Gibb River Rd

Hi All,

I am planning on travelling from Sydney to Darwin, then the Gibb River Rd, and heading down through WA, finally home across the Nullarbor.
I'm not planning on leaving until July 2012, as having never taken a trip of this kind before I want to plan, prepare, take a 4WD training course and not to mention save some cash.
I have had a lot of experience camping, but have to admit I'm clueless regarding the types of tools etc that I should carry so any, and all advice, hints and tips, would be greatly appreciated.

Lou

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Reply By: Member - John and Val - Monday, Jul 26, 2010 at 17:28

Monday, Jul 26, 2010 at 17:28
Hi Lou,

Well you have plenty of time to do your planning for what should be a great trip. A good list of things to take ishere in Willies blog. You may also care to have a look at our blogs for the past 2 years which covered much of the route you may take.

Also have a look in the Articles section (see button in blue bar across the top of the page) where you will find a lot of useful info. And just keep watching this forum as good tips pop up quite frequently - also questions that you may not even have thought of!

Cheers,

Val
J and V
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Follow Up By: lou_r - Monday, Jul 26, 2010 at 19:24

Monday, Jul 26, 2010 at 19:24
Thanks Val,

I have checked willies blog out and got some good ideas. Read through your Kimberley trip blog sounds perfect, it gave me some fantastic options.

Cheers
Lou
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Reply By: Tom in Darwin - Monday, Jul 26, 2010 at 18:58

Monday, Jul 26, 2010 at 18:58
Hi Lou
I go out the Gibb regularly for work. The road gets better every year but can change depending on a lot of things. My advice is decent tyres ideal a couple of spares. The worst part is the road up to Kalumburu (really bad corrugations). Don't take a trailer up here. Just keep an eye on the car when you stop the main thing I find is things come loose with the corrugations. When I were out there a couple of weeks ago I was amazed with the amount of "soft roaders" out there now. You will enjoy it it is pretty amazing area but getting busier and busier. This time of year you could be on a major highway with the traffic.

Cheers
Tom
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Follow Up By: lou_r - Tuesday, Jul 27, 2010 at 12:19

Tuesday, Jul 27, 2010 at 12:19
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the advice as I will be travelling with my parents and my kids and being a city chic (lol) I'm going to need to know all these things to avoid any stupid mistakes along the way...

Cheers
Lou
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Reply By: Motherhen - Monday, Jul 26, 2010 at 22:30

Monday, Jul 26, 2010 at 22:30
Hi Lou

It is a beautiful part of the country. However the later you are in the season, the less water in the falls and no doubt the rougher the road. We went in June and it was lovely. Someone went through in early July just as the crowds hit the road, and it was the worst road they'd ever been one. None of the driving was difficult and we took our Bushtracker caravan all the way to Kalumburu. My Blogs detail our trip - look under 2008. We took three and a half weeks from Derby to Kununurra.

We had no tyre (or mechanical) troubles, but our son who went the year before us cut a tyre on stone and used four tyre plugs in a row. Twelve months later they were still holding! We ran our tyres on 25 psi cold.

I think our only real breakage was we lost the 2-way antenna due to vibration, but we were still able to communicate with traffic around us until we could replace the antenna when we reached Kununurra.

The workshop at Drysdale River Station is get busy repairing all manner of breakages and they have to be resourceful as every incident is different.

Motherhen
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Follow Up By: lou_r - Tuesday, Jul 27, 2010 at 12:26

Tuesday, Jul 27, 2010 at 12:26
Hi Motherhen,
Do you suggest we leave a bit earlier in the year and if so when would you suggest? We would be looking at 3-4 month total trip.

I am thinking of approx the same route that Val (above) took on her Kimberley trip.

Cheers,
Lou
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Follow Up By: Motherhen - Tuesday, Jul 27, 2010 at 12:46

Tuesday, Jul 27, 2010 at 12:46
Hi Lou

Depending on the season! The earlier you can get through the better, but water crossings may be deep so that depends on your vehicle. The water crossings on the GRR are easy. The King Edward River on the road to Mitchell Falls can be a bit tricky. During the past four years the unthinkable has happened with rain in or around June, which results in the roads being closed until they dry out to avoid damage. We (like our son the year before) chose June as a safe option for it being open, and both of us we only days after the rain, so plenty of water in the falls. Later in the season, it usually gets drier and hotter. This year, with the strange season, people were waiting in Kununurra for the GRR to be re-opened.

A three to four month trip sounds like a good plan, but if most of it will be in the north, earlier will give you a better climate.

Make sure you include a couple of days or so at Purnululu. It can get hot there towards summer, and sometimes very cold at night in winter. So can it be anywhere on the GRR. While we were there, Mt Elizabeth Station (which is a recording centre) recorded -4º.

Mh
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Reply By: wato35 - Tuesday, Jul 27, 2010 at 09:06

Tuesday, Jul 27, 2010 at 09:06
Hi lou_r

We did a 6 month trip last year that included the GGR, outback NT & Qld. We used a Hilux SR5 with a camper trailer.
If you send me your email address I will forward our camping check list.
Not sure how to upload a excel spreadsheet here.

Cheers
Wato
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Follow Up By: lou_r - Tuesday, Jul 27, 2010 at 09:25

Tuesday, Jul 27, 2010 at 09:25
Hi Wato,

Thanks that would be great email address is lou_r@hotmail.com.

Cheers,
Lou
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