Places to Avoid - Places to not avoid

I agree with Willem 100%, in fact if someone tells me not to go some were, I make a point of going there, I can't remember being disappointed yet.

Cheers Steve.

Exactly....
I had a really bad experience in Birdsville in 2005,,, but 2006 and 2007 were great there...
Like Willem said,,,, taste the experience yourself..

Same as if you were to ask for the best swag or tent,, fridge etc,,,, we only tell you what we own... hahahahahahaa...

Another one agreeing with Willem. Travel is about broadening ones horizons with both good and bad experiences. Get out there and taste it all for yourself.

Steve...don't go to Wilcannia....Paris, Rome, London, New York...have a good trip.....LOL :-)

Fred.

I have to agree with Willem to. I just posted a reply in relation to thread 56810 regarding Menindee Caravan Parks which also asked about precautions in relation to Wilcannia. I won't repeat the full version here but we've stayed in the caravan park there twice last year on the way to WA and again on the way back and we never had any problems.

In 2006 we were advised against staying at Halls Creek so we drove straight through...down the road about 20k had a Cooper tyre tread part it's way so went back to Halls Creek to have the spare case put on a rim. It was getting late, had a talk to the guy who runs the tyre shop and he told us we would not have a problem if we stayed he said 99% of what we would have heard was crap...anyway we stayed had no problems.

Same story with Derby and Fitzroy Crossing, stayed at Fitzroy for 4 nights and Derby for 10 nights never saw any incidents and neither did we have any problems.

Anyway they've been our experiences

Great answer Willem. I agree wholeheartedly

Thanks Fred,
This is exactly what we have decided to do. We kept tossing up to do Whitecliffes and after some wise advice from others about Wilcannia (which we orignally were staying o/n), we have chosen to scoot up to Whitecliffes for the night and head onto Cobar/Nyngan for the next overnighter.

Thank you for your kind advice.

Ali

What do they say is the problem with Wilcannia??

Cheers Steve.

When you park your car in town & go into the shop for 5 minutes you may come out to find your camper trailer literally pushed away by the locals. Fella I spoke to had to wait 2 hours for the police to round up all the contents spread around town. Lovely Historical town unfortunately destroyed by it's own that could be a tourist goldmine.
Cheers Craig...........

We skipped Wilcannia, all those boarded up shopfronts and graffiti. When we got to Bourke the door on the CT mysteriously opened while I was parked with me still inside the car. I was absolutely sure I had closed it properly and anyway nothing had fallen out the back coming up from Louth. No dust in there either.

You just confirmed my suspicions.

Owen

Pine Creek (NT) not much different.
Quite a depressing spot, we were going to stay at the van park there once but the cretins in the pub (very inebriated, otherwise would not use that word) convinced us to camp out of town.
Having said that, we had a top night in the "Animal Bar" in Karumba.
As V8 so correctly observes, its what you feel, and what you get out of it.
Me?
I (try to) visit every waterhole in every town we go through. Sometimes hate to leave, othertimes can't wait to.
furph

I haven't been to Wiluna but a bush-bred Aboriginal elder from the western desert told me "Wiluna mob no good, drink too much grog and fight too much".

Many people hate Pt Hedland but I have met some great, friendly people up here. Many good people simply trying to make a life in a town where most of their family are.

We had our front gates open and the missus car unlocked overnight for months and months before we had any problems. But then....would you ever walk around South Hedland after dark? Never.

In general I agree with Willem. I have had people tell me how much they hated a town that I used to go to as a kid and would play without a worry in the world.

If you get to a place and don't feel safe then move on.

Barnesy

I don't mind Wiluna.

Having stayed there for 3 night last year I'm actually a bit disapppointed I could not squeeze it into this years itinery.

Got talking to some locals, got showed many thousands of dollars worth of gold, had some drinks at the bar, got lent a book, met the shire president and talked for some time (at the bar), saw some locals carry a dead roo on their bonnet, had some other mean looking locals come over to me in the ute and ended up having a laugh, thought the girl at the shire office was a spunk, used the centrelink photocopier for free.....

In fact, I love the place, and it could be considered the gateway to other interesting spots.

I can see why some wouldn't like it though as I used to think that way.

Cheers

Try Wiluna around pension day! Admittedly my knowledge may be a bit out of date, but Jesus that place depressed me.

I used to park outside the pub, get the passenger to run in to the white fellas bar and gets a key, drive around the side and open 15 foot high gates and then lock vehicle inside the compound. Mad Max 2 stuff.

I was there in the mid 90's and a cop got his neck cut and another time a 'traditional landowner' killed another with a rock near the pub. I like the area (I was involved with exploration for Jundee, Bogada Bore etc) but the 'locals' were absolutely ruined by grog, perpetrated horrendous violence on each other and lived in complete squalor. The streets were literally paved with empty tinnies and goon bags.

May be it's changed..........I sincerely hope so. I know it received a lot of media attention some time back when it was pointed out to the education minister that the school was next to the town's sewage pond.

Re: Hedland, I've had some beaut times there so I might have been a bit harsh. I spent a bit of time living at the at The Lodge in South and the Pier in Port. A good mate of mine was a bouncer at Mistys nightclub and he has a few stories to tell about that fine establishment. I think the brutal summer time heat, midgies and flies took it out of me a bit. Winter is the go for me.

Read a very disturbing article on Robinvale just this morning on another forum.

It's a pity. Very picturesque part of the world especially camping by the river.

Stayed at Robinvale in 2006. No problems at all. Great atmosphere when you have all the winery contractors to talk with and share a beer.
Nothing wrong with the place from my experience.

Was in Wilcannia last week. Stopped in at the IGA and bought some supplies. The local kids of all backgrounds were playing handball on the footpath outside, parked the 4BY outside and not a problem. Had lunch in the War Memorial park by the river, a very pleasant town, the caravan park east of town is in need of some work but I had no issues at all, so there you go, not everyone has problems in Wilcannia.

You're right about the cities Motherhen. I've felt more nervous walking in the Brisbane city mall late at night going back to my hotel than another place, all those young people walking around in groups can make one very nervous. Although I believe now that the police have cleaned it up there were a few gang fights.

You're right about tassie we did the same thing left our camper in national parks and went out for the day no problems

Footy, great response. Off course all our experiences are very personal. But we cannot stay everywhere we want to on just one trip...and as these people are on their first major trip, at great expense these days, we are simply offering responses to their original question, based on our personal experiences, which is what they wanted to know. They will work the rest out for themselves as they go, and that is what life is all about. Just like our own kids, you can give advice, but in the long run they will do what they see is best for them, and good luck to them.
I am sure they will have a great trip...they will have their own adventures....not re live ours.
Fred.

Footloose

Agree 100%. Last time I was in Halls Creek we had a fella running around taking pot shots throughout the town at night.

Up at Meekatharra, a bunch of kids decided to smash up the town. In Tennant Creek we had a full on Police pursiut in the caravan park.

Big deal, the same thing happens down here in Latte town.

All I can say to travelers, is get off the streets before nightfall.

Next morning everything will be ok.

Regards

Kim

Fred, heaven forbid that anyone relives my adventures, some of em I try and forget to this day LOL

Kim, excellent advice. I can remember the caretaker coming round at 6am in Warberton and asking if I'd had any trouble during the night. Trouble ? After chatting to him for a while I realized that I'd been lucky. But I still felt strangely comfortable there, despite the horror stories he told.