From Morisset to Perth

Leish Hi,
Most of my trips across the Nullabour have been in a caravan. In 2010 returning from the west with a tent, gave up trying to drive tent pegs in & used motels.
Must admit that I was a bit tired of the tent at that stage.
Regards Mike.

Good on ya, Leish, go for it. A quick check says about 4000K..that means about
580Km a day over 7 days...so a fairly solid drive for one that drives a bit..& a bloody
long one for those that dont...you can work that one out...easier if the driving is shared. Go to www.goseeaustralia.com.au...click on the Plan A Trip from the left side menu,Then plot your possible stops...it will show you the distance & times between
places.
You wont need to carry extra fuel, your choice of course. A uhf may provide some
entertainment but is far from essential. These are well travelled roads, again your
choice. You will need to keep a 7 yo entertained..a cheap dvd player might help.
Dont drive at night...leave early & camp early...& ENJOY..cheers.......oldbaz.

From my reading i gather that the ground is very tough, was that the problem you had? my hubby would like to stay in motels along the way but i figure that would get to expensive. and id rather camp anyway! oh that's good to know about the fuel. i might just take one jerry can to be safe. we have our laptops so that should keep my oldest amused. Thanks heaps for your replies. Im a little unsure about the uhf. i really want one but the reasons.are kind of weak. Haha. got a bit of time yet to decide. we aren't planning to drive at night and want to have our tent set up before gets dark. and yeah will probably just leave early morning. are there many out of the way rest stops to stay along the way?

G'day Leish.

Like Barry says, for that time frame for that trip, it will most certainly be a "Driving" holiday, with long days in the saddle.

But you can still make it fun. Some will say you will miss out on so much along the way, but that can wait for another day.

Free camping along the way, being off the road at least half an hour before sunset, and not setting off again until after sunrise is the way to go. Have your smoko's and lunch and quick pit stops on the side of the road, to let the kids, and yourselves, have a run around and stretch. That way, with incorporating your fuel stops, you will have regular breaks, and get to smell/touch/experience some of the outback, even take photos.

Fill your tucker box with food and drinks that are appropriate for "on the go" and long periods within the vehicle. You really shouldn't have need to drive more than 2 hours without a stop, and still accomplish a 10 or 12 hour day, especially at that time of year. Plan ahead. Research your route, and you will begin to anticipate landmarks, and look forward to them, keeping things interesting.

Most important of all, if for some reason or other you get behind schedule, don't "Overdrive" yourselves to get there. That's when things can go pear shape.

Good luck with it folk, and enjoy :-)

Fred

only five days? That will be an adventure, but I'm thinking not a very nice one...

Hi Leish

Can you extend your time frame so yo can take each day as it comes? You will know best how your children will travel, but i would expect to need short days with plenty of free time for them. We went from the SW of WA (direct short cut to Norseman) to Bundaberg when we purchased our caravan in four days, returning in five to allow for a few stops and a rare photo. All these days involved getting up when it was still quite dark to leave at first light, and stopping when it got dark. Lunch was made on a tray on my lap without even stopping. It was exhausting.

UHF highly recommended to keep in touch with the trucks and traffic. Even hand helds will be better than none.

Motherhen

I was thinking of about 7 days. We aren't in any real rush, but figured a week would be enough time to get across as well as check out a few sights along the way. I think we'll stop for food. that ways the kids can stretch while we pull it together.

Hi yes the ground can be very hard in places take a battery drill with a reasonable length drill bit so you can drill a hole in the ground for the tent pegs it will save a lot of heart ache Also make sure your tent and equipment is very easy to set up as after a long drive especially with kids tempers can flare with awkward equipment spoiling what would normally be a very relaxing time of the day I have not personally stayed in the motels along the Nullarbor but have been led to believe they are not too good also it means having to reach a certain point rather than just the ability to stop at the next rest area when tired

have a great trip
Steve

Leish_88, there are quite a few free camps across the Nullabor,no problems there. The Camps 6 Book is a great travel guide for free and low budget camping, the book is available on this site, a must if you're planning a camping holiday. Enjoy your holiday and good for you getting out there.......

Cheers

D

It can be pretty hot in December in a tent if you aren't used to it. In that case we use a very light one and don't put the cover on. A few little fans on batteries help as well. Cheers