Road conditions in March in North Australia

Hi Richard, The roads are all sealed on hiway #1 but as most do, they deveate down here and up there. I have travelled all Australia by 2wd seen some dirt, Sand& gravel roads/tracks. Take a good jack and a base to lift the car out of bogs. Also a uhf radio will be helpfull. PLENTY of WATER. and most of all a spirit of adventure and you'll have the time of your life.Have 4WD will Explore

You may have to wait at some of the floodways, otherwise should be no problem.
Keep a listen out for potential cyclonesKing Edward River, Mitchell Plateau
VKS-737, ch 2, sel. 2131

How bad is the rain and the floods in March? March is near the end of the rainseason, if you have a 'normal' rain season, will the Great Northern Highway, Victoria Highway and the Stuart Highway be open for 2wd in March?

Hi Richard,

From Broome to Darwin and you may experience some delays at river crossings if the rivers are in flood. It depends on how active the WET season has been. Normally Northern Australia will receive around 2500mm of rain between November and the end of April. All the places you have mentioned have sealed roads connecting them. Going off the sealed road in March could bring problems. Best thing to do would be to do a search on the Internet on the Road Report for each state that you intend to visit. Enjoy your travels.
Cheers,Willem

Always going somewhere

Nice to see that Port Hedland and Fitzroy Crossing are high on your list of places to see. ROTFL.

Richard,

As others have said, in March you will most likely encounter some flooding over the road between Broome and Darwin. The degree of flooding will depend on the the wet season. Every year is different to the next but locals up north are all predicting a big wet this year. March is towards the end of the wet season but by no means is it the end. Heavy rains can still fall through March, April and even early May. You would need to approach your journey with a flexible attitude and extra supplies on board in case you get stuck for a day or more.

An example of what can happen - In late March 1999, we set off from from Darwin to Perth along the Great Northern Hwy. For all intents and purposes the wet season looked like it had all but finished, then whilst we were killing time in Kununurra a late season cylcone formed off the coast, dumping rain right across the Kimberley before wiping out Onslow and Exmouth about halfway down the WA coast. By the time we left Kunanurra it was early April and we encountered localised flooding all the way from Kununurra to the Lyndon River halfway down the coast. We were driving a 4WD with a snorkel so none of it stopped out progress along the sealed highway but in a 2WD I suspect we would have spent some time waiting for the water to recede.

:o) Melissa

:o) MelissaPetrol 4.5L GU Patrol &
Camprite TL8 offroad camper

Hi Richard, Stop worrying and just start out from Melbourne with a stout heart. Make sure that you talk to the local people all along the way and you will find out all that you need to know, and met some beaut people as well.