Tenting at Karijini

Hi Mark,

We were there last winter and stayed at the campground at Dales Gorge in our caravan for 5 nights.

A group of three female travellers pulled into the site next to us and tried to set up small tents. After some time my husband went to assist with hammering the tent pegs in and had to use bigger pegs to try to start a hole to get them in. They and he weren't all that successful and he is quite a strong person.

Not sure what kind of tent pegs they had however they ended up using a few large rocks which were lying around to try to hold the tents in place and luckily didnt have any strong winds in the few days they were there.

Good luck. It is a beautiful place and well worth visiting - lots ot see and plenty of walks.

Regards,

Heather

It's the Pibara Mark so it's pretty rocky but you're not on a slab of the stuff. You might bend one or two but you'll get them in. I've tented right across it with little or no issues. The camp ground areas at Dales present no problems for tenting.


Cheers Mick

Hi Boeing

Take a drill and bit, pre drill the holes.
I have not done it but my neighbour was there a couple of months ago and said it worked a treat.

Cheers
Simon.

Hi Mark - I camped with a friend at the Eco Tourist Resort at Karijini a couple of years ago during May - we had a big Dome tent with those interior frames and simply used rocks inside a couple of calico bags on 2 corners to keep the tent in place! It was not windy at all, so no problem. And with bedding and our gear inside as well, the tent was going nowhere!

My husband and I have an Oztent RV4 and that kind of tent would also happily support itself without the need for being pegged in areas with hard ground.

As someone else mentioned, this is an extraordinarily beautiful part of the world, not to be missed! Be sure to visit the stunning Kalamina Gorge.... amazing!

Have a wonderful trip! Oh, and the food is great at the Eco Restaurant! ;)

Cheers,
Anne-Marie

Short pegs are the trick in hard clays like the Pilbara.

I have set up my tent a number of times in these camp grounds. All you need is good quality heavy duty pegs with a point on the en.. Sometimes you may hit a nasty rock underneath, just change the angle of the peg and you'll get around it. Basically the pegs that come with the cheaper tents aren't any good there, they're thin and have a blunt end. I found that the pegs that came with the oztent were fine. With that sun beating down on your back, you'll quickly learn to use the hammer to get the job finished as soon as you can!

Gday there

Such a great spot hope ya have a absailing ticket.

I agree with kingswood. I went through a heap of pegs in the start but found the best thing is to make some stumpys. Get a nice peg and a grinder. Cut the peg short and put a sweet point and a good hammer. Ive now got a set of soft ground, hard ground and sand pegs.

Enjoy this amazing place.

Try 6" nails or spikes. Tough as old boots.

We were there in 2008, didn't use pegs in the camper trailer, we just put our clothes bags (which were quite heavy) in the corners and that did the trick.


cheers Laurie

Hi Boeing

I was there last year and would love to get back there soon.
Remember that Dingo's are all over that area and they are not scared to come in very close even during the day while people are around.

Make sure you don't give them any reason to get into your tent, otherwise you will come back to a big mess. I have seen this a few times now.

have a great trip.

Wato

At Dales gorge there are areas more suitable for tents, the rocks are a bit softer.
We camp host up there regularly and find most people get their pegs in albeit harder work than the beach. There are sites that are easier than other so don't abuse the camp host or they will smile and give you a difficult site. Make sure you close up the tent every time you leave it or the dingos will be in for a party.

It is a great place so enjoy.

Neil

Hammer the peg in as much as possible.

Wet the area around the peg, don't need much water, just to soften up the ground a bit.

Drive the peg in a bit more.

Repeat as necessary.

We were at Dales in September and that's how we got the pegs in that would not go in easily.

Cheers
Ross

Thanks everyone for your replys. As usual the forum is a wealth of information.

Kind Regards

Mark

You can purchase hi tensile tent pegs for $2.50 each. Had no trouble there last year.

Hi Mark,

Magnificent place. Stay for a few days if possible.

We had no problem with pegs but it was COLD at night. Hope you've got decent sleeping bags, even so, wear a beanie!

Enjoy,
Min

Can I suggest that you toss whatever pegs came with your tent and buy yourself a dozen or so Hillbilly high tensile pegs. Mate these up with a 3 lb hammer and the Karajini campsites will be no match for them. Spent a number of weeks in the area in winter of last year and found I was able to easily drive these pegs into any of the surfaces I came across.

Just a word of caution...........I reckon I spent some of the coldest nights I've ever experienced in my life in Karajini in July......so make sure you have good warm bedding.

Thanks again for the reply's.... I have noted to take a box of chocolates for the camp hosts and plenty of warm clothing!!

Regards

Mark