10 week trip - which one would you do???
Submitted: Sunday, Mar 30, 2008 at 22:23
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Scubaroo
Both of these links will open a Google Maps map:
Trip ATrip B
We are leaving
Melbourne on 20th April for a 10 week trip around Australia. For various reasons we can't extend this period, so we're trying to cram a lot in while still being able to relax along the way.
The first map is our current itinerary (
well as close as you can draw on Google Maps) - basically
Melbourne - Alice - Kimberleys -
Litchfield -
Tennant Creek - Hervey Bay -
Melbourne. It's been in the planning for some months now, but one of our primary reasons for including Qld in the itinerary (visiting relatives) has just evaporated as they're moving overseas, so I've been playing a bit on Google Maps.
The second trip is NT/WA only - but seeing a LOT more of WA. It's only a mudmap, but takes in some key things we'd like to see if we head south of
Broome - like
Exmouth,
Ningaloo, Karijini,
Monkey Mia... after that we're just looking for a scenic way
home (although dropping in on friends in
Perth would be nice). Given that we're mostly going to be
bush camping or campgrounds, our plans at this late stage are flexible.
The "must do's" on this trip are Uluru and surrounds,
Broome,
Gibb River Rd, and
Litchfield NP. We are towing a
Kimberley Kamper, and am somewhat range limited with a V6 Pajero - 90L tank and up to 100L in jerry cans. Towing I reckon about 900km between drinks would be pushing it.
If you had to pick one of these trips - would you do A or B? Both trips come in around the 14000km mark (B might hit 15000km).
Reply By: wendys - Sunday, Mar 30, 2008 at 23:11
Sunday, Mar 30, 2008 at 23:11
Given the scale of the country & how much there is to see, 10 weeks is not very long. You will need to decide whether you want to do a quick survey of all the
places you will want to come back to "later", or slow down and see some bits in depth. Before we retired, had 17 weeks long service leave and thought we'd "do" WA in that time! Ha!! Since then, have spent about 22 months there, over 4 separate trips,mostly north of
perth, and still have unfinished business over there. Do you have to go to
Darwin this time, or could you swing west from Dunmarra or
Katherine? Focus on the
Kimberley, before it gets more developed! South of
Broome visit
Barn Hill & 80 Mile Beach, before heading away from the coast into Karijini, etc.
Marble Bar is
well worth the detour, too. So is Mt Augustus and
Kennedy Range Nat Park. Suggest you forget the whole southern part: from
Geraldton, head east through Mt Magnet,
Sandstone,
Leonora, then either onto Kalgoorlie and the bitumen Nullabor route, or up the Great Central Rd to Ayers
Rock and
home from there.If you get really wrapped up in parts north, you can come down the inland highway -
Newman etc - and cut through the Neds
Creek track to
Wiluna and so pick up either of the above routes. Save all the Qld stuff for a later trip.
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Stevie 90 - Monday, Mar 31, 2008 at 01:03
Monday, Mar 31, 2008 at 01:03
Hey Scubaroo,
We (wife and two kids 8 & 7) are in the same boat. Just in the middle of planning our 10 wk trip to
Darwin and Back taking off June 28th, the only difference is we are in
Perth already. In some ways I agree with "motherhen" 10 wk's is not a long time to see enough but with the current lifestyles that we are living these day's I think it's about the longest time your going to get until retirement !!!. And the old saying keeps coming up "if you don't do it now, you'll never do it".
It maybe a coincidence but we are also taking the NP Pajero V6 and towing a Jayco Swan camper van and like "motherhen" said, we'll burn the fuel but hey !!!!!!!
I also agree, skip the southern part of WA and get up north to
Coral Bay,
Exmouth, Karijini, etc etc as quick as you can.
Your trip B is almost identical to ours and we plan to spend the majority of our time in the Kimberly and NT.
For what it's worth
plan B looks good to me.
Anyway good luck, if you want to I can let you know my itinerary It's nearly finished, drop me a line !
Stevie 90
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: pheonix - Monday, Mar 31, 2008 at 08:57
Monday, Mar 31, 2008 at 08:57
Hi Scubaroo,
Trip B! My wife and 2 kids ( 10 & 7) leave Melb on June 30 for trip B. We return to Melb on Oct 5th. So all in all 100 days away. Yes its not enough time away but you can't have everything and the life experience my 2 girls will get will be priceless. They are excited about it and its something they will remember for a long time. When I get older and they don't want to travel with us anymore then I can go back and see what I missed.
A trip of a life time with the kids is what its all about.
Graeme
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Scubaroo - Wednesday, Apr 02, 2008 at 11:07
Wednesday, Apr 02, 2008 at 11:07
Thanks for the
feedback everyone :)
We've planned an itinerary based on Trip B - the NT/WA trip. We cut back on some stuff in Central Australia, and allowed more time in fewer areas - which is good because it gives us a bit more flexibility to stay for longer or shorter times in
places. Highlights will be
Litchfield, Purnululu, 11 days on the
Gibb River Rd, 10 days in Cape Leveque/Broome/
Eighty Mile Beach area, Karijini, a week in Exmouth/Ningaloo/
Coral Bay, before heading down to
Monkey Mia and working our way
home via Kalgoorlie. We've left a 10 day gap between
Monkey Mia and Kalgoorlie as a buffer - if this shortens or lengthens we'll plan that part of the trip accordingly.
Cripes - only 18 days to go!
AnswerID:
296109