Adelaide to Denham, WA - family trip

Thanks everyone for your comments. Looking at getting a tent and trying a weekend at a local caravan park to see how it goes! We would maybe camp half time and use cabins otherwise so hopefully that would work with the weather. Looking at a black wolf tent after some research around here.

With regards to the trip, I had taken your comments on board and thought we would only go as far as Jurien and then return. But a well travelled person has advised me to squeeze in an extra weeks holiday, skip denham and monkey Mia but get up to coral bay. Said its the best place for snorkelling, and also to stop at kalbarri - stunning. Thoughts? I could probably work an extra 7-10 days into the trip to get up that high.

Thanks again.

Hi Tracey,

I think a good way to ruin a long camping trip is to have definite destinations/dates set. Anything can happen to make you want to change your plans as you go along - eg poor weather, tired kids etc. Or you may just find a great spot and want to enjoy it for a bit longer. If you stay flexible you don't have expectations to meet, nor do you put pressure on yourself to get to certain places by a certain time.

I would certainly aim to go north of Jurien to get warmer weather, but would suggest that Denham is well worth a visit just because its different, and I think the kids would enjoy what it has to offer. We were disappointed with Monkey Mia but others have loved it, but there is a lot more to the area that just MM. Have a look at our blogs for 2009.

Coral Bay gets very crowded during the school holidays - dont know whether you can book there. I guess it all depends on what you are looking for and how well prepared you are for camping, but I would suggest that if you set out with an "exploring" mindset you would have an enjoyable time as there is plenty to see up there. And yes, Kalbarri is great but can also be busy.

BTW, setting a definite trip plan with fixed stopping places is a bit different to being well prepared for the trip in terms of vehicle preparation, having the necessary gear etc. IMHO the latter is essential, the former can be a right pain. If you are happy tenting it you will often find that caravan parks can squeeze you in somewhere, whereas they are full as far as fitting more big vans in. So if tenting, don't be too put off by reports of full caravan parks.

Have a great trip,

Cheers,

Val.

I agree with Val. Do take the extra time and keep your travel plans flexabile, except for school holidays ,especially Coral Bay which is very small and crowded.
By the way, the trip to Coral Bay , Cape Range and Karijini , most people do in a 3 week loop from Perth . Kalbari can be windy as any of the coast (especially Jurien ) and at other times the flies are a nightmare but if you can avoid those distractions, you will easily spend a week there visiting the National Parks and tourist attractions . Personally on your time frame Kalbari is as far as I would go as there are lots of interesting places along the way if the weather gods are OK

Hi

Just thought I'd let you know where we are up to now! Have decided to go up to coral bay and use cabins but take about 5 1/2 weeks to do the return trip. We need to book pretty much everything and have it all planned out as we are travelling before, during and after the school holidays. We've done a 6 week trip around NSW and VIC when we only had two kids and they were only 1 and 2 so hopefully it will be a success again!

Our other option which might sound even more ambitious (crazy?) is to get a camper trailer, do the same trip up to coral bay in about 4 weeks but then continue north to broome, over to Darwin then down and across to Queensland, allowing about 8-12 weeks to get to qld from coral bay, visit the Gold Coast for the kids, then mosey on home by late January. Phew! We'd be more flexible with dates on this trip as we'd have our own accommodation.

Just wanted to thank you all for your ideas and comments and see if you have any more! We know its not the best time to head north but sometimes if you have only got one chance to do something, you just need to do it! (I am planning on staying in an air con cabin in Darwin, I'm not that crazy!)

Thanks again.

Tracey,

The camper trailer may be a good way to go, and the far north is great country.......BUT......for us southerners, NOT in the heat of summer and NOT in the buildup to the wet !!! Once the wet arrives your travel can be pretty constrained too. Staying in an air conned cabin in Darwin might sound like the solution, but you won't see much of the country if you can't stand more than a few minutes outside the cabin! And you'll be travelling for weeks in such conditions. The combination of heat and very high humidity will kill the trip, not just take the shine off it.

Sorry.... not a good idea at that time of year.

Cheers

John