Trip planning Vic, NSW, SA 3 week trip. Help please!

Submitted: Thursday, Nov 10, 2011 at 10:44
ThreadID: 90008 Views:4246 Replies:5 FollowUps:2
This Thread has been Archived
Hi, we are planning a 3 week trip just before Christmas and very much hoping that many of the spots we visit will be still quiet and we can enjoy exploring new areas and having a few laughs along the way. Just the 2 of us, so no kids or dogs to plan for at this stage. The trouble is that almost all of the places we are planning to go we have never experienced before from a camping perspective and mostly will be completely new to us.

Our favourite type of camping is ideally self-sufficient as we don’t need any facilities; we like to be able to have a camp fire and somewhere near some water ideally for a swim is always good ( presuming weather will also be getting quite hot also). We are also trying to find the right balance of doing a bit to get a sense of the places but not moving around too much (every 2 or preferably 3 days) and we are towing a camper trailer that is off road capable so preferably no caravan parks for us. When we get somewhere we tend not to drive around too much (it might be a bit different this time as we have never been to these places before) but rather enjoy the place we are, hopefully fish and do some walking around and just relax. We are always interested in good local food and specialities including wine (have plenty of beer in the fridge) and happy to stop at a few places between destinations to check whatever out.

At this stage I have simply grabbed a map and gone, this looks about right for a distance and attractions perspective (mainly landmarks that I recognised the names of and had heard things about over the years) but we have no local knowledge at all so it could that I am barking up the wrong tree so please feel free to suggest alternatives, different route etc. By the way we are not hung up on National Parks , they just stood out on the map. Draft itinerary looks like this at the moment but it needs help:

VIC: Kyabram (visit family)

NSW: Mungo National Park and Kinchega National Park, Broken Hill (for supplies and a bit of a look)

SA: Flinders Ranges National Park, Port Broughton (or nearby for beach and fishing), Clare (food & wine), Victor Harbor, Robe, Carpenter Rocks (all for beach and fishing or wherever we find)

VIC: Nelson (or nearby for beach and fishing) and Dunkeld last stop on the way home and hopefully there is a surprise waiting for the better half.

We have air compressor and some recovery gear (no winch) and will be travelling by ourselves, so unless we make friends along the way we don’t want to do anything to extreme as off road goes as we will likely have to wait until someone comes along for tow. Thanks in advance for any assistance.
Back Expand Un-Read 0 Moderator

Reply By: Sam39 - Thursday, Nov 10, 2011 at 10:47

Thursday, Nov 10, 2011 at 10:47
Can't believe I forgot to mention that good pub stops are always welcomed ;-)
AnswerID: 469621

Reply By: Member - John and Val - Thursday, Nov 10, 2011 at 12:22

Thursday, Nov 10, 2011 at 12:22
At that time of year Mungo and Kinchega will be hot, and you do realise that there is no water in Lake Mungo? Maybe if you are looking for some water the Menindee Lakes and the Hattah Kulkyne NPs would be a suitable alternative. The Grampians would probably be good too.

Not sure where you are based but the south coast of NSW is usually quiet before Christmas, and the Koscuisko NP would also be attractive then.

Cheers,

Val.
J and V
"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
- Albert Einstein

Lifetime Member
My Profile  My Blog  Send Message

AnswerID: 469630

Follow Up By: Sam39 - Thursday, Nov 10, 2011 at 14:00

Thursday, Nov 10, 2011 at 14:00
Thanks, will have a look into Menindee Lakes as water is important to us.
I was thinking there there might be some water in the lakes given the amount of rain but maybe its didn't get to that area or its gone by now. Either way we will move reasonably quickly through the more Northern part of the trip if its to hot and gradually make our way south hopefully for some cooler weather.

We are based in Melbourne, we were originally thinking south coast of NSW but we have been camped around the there a few times and we thought we might just try something different and go a different direction as we have a bit more time. That's why we are hoping for some guidance as we don't have many clues about the area.

Looking at the map a bit more maybe another idea might be to make our way down to Marion Bay, across to Kangaroo Island and Victor Harbour via can ferries presuming they exist of course. I am very much hoping we get some inspiration from the vast body of knowledge on this forum.
0
FollowupID: 744062

Follow Up By: tinbutterfly - Thursday, Nov 10, 2011 at 21:41

Thursday, Nov 10, 2011 at 21:41
I would definitely go down to Marion Bay rather than Port Broughton (I am not a fan), it is a magnificent spot and there are good private camping spots in the Innes national park :). Marion Bay is quite a bit further though, other towns around the peninsula are very pretty Port Vincent or Point Turton but you would prob need to stay in caravan parks. Some great fishing spots in Innes including Browns beach which is well worth a visit and Dolphin Beach if you would like the possibility of seeing dolphins as well as fish :)). you would need to drive to these spots although there is some NP campsites nearby.
0
FollowupID: 744123

Reply By: the_fitzroys - Thursday, Nov 10, 2011 at 15:47

Thursday, Nov 10, 2011 at 15:47
As Val suggests it really will be hot at Kinchega and Mungo at that time. And yes, no water at Mungo. It's an ancient lake bed and no longer holds water. Worth checking those things as not every "lake" marked on maps holds water these days. There certainly is a lot of casual water around in that neck of the woods at the moment but nothing that would satisfy a desire to fish or rest by.
We're just back from Murray Kulkyne/Hattah Kulkyne and the sites on the river are gorgeous, more so at the southern tip of the park from the Boiler up to Fireman's Bend.
Sounds like a great trip. Have fun.
Lou
AnswerID: 469649

Reply By: tinbutterfly - Thursday, Nov 10, 2011 at 21:53

Thursday, Nov 10, 2011 at 21:53
I have travelled quite a bit in SA & we often chase good fishing spots (i prefer a book on the beach haha) ... I mentioned Marion Bay earlier - i would aim for there if you have time.

Flinders ranges is very pretty but enormous. certainly lots of quiet camping spots available. School holidays do not start until near Christmas so it should be reasonably quiet. Wilpena pound is a busy spot but beautiful (caravan park), lots of well set out walks around the area that are well worth the effort, the highest of these is Mt Mary. You can easily spend a week in Wilpena without driving out of the area, great shop that sells everything. one of my favourite spots.

Clare is a small country town, very pretty and lots of wine.

the temperature around these areas should be reasonably warm although many Decembers can be cool.

When you head south down to Victor Harbor the weather will be cooler. Victor has lots of things to do and see not least of those is Granite Island and the fairy penguins. The pubs in Victor are all great eating / drinking spots and are usually full of locals and tourists.

to get to Kangaroo Island you need to head over to Cape Jarvis to catch the ferry (it is quite expensive) but KI is a beautiful island. The seals are worth a visit by themselves. There is quite a lot of bush camping available again in the NP. My other half is sitting next to me saying that there is great fishing at Cape Jarvis too.

I dont know Robe well but again I am told the fishing there is reasonable... if you are aiming for Nelson it would be the best direction, however the caves inNaracoorte or the Blue Lake in Mount Gambier are all well worth a visit.

cheers Tina
AnswerID: 469690

Reply By: Sam39 - Friday, Nov 11, 2011 at 11:16

Friday, Nov 11, 2011 at 11:16
Thanks for all the information, its really helpful.
Will most likely do the extra yards to get to Marion Bay to spot those Dolphins ;-)
Any suggestions for coastal camping:
- between Wilpena Pound and Marion Bay
- between Victor Harbor and Robe
AnswerID: 469741

Sponsored Links

Popular Products (9)