August 2009 Sydney - Uluru - Sydney
Submitted: Saturday, Feb 14, 2009 at 19:24
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aeiou
Dear Forumites,
I have started planning a 4 week trip from Syd to Uluru and return. My wife and I will be travelling with our 2 boys aged 3 and 5. We have a
well equipped 100 series TD and an Aussie Swag offroad trailer. I am looking for suggest routes, things to see and things you suggest definately not to miss. We have never been farther west than
Mudgee!! We may be taking another vehicle or 2 in convoy and we are happy to get off the beaten track. we are going to give the Simpson Destert a miss unfortunately.
All suggestions welcome
Thanks in adavance
Davo
Reply By: Member - Jon W (Toowoomba QLD) - Saturday, Feb 14, 2009 at 19:49
Saturday, Feb 14, 2009 at 19:49
Davo,
A possible route is
Broken Hill,
Tibooburra,
Cameron Corner,
Innamincka (Dig Tree visit),
Haddon Corner,
Birdsville,
Bedourie,
Boulia, Alice (Plenty Hwy),
Mereenie Loop to
Kings Canyon and then onto Uluru. On the way back to Alice, the Henbury Meteorite Crater is worthwhile.
Rainbow Valley and Chamber's Pillar are within easy reach of Alice and
well worth seeing. Several ways to go
home.
For what its worth,
Jon W
AnswerID:
349069
Reply By: Member - Duncs - Saturday, Feb 14, 2009 at 20:49
Saturday, Feb 14, 2009 at 20:49
At first I was thinking not enough time but it is not bad in 4 weeks.
We did it from
Broken Hill in 3 weeks and came
home across the Simpson. Often on big trips we have done the run
home like an iterstate truckie. Just go
home
Davo's suggestion is not bad and will give you plenty to build on to make it your trip.
If you don't want to go up through
Birdsville you could go across through
Broken Hill the Flinders and
Oodnadatta Track maybe a look in at Lake Eyre and then up through Finke and along the Old Gahn to Alice taking in
Chambers Pillar on the way.
Have a look at the Trips and
Places listings on this site for more information than you will know what to do with.
I would suggest that when you get to Alice you stay put for a while an do day trips to cover stuff close to town.
Happy planning
Duncs
AnswerID:
349077
Reply By: Smudger - Saturday, Feb 14, 2009 at 22:04
Saturday, Feb 14, 2009 at 22:04
These are not necessarily stopovers, you'll need to figure out how many km's you want to travell in a day. But as a general route have a look a this. We did it in 4 easy weeks.
Broken Hill >
Peterborough (SA) >
Flinders Ranges (
Wilpena Pound & Arkaroola - do the observatory) >
Leigh Creek > Maree >
Oodnadatta Track (Graded dirt road -
William Creek -
Painted Desert -
Oodnadatta) >
Marla > (Sealed Road) >
Alice Springs.
From Alice to Uluru via Larapinta Drive (Hermansberg -
Palm Valley -
Kings Canyon)
Home via
Coober Pedy (Don't miss
The Breakaways) >
Renmark >
Mildura > Mungo NP >
Balranald >
Hay >
Bathurst > Syd.
AnswerID:
349084
Follow Up By: MEMBER - Darian (SA) - Sunday, Feb 15, 2009 at 10:20
Sunday, Feb 15, 2009 at 10:20
My thoughts too, though maybe take the short cut from
Yunta direct to the Gammons - on the way out of the Gammons you'll probably need some tucker etc. so maybe the run west from the Gammons to
Leigh Creek is a good idea. Up at
Oodnadatta, you can run off onto the Old Ghan line route and go up to Finke that way - more interesting - then left to
Kulgera and over to
the Rock. The run through Alice and across the Plenty adds a heap of distance to get
home - with 4 weeks, I too reckon the suggestion to generally 'backtrack' with variations is the go.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Steve - Sunday, Feb 15, 2009 at 10:46
Sunday, Feb 15, 2009 at 10:46
that looks good Dazzer - might try that one in my dirt road van.
Don't think I'd get thru
Palm Valley though?????? Maybe do a day trip there?
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: MEMBER - Darian (SA) - Sunday, Feb 15, 2009 at 14:04
Sunday, Feb 15, 2009 at 14:04
Palm Valley - what a place ! Love it. I'll certainly be giving it a good shake again at some stage after I get my "rough roads capable" caravan - will probably just have to try it out - as I recall the road into
Palm Valley, apart from the 'easy-enough'
rock shelves that we had to crawl over slowly just before the
campground, there was a decided, sharp dip in and out of a small watercourse on the edge of the Finke.....as we departed the
Finke river bed proper......that might
test the departure angles on the van. Anyway...... if that doesn't work, one can set up a
camp on the edges of the Finke back from the
campground a k or two - and drive in, or better still, go bushwalking.
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Member - vivien C (VIC) - Sunday, Feb 15, 2009 at 10:52
Sunday, Feb 15, 2009 at 10:52
Davo,
Here are a few things that are on in Alice & surrounds during August in case you're interested.
Harts Range Bush Sports Week End - 1st - 3rd Aug
Old Timers Fete - Aug 8th
Alice Springs Rodeo - Aug 15th
Henley On Todd - Aug 22nd
National Road Transport Hall of Fame Reunion - 27 - 30 Aug
Have a good trip
Viv
AnswerID:
349152
Reply By: Member - Mark (NSW) - Friday, Mar 13, 2009 at 22:43
Friday, Mar 13, 2009 at 22:43
Haven't been to the centre since 1985, but went to
Tibooburra & Inamincka a few years ago with our CT then onto Flinders. I can't speak highly enough of the 3 days at Inamincka, Dig Tree, Coopers Ck, etc, wish we had a few more days. Then you head down the Strezlecki (H'way) to Maree and up the Ooodnadatta Tk.
Flinders Ranges, a week won't do them justice and
Broken Hill is
well worth 2-3 days.
Longreach if you go back via Qld is wiorth at least one full day.
Suggest you leave the Simpson alone til you have more bush experience, but you should be fine on major dirt roads.
So much to see, reckon you will be really looking at 8000km, so think about it. 400-500km on dirt roads is a long day given need to set up and pack up.
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