay ther on a long term basis on next trip !!!
I think that's about it for the time being. I'm sure I could think of more !!!

I did the GRR last June following their BIG wet. Roads had some water over but 30cms tops until King Edward which was to top of rubber. Only consideration is underwater rocks and hire 4x4s which try to pass when you are mid stream. I carried two jerrys but weren't necessary. (Enjoyed not paying for 40L at Drysdale though $2.05L for remainder of tank fill.) Re tyres: I had not changed the Dunlop Grand Treks due to ridiculous $$ swap offer for a set of ATs. Bought two Pirellis ATs and kept them on the roof rack to Murphy's displeasure. I was towing a 3.2 tonne Bushtracker and my LC 100 TD was approx 3.2 t. Took tyre pressure advice from Kununurra tyre shop. Nil flats occured. Left the van at Drysdale Station for Mitchell Plateau trip and into Bungles. The roads are really rough. I now agree with many experienced travellers re tyres. Sensible speeds according to the road conditions, use suggested tyre pressures and a large slice of good luck are the keys. A few suggestions re GRR which come from my experiences: Get a copy of that "free camps" book, don't be in a hurry, i.e. watch out for wash-outs, Mitchell Falls area has some fantastic walks and swimming spots, also chopper rides, $$$ but gob-smaking, (insist on NOT sitting in the middle seat), Silent Grove can fill up very early in the am, (it's the camp for Bells), you may feel "gorged out" at times but each is diferent, Some of the properties are said to be a great experience, try for the walk through at Tunnel creek before the busses of geriatrics arrive and take two torches head and another to look at the roof geology, the Windjana Gorge is a great fullish day - slow walk with lunch at the far end. The Bungles and Geikie Gorge are worth the effort. The National Parks boat tour at Geikie was good. Staying overnight in the Bungles means you get more enjoyment by not pushing walks too hard and the "tourists" have all gone before the magnificent sunsets. It gets a lot of tourists. They come in via plane as well as wheels. Drivers of many hire 4x4s on the Bungles road usually appear to have a death wish. Expect one around every corner and top of hills. Just before my visit one rolled. Not a pretty sight. I'll quit now as probably getting a bit long winded. Suffice to say a very amazing, stunning piece of our fabulous country to visit. I'll be back. happy travels.

Jason as per the above. I've got a petrol and did the round trip from Drysdale to the falls and back on a single tank. Didn't have to use the reserve. My Terracan got through the King Edward no problems at all and was 800 or so deep. Camping at the falls camping ground is good with plenty of spaces including fire rings. If you strike it lucky in terms of the cattle muster, ie before or after, the roads should be graded. (Fingers crossed). Be prepared for a rough trip along the Kalumbarru Rd. The Mitchell Rd can be rough so take your time, it ain't a race.
Also keep an eye out for exposed rocks, lower your pressures a bit and you should hopefully get away without tyre damage.
When in Derby do the Horizontal Waterfall flight. Not cheap but fantastic. Landing on Talbot Bay in a seaplane is an amazing experience.

Hi Jason,

You have already been given plenty good advice.
Bottom line is almost any vehicle with any tyres can do the road these days IF you take care how you drive. I don't recomend it but we not only get the odd car we in fact had 2 vintage cars ( real old ones) go right to the Falls last year.
Water deep enough to worry about a snorkel is pretty much unheard of by late July.
Unless someone runs out as Kalumburu did last year fuel should not be a problem & yes the only nussiance with jerrys is weight and space. Get a map showing fuel stops or better still a Gibb River Road Guide from Derby Tourist Bureau ( links on our site) which is only about $4 and updated every year and check the fuel distances against your useage just to be sure.
The yearly guide has a lot of info exact km's etc and it's all current.
cheers, Anne