Help in Planning our trip

Hi Don,

This ExplorOz website has a wealth of information about planning a trip - you just need to do a lot of reading! Your question is probably rather too general to get very useful answers. Try to ask specific questions and you will get some really helpful replies.

My comment about your idea of staying in rental accommodation is that it could turn out to be quite an expensive way to see Oz, especially in northern Australia. If you are planning to work your way around it could be different, but in that case you should be aware that rental accmmodation of any sort is very hard to find in places like the NW of WA.

Part of the attraction of camping/caravaning is that it allows you to meet with lots of like minded people in caravan parks, national parks and other camping areas. And when you get tired of that you have the flexibility to get away on your own a bit. I think if you just carry a tent for when you cant find rental accommodation you will end up having the worst of both worlds.

Also, having just done a 3 month trip, Im aware that to plan properly even for that length of time away took many months. If you dont yet even have a vehicle I would suggest that you should do some short trips first to find out what works for you - perhaps hire a camper trailer and/or a caravan for a week and see how that suits. Remember that to be comfortable on the road you will almost certainly need to do quite a bit of customising of any rig that you have to ensure that it fits your needs.

As to a vehicle, just about anything that is big enough to carry your gear will do if you are not going off the bitumen. But given the amazing things that are to be seen by going off the bitumen why rule out that option? Perhaps try to work out what it is that you want to experience in the course of your trip before deciding what type of vehicle you require.

I hope this does not sound too negative, but you will certainly get more out of your trip if you if you put lots of thought into planning and preparation before you set out.

Cheers,

Val.

Don, we did a similar type (but in a 2wd stn wagon, of trip 13 yrs ago. Fistly I got a map of Australia which I overlayed with some clear over-head projector film. We then decided where we basically wanted to go. Knowing how much time we had up our sleave and how far per day we were prepared to travel.
I allowed 400km/day on average then looked at the closest town to that. Due to our time constraints we pre booked the entire trip. each morning before I went to work I rang an accommodation place and booked. This allowed us to have pre paid for much of the trip and took away the burden of trying to find accomodation.
Unfortuantely the downside is that if we wanted to stay a while in a spot we couldn't as we were committed to be elsewhere.
We did 19,000Km in 10wks saw parts of WA, SA, Vic, Tas, & NT
did 4wd trips in 4 places, 7 boat trips, flew up to Kalumburu, and spent 2 wks in Tass.
Yes it was a quick trip but I don't think we compromised much, based on the type of holiday we did.
It definately gave us a huge appreciation of the country and a desire to do it slower and off the beaten track next time. And we have been doing just that since.

Have you considered buying something like a Troopy-based camper? When staying more than a night or two in one place, you could maybe use your tent as an "overflow" for gear and living. Depending on how long you plan to be away, this might be more economic than rental accommodation and would lessen the need to book too far ahead. Maybe hire one for a weekend and see if it is feasible?

It all depends on how adventurous you are.

The fact is that Australia is a lovely safe country where everyone speaks the same language.

I work all over Oz. My only planning now is to go where the work is. I'll drive to Darwin from Vic without thinking much about it now. Mind you, my truck is stocked up on most things that I need to get out of trouble... and a good roadside service membership!

If you have lots of time, just plan a loose schedule and head off. If you love a spot.... stay for a while. If you don't get all the way around.... do the rest later.

Planning can of course be one of the best parts of a trip. You imagine places and experiences and get excited about the possibilities.

Enjoy.... Cheers Royce