Itinerary
Submitted: Thursday, Apr 16, 2009 at 22:44
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Member - Jeff M (WA)
Hope this isn't too much of an overkill but I have put together a rough itinerary of our trip leaving on 15 June 2009 from Mandurah WA, travelling to
Darwin,
Alice Springs,
Adelaide and back to
Perth (Mandurah). (see below)
Would appreciate any comments people may care to offer regarding this eg is it too tight or have I missed any must see
places that you might suggest. Towing a 20 foot Roadstar caravan with my Prado so not keen to do much travel off the black top but happy to consider short hops, say up to 20km on good gravel roads.
All destinations and
camp numbers shown have been taken from the new Camps 5 book.
Thanks
PERTH-
DARWIN-ALICE-
ADELAIDE-
PERTH (ex Mandurah)
Western Australia
Day 1 Arrino 402
Day 2 Coronation Beach 441
Day 3
Kalbarri – Galena Bridge 448
Day 5
Whalebone Bay 458
Day 6
Denham Caravan
Park
Days 7-8
Gladstone 463
Day 9
Rocky Pool 468
Day 10
Carnarvon
Days 11-12
Blowholes 473
Days 13-14
Coral Bay
Day 15
Exmouth - ?
Day 16
House Creek Bridge 495
Days 17-18
Paraburdoo-
Tom Price
Day 19
Onslow Turnoff 497
Day 20
Onslow
Day 21 40 Mile 503
Days 22-23 Karratha/
Dampier
Days 24-25 Whim
Creek Hotel/Balla Balla Inlet 517
Day 26 Yule River 520
Day 27
Port Hedland
Day 28
Marble Bar –
Coongan River 603
Day 29-30 Cape Keraudren 617
Day 31 Goldwire
Rest Area 619
Days 32-34
Broome
Day 35
Fitzroy River (Willare) 627
Day 36
Derby
Days 37-44
Gibb River Road
Day 45
Derby
Day 46
Fitzroy Crossing
Day 47 Mary Pool 637
Day 48-49 Halls Creek/Old Halls Creek/Wolfe
Creek Crater
Day 50-51
Spring Creek (Bungle Bungles) 644
Day 52
Cockburn South
Rest Area 650
Days 53-54 Wyndham/
Kununurra
Northern Territory
Day 55 Saddle
Creek 205
Day 56
Timber Creek 201
Day 57 Mathison
Rest Area 194
Days 58-59
Katherine
Day 60
Adelaide River Showground 145
Days 61-62
Darwin
Day 63
Kakadu – Merl
Camping Area 172
Day 64
Jabiru - Jim Jim
Billabong 177
Day 65 Harriet
Creek 184
Days 66-67
Katherine Gorge Campground 133
Day 68
King River Rest Area 132
Day 69
Mataranka –
Stirling Mill 131
Day 70
Daly Waters
Day 71 Goanna
Creek Rest Area 15
Day 72
Brunette Downs Rest Area 11
Day 73 Frewena
Rest Area 6
Day 74
Tennant Creek – Mary Anne Dam 21
Day 75
Bonney Well Rest Area 23
Day 76 Connor
Well 34
Days 77-78
Alice Springs
Day 79 Desert
Oaks Rest Area 61
Day 80 Kings Canyon
Days 81-82 Sandy Way
Rest Area 69 (short hop to
Yulara – day trip)
Day 83 NT/
SA Border 71
South Australia
Day 84
Mathesons Bore 525
Days 85-86
Coober Pedy
Day 87
Lake Hart Lookout 510
Day 88
Woomera –
Roxby Downs Rest Area 508
Day 89 North Tent
Hill Rest Area 500
Day 90-91
Port Augusta
Day 93
Peterborough-
Port Pirie (Rangeview Caravan & Cabin
Park) 328
Days 94-102
Adelaide
Day 103 Germein Gorge 334
Days104-105
Point Lowly 554
Day 105
Whyalla – Cape Hardy Beach 566
Day 106
Port Lincoln – Wangary
Rest Area 585
Days 107-108
Streaky Bay – Point Westall
Camping Area 607
Day 109
Ceduna
Day 110
Yalata West
Rest Area 665
Day 111
Scenic Lookout 13k Peg 678
Day 112 Jillbunya Rockhole 15
Day 113
Afghan Rock 22
Day 114
Norseman
Days 115-117Cape Legrande National
Park 41
Day 118 Overshot
Hill Nature Reserve 150
Day 119
Hyden
Day 120
Gorge Rock Pool 161
Days 121-122
York
Day 123 Home (Mandurah)
Reply By: Dunco (NSW) - Thursday, Apr 16, 2009 at 22:56
Thursday, Apr 16, 2009 at 22:56
Heaps of time as I did
Sydney, Melb,
Adelaide, Alice,
Darwin,
Broome,
Perth,
Sydney.....in about 5 months and I had plenty of time.
One thing I will say is....I bet you don't stick to your itinerary :-)
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Jeff M (WA) - Thursday, Apr 16, 2009 at 23:08
Thursday, Apr 16, 2009 at 23:08
Thanks for the vote of confidence Dunco. I'm certain you are right about the itinerary and it is very rubbery but I thought I should put something on paper.
FollowupID:
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Reply By: new boy - Thursday, Apr 16, 2009 at 23:08
Thursday, Apr 16, 2009 at 23:08
Many people will say to regimented but I ,m with you must have a felxlible basic plan A
Up to
carnarvon very familar with
Why are you going the inland road through Arrino ,Brand highway is shorter and you could make Coranation 1st night
You pass through
Carnarvon to get to
Rocky pool (good spot)
Both
Gladstone and
Rocky Pool any
sign of rain get out road turn muddy and very slippery
Enjoy
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Jeff M (WA) - Thursday, Apr 16, 2009 at 23:38
Thursday, Apr 16, 2009 at 23:38
Thanks new boy. I used to live in
Carnarvon so I am very familiar with the roads in this area. Appreciate and understand your comments regarding rain. Arrino is just an alternative as we have done the coast to death up to
Geraldton so we thought something different for a change.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: disco driver - Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 18:47
Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 18:47
Hi Jeff,
Since the Brand Hwy was completed the old Highway, now known as the Midlands Rd, has not had a lot of maintenance over the years and IMHO is in pretty poor condition for a "major" road.
If you want to stop and check out the attractions of each town or settlement, and there is plenty to see, (
New Norcia,
Moora,
Coorow,
Carnamah, Perenjori,
Mingenew then on to
Dongara-Denison etc) you would need a week or more to do them justice. Most of those towns have suffered since the Brand Hwy opened but there is still plenty of history and character to be explored.
It would take considerably more than a day or two though.
Disco
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Jeff M (WA) - Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 22:47
Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 22:47
Thanks Disco. Pretty
well much been to all those towns with work and holidays over the years.
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Reply By: Member - Fred B (NT) - Thursday, Apr 16, 2009 at 23:12
Thursday, Apr 16, 2009 at 23:12
Interesting trip. See you in
Darwin. Enjoy it.
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Reply By: That Troopy Bloke (SA) - Thursday, Apr 16, 2009 at 23:18
Thursday, Apr 16, 2009 at 23:18
Just a couple of suggestions:
"Days 107-108
Streaky Bay Point Westall
Camping Area 607 "....this is a spectacular stretch of coastline, but wild seas around here and very exposed.....I would suggest
Perlubie Beach as an alternative. It's only a few km's away, and you can still take in the Westall Way.
"Day 110
Yalata West
Rest Area 665 "....I personally wouldn't
camp too close to Yatala....there is a good
rest area about 20km (from memory) west of
Nundroo, with good sites
well back from the highway.
Sounds like a great trip :-)
Cheers
Glenn
AnswerID:
359907
Follow Up By: That Troopy Bloke (SA) - Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 00:04
Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 00:04
Without trying to get the PC crowd too excited, I believe
Yalata has a few 'social problems'....perhaps google
Yalata.
Not sure on the
rest area as I don't have the book handy, but there's a couple around that area that are similar.
Fowlers Bay is a nice spot to hole up for a few days too.
Cheers
Glenn
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Gone Bush (WA) - Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 00:21
Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 00:21
Jeff, from one Mandurah-ite to another:
Have a Great Trip.
(That Troopy Bloke's advice re staying too close to
Yalata is good advice)
cheers
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Member - Tony S (WA) - Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 00:17
Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 00:17
Hi Jeff,
While you are at Le' Grande, head out to Warton. There is a nice C/van
park there and a bit to see if you dont mind a bit of beach work. You turn right at Condingup.
Looks like you are going to have a great time.
Have fun.
Tony
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Ozhumvee - Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 07:46
Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 07:46
I agree with the others that it is good to have a rough itinerary otherwise you tend to keep going, missing
places where you should have spent some time along the way. You also want to spend as much time as far away as possible.
I remember our first couple of long trips where we just had a list of where we wanted to go without actually planning a timeframe.
Two weeks before the end of the trip we found ourselves only two days travel from home wishing we had spent another week in the
Kimberley. Instead we spent the two weeks visiting
places we could easily reach on annual holidays or a long weekend, bit of a waste.
Itinerarys are easily changed on the go and usually are due to road conditions, weather or some unforeseen problem, these days we tend to make the first few and last few days purely "transport" days where we try to cover 600 odd k's to get away and return home.
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Member - John Q (QLD) - Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 08:30
Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 08:30
Hi Jeff,
It is good to have a plan but look at it as "Plan 1(a), subject to change". I did nearly 5 months on the road last year & changed my itinery on many occasions due to the different
places of interest I found plus of course the weather.
Another place to look at, if you have time, is Port Gibbon about 23km south of
Cowell on the eastern side of the Eyre Peninsula.
Enjoy your trip.
John
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Member - John Q (QLD) - Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 08:34
Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 08:34
tut tut "my itinerary"
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Follow Up By: Member - Jeff M (WA) - Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 14:45
Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 14:45
Thanks John. I'll check out Port Gibbon.
Jeff
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Member - John Q (QLD) - Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 15:29
Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 15:29
Hi Jeff,
The best way into Port Gibbon, particularly with a caravan, is via Igloo Road, 23km south of
Cowell & it is about 6km to PG from the main highway. It's a dirt road but in good condition. Good fishing & plenty of beach for walking.
John
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Bushed-Tracker - Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 12:34
Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 12:34
What with all the ginning around at Derby/Fitzroy/Gibb/
Derby?
Personally I would have done the whole of the Gibb RR + Kalumbaru/
McGowans Island and the
Mitchell Plateau. Then from
Kununurra - Bungles -
Halls Creek - Wolfe
Creek Crater back up to
Old Halls Creek and then follow the Duncan Highway or the Buntine into the NT.
B-T
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Bushed-Tracker - Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 12:37
Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 12:37
Sorry - I must have missed the bit about not heading too far off-tar. B-T
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Matt(WA) - Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 13:15
Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 13:15
Jeff,
I am not sure of school holiday dates this year, but from experience I would not want to be anywhere near
coral bay during school holidays.
If you haven't booked I don't think you will have much luck getting a site during school holidays and I wouldn't consider rocking up there with out a booking if its school holidays.
Good place not to be during school holidays.
I would also steer clear of
Yalata, why don't you detour down to
Fowlers bay, south of
Nundroo?
Matt
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Jeff M (WA) - Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 14:43
Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 14:43
Thanks Matt I have now included
Fowlers Bay on my itinerary and dropped
Yalata.
Coral Bay shouldn't be a problem as we are self sufficient with our own ensuite in the van so we can
camp out for up to 5 days without the need to go into a
park to access
water or find it from other sources eg roadhouse or local council. We are travelling with friends who have a similar rig to ours and we want to show them a lot of the north that we have already seen through 20 years working for the Government on the
Pilbara and
Kimberley before I retired 2 years ago.
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Reply By: Rod, Sydney - Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 15:26
Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 15:26
Hi Jeff.
When crossing the Nullarbor I'd consider the
Eyre Bird Observatory. You can leave your van at the top of the scarp or at
Cocklebiddy Roadhouse to travel down to the coast.
And I bet your Prado won't be that shiny by the time you get back!
Cheers
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Jeff M (WA) - Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 22:45
Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 22:45
LOL it's only shiny because I just washed it.
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Reply By: briggzee (WA) - Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 15:53
Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 15:53
Jeff,
I'm not sure of your level of fitness, but the "
rim walk' at Kings Canyon was one of highlights of our trip. You have 1 night scheduled there which may not be enough as the
rim walk can take a few hours but is
well and truly worth it. Early morning is the best time.
Happy holidays, that list of stops bring back many pleasant memories
Cheers Craig
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Motherhen - Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 16:00
Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 16:00
I agree with your Craig about the
Rim Walk. We did a lot of walks in Central NT, and King's Canyon was tops. We aren't fit and have a few aching and grinding joints, but did the walk easily. Early morning is best to start the climb too - before it gets hot. Quite a hike to the top.
Motherhen
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Follow Up By: dact - Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 14:55
Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 14:55
I agree with Craig ...1 night is not enough. Arrive afternoon,
camp, get up early (like 7.30 ) do the
rim walk (
well worth the effort) spend afternoon recovering/relaxing, then head off the next day.
We stayed at
Kings Creek station www.kingscreekstation.com.au - was brilliant, and being there the 2 nights hubby had time to do their quad bike sunset tour. Sadly I missed out cos we had Miss3 & Mr9 in tow.
cheers and happy travelling
Terry & Amanda
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Motherhen - Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 16:20
Friday, Apr 17, 2009 at 16:20
Hi Jeff
The
Kimberley was the highlight of our trip last year. I note you have seven days
Derby to
Derby on the GRR - i take it you will leave the van in
Derby? No long enough to see much. Each of the falls requires a walk, so we stayed overnight to walk and swim in the morning. Then in afternoon usually travelled on to next feature. You need to take your time on the roads depending on their condition. We spend a total of nine weeks in the
Kimberley.
We spent three and a half weeks last year just
Derby to
Kununurra, including
Mitchell Falls and
Kalumburu. Then spent some weeks in and around
Kununurra including Purnululu where your two days should be adequate (we spent three days and two nights, including travel to and fro). We could have spent less in
Kununurra, as we were doing maintenance and later stayed with friends.
I prefer to do less distance, see more, spend less on
fuel and relax more.
Our plan for a holiday is no plan. We had a set date to return by, and took it as it came. We had no idea if we would spend four months in the
Kimberley, or whether it would include some of NT. As it was, we did get into the NT. We spent five weeks in and around Alice, including rocks and valleys to the south. A few days were spent on r&r.
This year we will head back into NT to see areas north of Alice that we totally missed last year, and where ever the road takes us. We can always turn half way through the holiday and head home on a different route.
Motherhen
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Reply By: rapid80 - Saturday, Apr 18, 2009 at 16:43
Saturday, Apr 18, 2009 at 16:43
How about the jewel of the
Pilbara ,Karijini?
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Follow Up By: Member - Jeff M (WA) - Saturday, Apr 18, 2009 at 22:29
Saturday, Apr 18, 2009 at 22:29
hanks rapid80. Already done that one and great country. I used to live in both
Karratha and Hedland so got a good look at the
Pilbara. Pretty keen on more info about the NT though if anyone has anything.
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Follow Up By: Maîneÿ . . . (WA) - Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 15:46
Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 at 15:46
Take a good Barra rod & reel set-up because I'm sure you will stay in the NT for longer than you presently expect to, it's fantastic up there compared to the lower latitude's of Australia (NSW & Victoria)
Kakadu is one place where time stands still, with so much to look at and enjoy.
Mainey . . .
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