trip planning

G'day Ross H.

I'm 3 weeks from finishing a 9 week trip from Hobart to Port Douglas and back. We were going to plan the whole trip to the last detail and at the last minute we threw all those ideas away and we've made it up as we go along. The only thing we had to plan was van parks while school holidays were on.
Travelling with 2 teens means we wanted to use van parks with good facilities and at the very least a pool to swim in.
We are really only planning our last four days to ensure we are in easy striking distance of Melbourne to catch the boat back to Tas.

I'd say that June/July you will encounter a lot more Grey Nomads about so calling ahead if using van parks would be advisable. Most of them had already headed south a few weeks ago when we were in Cairns/Port Douglas. Port Douglas park had 29 customers leave the morning we arrived.Was getting a bit hot and sticky for them.

We usually book for high demand places like Broome, Alice etc if we are going to be there in peak periods or have a set date to meet friends etc. Then just fill in the gaps to get from A to B at a comfortable rate allowing time to see things along the way and stay longer at good spots we find along the way.
We learnt years ago that to do trips in a specific time frame you have to plan it out a bit but when on the wallaby just wandering along we do it as it comes.

As for most people, we have a start and finish date, but have generally just rolled up somewhere and seen what we can get. Even when we were travelling with the boys during holidays. Lawn Hill/Adels grove was like that last trip, just rolled up and we were OK.
Sometimes we might ring ahead a day or two if we are in doubt. But we camp without power needed (have our own 12v). It seems that powered sites go first with the grey nomads. We can usually squeeze in down the back without any problems if it is a van park.
Do a fair bit of research before the trip and have an idea what we want to see, but find that local tourist offices and locals in general fill in the gaps and add some extras as we go.
Always try and have at least one spare day a week that might get used, or else just veg out doing in-camp type stuff for the day.

We did the NT part of you trip last year (Sept/Oct 2008), but only had 5 weeks, and did it the reverse direction, came back via Lawn Hill, and missed Karumba. Had been to Karumba and east 10 years ago. Will head off to the Kimberleys another time. Plenty of NP camp sites around Kakadu, and Darwin is just a matter of how far out of town you end up camping.

We aim to maximise our flexibility by minimising the number of pre-ordained stopping places. Some things must be booked in advance - eg vehicle services and heavily used van parks. In Kununura last year the Toyota people pointed out something which is really pretty obvious - "All you southerners need a 5000 km vehicle service by about the time you get to here." The queue at that time was 3 weeks.

Caravan park space needs to be booked well in advance at Alice and Broome during the busy season, but most places we've found you can be pretty certain of a spot if you book or arrive in the morning. We've also found that even full up parks can be very accommodating if your are desperate.

We bush camp where we can for economy and flexibility, so our experience with caravan parks is pretty limited.


HTH

John

A few years ago now I was in the driveway trying things on the car in preparation for a trip. My next door neighbour, who had travelled extensively in remote Australia, came out for a chat. "So where do you think you are going this time?" he said.

The point is that no matter what your plans are travelling this country, particularly remote areas, requires a degree of flexibility.

He had spent 2 days stranded by floods in the Simpson Desert. He had an axle housing fail which forced him to Darwin when he had never planned to go there. I had rain and road closures force me to Broken Hill when it was not on my itinerary, while there the clutch failed and forced me to spend a week.

I plan my trips in a reasonable detail. I set goals for where I want to be by a particular date. The main reason for this is to see if it is achievable and to give my an idea of timing. I usually stay close to what I plan but I have chucked it all out because we found a nice spot to sit for a couple of days, because it got hotter than anticipated and we went looking for a swimming hole, because rivers were flooded and because we just couldn't be bothered driving that far.

We virtually never book accommodation when on a camping trip. If I can't get into a CV Park I will just go bush. There is always somewhere. We have camped in the really rough CV Park on the edge of town more than once and always had a good time.

Duncs

Thanks everyone for you advice, it is good to know I am not the only one out there that just hates following a strict time schedule.
My main concern was Broome area as you have to drive so far to get there.
I know at that time of year we will have a large grey nomad gathering but if we arrirve out side of school holidays are your chances better, we will still try and book ahead if possible just like to have a plan B just in case.
Thanks again
Rossco

I beg to differ. To me, planning is part of the fun of the trip. I plan my longer trips to the finest detail possible to be as informed as I can about the trip I'm taking in terms of visiting places of interest to me. If it involves remote area travel then that needs to be thought through too for safety reasons. In the past I have missed seeking some wonderful places through a lack of planning.

Also, planning to me is about knowing whats realistically possible in the length of time I have available and if necessary prioritising what I choose to see if I can't do it all. I like to know how far it is from A to B to C etc so I can plan likely overnight stops, refueling places and so on. I like to know what roads I can comfortably travel on with a caravan.
If I have an itinerary planned I can leave a copy with my family who will then have a fair idea of where I'll be at any given time.

I don't book ahead except in places where accommodation is liekly to be at a premium in peak times. I don't mind varying my plans either.

I'm currently planning a trip that has no planned destinations! Hows that for thoroughness.

WBS

G'day Rossco

Planning is everything....lol. After each major trip I start on next years' planning. And planning can take 9 months. Right now I am rebuilding the storage compartments again for another major remote trek next year.

But I never book ahead as I can camp anywhere and I keep my schedule flexible. But I am retired so time isn't of the essence :-) If I target a place and rock up there and it is busy or full or unexciting, I can keep moving to the next place...no worries :-)

Have fun!


Cheers

Hi Ross,

I plan every thing down to how long i want to stay at a spot distance travel time etc. Its part of the fun.

Then when Ive got my itinerary, i double it to allow for relaxing time. If I plan a 3 week trip thru the centre i make it 6 weeks.

That way I never get rushed.

Cheers Wilko

Hi Ross,

Planning things in advance, other than start date, finish date, general idea of where to go and what to see are relatively unimportant.

The important bits to plan for are:-
Do I have enough money to pay for the essentials till the next "hole-in-the-wall (ATM)
Have I enough food, water and fuel to get to the next shop.
Have I packed enough beer for me and/or chardonay for her to last to the next refreshment supplier.

Anything else is of little concern, relax and let it happen................then you can panic.

LOL

Disco
(who, if he could get away with it, would toss the swag, the engel, the tuckerbox and the fishing gear onto the tray of the old Series 3 Landrover, tie it all down and just GO.)

(Mrs Disco prefers to travel with a bit more panache and lots more planning)

Thanks everyone for your replies.
Makes planning a lot easier and agree so long as you have water ,fuel, food and money all should be sweet....LOL.

Regards Ross