Esperance to Balladonia
Submitted: Thursday, Mar 27, 2008 at 22:33
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Member - Dunworkin (WA)
Hi all, have just been reading the trek notes for this trip, has anyone recently travelled this trek through
Cape le Grand NP and Cape Arid NP to Balladonia.
I would like to know the distances, the trek notes say that 56 Litres of Diesel is required for a 6cyl vehicle, would that be correct? I think that ours would use a bit more than that.
Any recent info regarding the condition of the roads/tracks would be appreciated.
Cheers
D
Reply By: Blaze - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 01:57
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 01:57
Hi D,
Haven't done it but intend on doing it in July, so will be interested in the answers you get and any feed back from you if you do it before then
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Follow Up By: Member - Dunworkin (WA) - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 03:15
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 03:15
Hi Blaze, if we do it, it will be in May or June so will post details then.
Cheers
D
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Reply By: Richard W (NSW) - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 06:17
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 06:17
D,
Did the trip from Balladonia through Isralite Bay to
Esperance last July as part of a longer trip .
Trip report here page 8:
WA Trip
Filled up at Balladonia and again at
Esperance.
Distance 495KM. Used 67.97L @ 12.4L/100KM
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Follow Up By: Member - Dunworkin (WA) - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 22:17
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 22:17
That sounds like a fantastic trip you had there Richard, thanks for the info.
Cheers
D
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Reply By: Willem - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 06:19
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 06:19
Mornin' fellas
Look
here
Cheers
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Follow Up By: Willem - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 07:36
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 07:36
The road to Mt Ragged
Image Could Not Be Found
Cheers
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Follow Up By: Member - bushfix - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 08:04
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 08:04
G'day mate,
it's a bit bigger now
Image Could Not Be Found
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Follow Up By: Member - Dunworkin (WA) - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 22:21
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 22:21
Thanks for the link Willem, I studied it last night, Love the pot holes you guys, we are thinking may be a bit wet at that time of year.
Cheers
D
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Reply By: Member - bushfix - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 08:10
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 08:10
did it last October, V6 petrol and towing, but did not record fuel figures sorry mate. You can fuel up at Condingup though, Esperence is not your last bowser.
always contact the Ranger for up to date information on the tracks in Cape Arid. The boards at the park entrance may not be up to date.
Call him when you are approaching the district. You can get his mobile number off the DEC Office in Esperence. His name is Jeremy and he is a good bloke.
one of my favourite drives indeed.
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Follow Up By: Willem - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 17:35
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 17:35
Oh Gawd, not another Jeremy.....hahahaha!
I spoke to the Chief Boss Cocky of National Parks in
Esperance(2005) and what he had to tell me did not correlate with what I found out there(apart from the sinkholes in the middle of the track to
Israelite Bay). Methinks they(Rangers) don't get out there too often.
Nevertheless, we had a good time!!!
Cheers mate
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Follow Up By: Member - Dunworkin (WA) - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 22:22
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 22:22
Thanks Bushfix, will get in touch with him.
Cheers
D
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Follow Up By: Member - bushfix - Saturday, Mar 29, 2008 at 10:19
Saturday, Mar 29, 2008 at 10:19
G'day Williem,
I take you point about Rangers. This fella is a relative newbie out there and does check the tracks often I believe, he loves it out there and has some good maps. Some other fella was there in 2005.
G'day Dunworkin,
the track from the Israelite Junction to
Mt Ragged gets tight in
places due to regrowth after the fires, so your GU may get a scrub, you may want to wax it well beforehand. Also watch out for small stump stakes as the fires left a lot of these. This section can be at less than walking pace in stretches.
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Follow Up By: Member - Dunworkin (WA) - Saturday, Mar 29, 2008 at 16:06
Saturday, Mar 29, 2008 at 16:06
"so your GU may get a scrub, you may want to wax it well beforehand".
ha ha ha, ROTFL, hey bushfix that is funny, you should see our GU it has scratches on it's scratches, we bought a 4by for the express purpose of going
places that we want to go without worrying about the marks etc. we will worry about that when we go to sell it. But thanks for the heads up on that anyway as it is very relevant when you are not sure where the tracks go, if we got there and saw the track we might of thought that we were heading the wrong way (which isn't such a bad thing as it is amazing what you see when you get lost!!!!!!!!) We don't mind taking wrong turns in the bush, it wouldn't be to good if you actually got lost lost though.
Thanks again for your valuable input
Cheers
D
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Reply By: Member - joc45 (WA) - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 11:59
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 11:59
Hi Dunworkin,
The above references are great.
Just a few suggestions;
Mt Ragged has a reasonable camping
spot at the SW end of the razorback (no water), and the climb to
the summit is well worth the effort. Spring time is fantastic through this area.
Rather than camp at
Israelite Bay (do drop in and see the ruins), travel another 20km south to Pt Malcolm, where there is a more sheltered and shaded camping
spot. If it's been wet, take the more western track to Pt Mal, which avoids the salt lake.
There is good camping at
Thomas River, and also at Thomas Fishery, right out at Cape Arid (enter from east of the cape), but this was burnt out about 3 years ago, and I'm not sure if it has re-opened. A check with CALM office at
Esperance or
Thomas River would confirm.
It is possible to drive the old telegraph track from Cape Arid around the coast to Pt Malcolm and Israelite, and there is really only one sticky
spot towards Pt Mal where you have to traverse a salt lake.
And north of
Mt Ragged and Pine
Hill, there is an old historic abandoned station, Balbinya, which has been partly restored and is a good camping
spot, either in the house or outside. There is water in a dam, and if you're lucky there may be some fruit on offer on some old fig and mulberry trees there. 33d 04.494'S, 123d 26.844'E is the turn, the station is about 12k east of the
Balladonia Israelite track. You can see it on the 250k Natmap.
Gerry
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Follow Up By: Member - Dunworkin (WA) - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 22:27
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 22:27
Thanks for all that info there joc45, it's great, will take all notes with us and with all the info I have received we should be right, will be looking out for those potholes that Willem and Bushfix inserted!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheers
D
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Reply By: Member - Davoe (Yalgoo) - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 12:37
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 12:37
I usually take about 190L into the area because ofall the beach driving and track oportunities. Only fuel in the region is
Balladonia, Condingup,Duke of Orleans and
Esperance
Heres the trip notes of that trek
Balladonia to Cape Ard NP
and some more that may be of use
Toolina cove to Thomas river coastal runEsperance and Cape Le Grande
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Follow Up By: Member - Dunworkin (WA) - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 22:32
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 22:32
Thanks Davoe, we can carry 215lts of diesel so should be OK with that one.
Fantastic photo's there Davoe, and great reading.
Thanks again
Cheers
D
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Follow Up By: Motherhen - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 23:25
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 23:25
Hi Davoe
How about putting your trip notes in the MyBlog section here? David's suggestion is to use actual date of trip as date when loading.
I'm sure you have a lot of trip notes we would all benefit from. My notes were in word with pictures embedded so they are attachments in my MyBlog.
Motherhen
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Reply By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 19:14
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 19:14
We travelled it last September, not long after rain. The track had water in
places, with diversions around the bad bits. A lot of the track had rocky bits - take it easy if your pressures are lowish. And the campsite at
Mt Ragged was good.
This
gate north of
Mt Ragged was priceless:
Image Could Not Be Found
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Follow Up By: Member - Dunworkin (WA) - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 22:36
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 22:36
Thanks for that Phil G, Love the
gate, reminds me of the times we use to travel the Nullarbor in the 50s & 60s, us kids use to argue as to who was going to open the next
gate because of all the reading material on them, Dad was always telling us to hurry up and open the
gate, hey it took time to read all that. The tanks use to be a good read to!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheers
D
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Follow Up By: Member - bushfix - Saturday, Mar 29, 2008 at 10:21
Saturday, Mar 29, 2008 at 10:21
missed you by a couple of weeks then Phil,
think there is about three of those gates too.
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