Northern WA in late October?
Submitted: Wednesday, Aug 18, 2010 at 16:49
ThreadID:
80792
Views:
3902
Replies:
8
FollowUps:
2
This Thread has been Archived
Member - Mark H (WA)
I'm looking at doing a trip up to the north of WA in mid to late October this year. My girlfriend isn't able to get away until the 15th of October so that is the earliest we could start.
We're going to be moving to Canada so I need to sell my beloved Patrol. Before I do so I feel i should do the trip I was planning to do when i bought it, a trip up the WA cost to Kununurra/Bungle Bungles. Unfortunately I don't think i'll be able to keep the troll until mid next year which is when the Trek's say is "best time to travel" so i'll be in the "OK Time" towards "Not recommended".
I was hoping that i could get some idea of why it's not recommended to travel in october/november, other than heat.
I was planning to do:
*
Perth to
Coral Bay Trek
*
Coral Bay -
Ningaloo Reef Adventure Trek
* Tom Price/Karijini NP Trek
*
Broome
*
Derby to Fitzroy on
Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek trek
* Kununurra/Halls and
Bungle Bungle - Purnululu NP trek
* Possibly check out
Mitchell Plateau
* Head home and see anything we missed.
What i was hoping to find out is - why is it not recommended to go later in the year? Just because of the heat?
Also I'm an avid amateur photographer and plan on doing a lot of photography whilst up there, will anything be green in october after the dry period? Will there be any
water around, or will everything be dead and dry?
Reply By: Fred G NSW - Wednesday, Aug 18, 2010 at 17:18
Wednesday, Aug 18, 2010 at 17:18
Mark have a look
HERE
AnswerID:
427603
Follow Up By: Member - Mark H (WA) - Wednesday, Aug 18, 2010 at 18:56
Wednesday, Aug 18, 2010 at 18:56
Thanks for that Fred, i got the free download then bought the guide e-books.
Looks like october is pretty crappy for travelling, especially for photography. Guess i'll see if i can manage to hang on to the troll until May next year and go then.
FollowupID:
698294
Reply By: Goldfind (Dunsborough) - Wednesday, Aug 18, 2010 at 17:45
Wednesday, Aug 18, 2010 at 17:45
Mark,
We were up around the
Pilbara in october last year. I think the 1st of October is officially the start of the cyclone season in that part of the north. It is still quite nice weather along the coast, but will be getting very warm inland such as at
Tom Price and Karinjini.
Broome also gets pretty uncomfortable late October and the sand flies are out and about
Cheers Wayne H
AnswerID:
427604
Reply By: wendys - Wednesday, Aug 18, 2010 at 17:51
Wednesday, Aug 18, 2010 at 17:51
Around Karijini, you could be into the storm and bushfire period. It is getting very hot - towards 40 by then. Localized thunder and lightning storms happen - that is how the bushfires start. These storms can be ferocious. Can be strong winds and especially quite strong very localized willy willys. (I saw one of those, about that period, pick up a 12m x 18m demountable building enough to move it off the piers it was sitting on.)
Kimberley by then will be hot and dusty and streams low. Will have been a lot of leaf drop by "deciduous" trees, so will look rather barren.
AnswerID:
427605
Reply By: get outmore - Wednesday, Aug 18, 2010 at 19:36
Wednesday, Aug 18, 2010 at 19:36
Ive done the NW part of the trip you speak of at that time of year and in alot of ways maybe the best time
nothing like working up a sweat walking the gorges at karajini and plunging into the sensationaol waters down the bottom
the more strenous walks like mt bruce I did early and had no worries
the coast is likely to be hamered by sea breezes keeping things bearable
cant comment on the kimberly part
AnswerID:
427614
Reply By: Member - Warrie (NSW) - Wednesday, Aug 18, 2010 at 21:02
Wednesday, Aug 18, 2010 at 21:02
Hi Mark, have a look at the pix in
Mitchell Falls and then imagine it without the
water. Besides the falls are 1000 km return on gravel roads from
Kununurra and they are not known for their smoothness! Your trip is at least a month too late as per the other posts. It will be a hot, dry and dusty trip inland. Still, travel with the a/c from noon till 4pm to beat the heat and it could be the experience of a lifetime..... W
AnswerID:
427623
Reply By: Member - Marc Luther B (WA) - Wednesday, Aug 18, 2010 at 22:34
Wednesday, Aug 18, 2010 at 22:34
Hi Mark
I live in
Mulan, on the edge of
Lake Gregory in the East Kimberleys. They apparently assume that a certain period of the year is more prolific for cyclones and rain, which in recent years has been incorrect. We have had a lot of rain recently, which is highly unseasonable.
Any time of the year is basically okay, just stay on bitumen during the heavy wet. Even
the Tanami Track doesn't stay wet for long.
Halls Creek is our closest town, and not one that I would recommend anyone to stay at, basically after sundown there is simply nothing there except the local pub.
The heat is not what hurts most people, it is the incredible humidity that does the damage, and that is beaten with plenty of fluid. You would also find a good supply of sandalwood very handy, as it keeps mossies away when burning.
Have a great trip.
Marc
AnswerID:
427640
Reply By: Member - Mark H (WA) - Wednesday, Aug 18, 2010 at 22:41
Wednesday, Aug 18, 2010 at 22:41
Thanks for the feedback everyone, I think i'll delay going to Canada by a few months so we can go up through WA and then down though NT and SA in late April/early May next year.
As i mentioned, I want to do photography and some photos from after the wet look like what i want, rather than a less life expanse of rock and tracks (as picturesque as that is.)
I bought the e-books from the website Fred mentioned which seem like they should be quite helpful in planning the best possible sendoff/last hurrah i can give my beloved Patrol and Australia :)
AnswerID:
427643
Follow Up By: get outmore - Thursday, Aug 19, 2010 at 19:53
Thursday, Aug 19, 2010 at 19:53
to answer the other part of your qustion early summer late spring is more than likely to be the driest part of the year, doesnt mean everything is dead and flowers like the mulla mullas may be around but all things being equal it should be pretty dry
alot depends on weather we get a decent cyclone season this year. As marc says its been dismal the last few summers and pastoralists that rely on cyclones are really hurting as an example the gascoyne hasnt flowed for 2 years
FollowupID:
698411
Reply By: Muntoo - Thursday, Aug 19, 2010 at 02:26
Thursday, Aug 19, 2010 at 02:26
The best time to see the
Kimberley is in the wet mate. From January to March with January being my favourite. Around
Wyndham and
Kununurra i name a million
places still accesible and truly awesome for photography. The colours and the amount of
water and wildlife around in the wet is awesome. Its a pity those who come up after the wet think they have seen the
Kimberley. They get to see it when its asleep, not when its in full flight. Lived here up here my whole life, and every wet the scenery still amazes me, and so does the volumes of
water in some
places. The
Ord river and
Fitzroy river in full flood is mindboggling.
AnswerID:
427652