Holland Track

Submitted: Tuesday, Apr 29, 2003 at 19:51

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Nomad 192 (WA)

I'm considering tackling the Holland track in the future from Hyden to Coolgardie. Has anyone out there taken a camper trailer up this section of the track, I'm talking about an Offroad trailer with all the fruit, not a Jayco Dove if you know what I mean. Is this a wise decision or do I load up the roof rack ? Any other hints and tips gratefully accepted, thanks in anticipation.
Martyn (Nomad 192)

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Reply By: Member - Errol (WA) - Tuesday, Apr 29, 2003 at 20:59

Tuesday, Apr 29, 2003 at 20:59

Just been there , dun that , 2 weeks ago . We had 5 vehicles , 1 with an offroad trailer . We even picked up a Hertz rent a reck 4x4 camper van at the start of the track , witch made us 6 vehicles . He was higher than the rest of us , and had to pick his way where there was low branchs , but he made it through with miner damige . So , bottem line is , dont lode to high , take your time and enjoy it and stay on the main track , ( some of the diversions are boggie ). We liked it so much that we came back vie the Cave Hill , Woodlines track , and intend to do it all again in reverse in the future .

AnswerID: 18725

Follow Up By: joc45 - Tuesday, Apr 29, 2003 at 22:25

Tuesday, Apr 29, 2003 at 22:25

Is there a map/guide published on this track?
- must do it before too long.
Gerry

FollowupID: 11704

Follow Up By: Topcat - Wednesday, Apr 30, 2003 at 00:01

Wednesday, Apr 30, 2003 at 00:01

There is a publication on the Holland Track by Westate Publishers in Perth (phone 08 92918303) called 'Holland Track : Western Australia' which gives the full history of the track plus all the maps & GPS references with it. It is an old edition (1995) but still may be in print. Try any of the local map shops or Wildtrax Australia at 12 Smith Street,
Glen Forrest W.A. Phone 9298 8654. The trip is worth it. Cheers.Have Wheels Will Travel

FollowupID: 11716

Follow Up By: Nomad 192 (WA) - Wednesday, Apr 30, 2003 at 08:51

Wednesday, Apr 30, 2003 at 08:51

There is a new edition must have been released recently available in good 4WD outlets and travel shops, got mine fron the Hyden caravan park $10.95 week befoe last, as mentioned above a great source of information. Has five different version of how to "do" the track.

FollowupID: 11729

Reply By: scott - Wednesday, Apr 30, 2003 at 23:14

Wednesday, Apr 30, 2003 at 23:14

Nomad 192, A group of 3 did it last easter 2 towing convetional camper trailers not off Road , we had no problems at all.
The main thing to watch out for is sharp tree stumps in the wheel tracks & just on the edge.
Take it easy & it will be a breeze, those who rushed witch we found 1
had more punctures than spares & no repair kit. What stumps he said!!

AnswerID: 18876

Follow Up By: member-skippyking - Thursday, May 01, 2003 at 22:45

Thursday, May 01, 2003 at 22:45

Hello Scotty!!!!!!!!!!

FollowupID: 11880

Reply By: Member - Melissa - Thursday, May 01, 2003 at 16:32

Thursday, May 01, 2003 at 16:32

Hi Nomad,

Just got back on Monday from doing the Holland Track and Cave Hill woodlines. Our rig is a GU Patrol and Camprite offroad camper (see pic below). We picked up the HT from Broomehill all the way to Coolgardie, then returned to Hyden via the CH woodlines. Had an absolute ball with some of the best bush camping we've seen.

Unless it has been raining heavily, you will have no trouble towing a good off-road camper. Clearance is the main issue and apart from a couple of boggy sections, we didn't use 4WD at all. The track is narrow for most of its length so expect the duco to suffer some scratches. Our wheels and tyres are interchangable between car and trailer meaning we always have 2 spares. We got mixed advice about staking etc so took a third spare along for peace of mind. Happily, we didn't need any of them. Keep your speed down (we averaged about 20km/h) and watch out for protruding stumps etc.

We only saw a handful of other travellers along the way but 2/3 of them were towing off-road trailers without any problems. However, we did meet a family in Kalgoorlie who came off the track a couple of days after us. They were towing a garden variety trailer with light truck tyres. When we met them, the trailer was at an engineering place for repairs. Story was that because the track is narrow you need to pull your side mirrors in or lose them. Consequently, your rear view of the trailer is restricted. We made a point of pulling our mirrors out for regular checks but this bloke hadn't so he'd pulled his trailer along for miles before realising he had a staked tyre. Tyre, rim and trailer chassis were ruined and he was facing expensive repairs.

Highly recommend the latest edition of the Westate book as mentioned above. If you've got access to a GPS, load in the waypoints. It will make navigation so much easier.

Hope this helps.

:o) Melissa

PS: If you feel like it, drop into my WA campertrailer group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wa_campertrailers

Petrol 4.5L GU Patrol &
Camprite TL8 offroad camper

AnswerID: 18908

Follow Up By: Member - Martyn- Thursday, May 01, 2003 at 19:50

Thursday, May 01, 2003 at 19:50

Melissa, Thanks for the info, how long did the trip take?, was the scratchy bit before or after Hyden or was it all the way? Keep the shiny side up

FollowupID: 11859

Follow Up By: Member - Melissa - Thursday, May 01, 2003 at 22:11

Thursday, May 01, 2003 at 22:11

Martyn,

The scratchy bit was after Hyden. From Broomehill to Hyden the HT has largely been overtaken by farming or incorporated in existing roads. But the trip notes in the Westate publication endeavour to follow as closely as possible the original route taken by John Holland and there are a couple of places where you can take a short sidetrack to see the original cart tracks. A lot of people skip this section of the HT and start from Hyden but if you have the time, I'd recommend including it. Allow an easy 2 days for this section camping overnight at Holland Tank.

The popular HT starts at Hyden, or rather 50km's east of Hyden where it intersects the Hyden-Norseman Rd. From this point on it gets scratchy for at least 2/3 of its overall distance. Take your time and drive carefully and you'll be able to avoid much of it. For this section, allow a minimum of 2 days...if you like to spend time exploring and not just passing through, you could easily fill 3 or more days.

Hope this helps. When are you thinking of going. I could email you the waypoints but it'll be a few weeks at least before we get a data cable so we can download the data.

:o) MelissaPetrol 4.5L GU Patrol &
Camprite TL8 offroad camper

FollowupID: 11878