Newbie, 75 yr-old female. I would like to take my little van to Kununurra from Freo in August. Any tips on camp stops, or general advice would be welcome. Travelling in AWD Rav4, towing Jpod Outback.
Ozzie_Traveller said
05:38 PM May 30, 2022
G'day Newbie
And Welcome to the world of outback travelling !
We were in WA for 6-months about 5 yrs ago and came away with heaps of good photos and lots of good & not-so-good memories
Firstly- the excellent highway from Perth to Kununurra has plenty of Dept Main Roads stopping points - all have 72hrs max stopping, the vast majority have toilets of some sort plus dump points plus free WiFi ... all paid for by the minerals royalties paid to the WA government
Caravan parks along the way come in all shapes and sizes - and price brackets. We were not impressed with $84 per night at one place - and we departed
The big "problem" in WA is that the state gov't has never rescinded the 50yr old laws that state "no camping is allowed within 50km of a registered caravan park". If ... yes "if" a local council wishes to over-rule that, they can make their own distance - and some have changed it to 20km. Big deal
One place I would strongly recommend to you is Keep River NP and also the Zebra Rock mine / cattle station, both on the WA / NT border just outside Kununurra. The NP is a wonderful place to visit and walk around. They have 2 campgrounds, one allows generators, the other refuses generators. The Zebra rock place has boat excursions into Lake Argyle, both daytime for fishing and evening for the "good ole sunset with champers etc plus looking at the wildlife"
Inland places like Marble Bar + Karajini + others are all worth a visit too. All the roads are excellent, made for the mining company vehicles so you should not have any issues there. The costs of engine servicing your vehicle will be 50% higher than in Perth, so get as much done before leaving home
Hope this helps
Phil
elliemike said
07:02 PM May 30, 2022
ChrisE wrote:
Newbie, 75 yr-old female. I would like to take my little van to Kununurra from Freo in August. Any tips on camp stops, or general advice would be welcome. Travelling in AWD Rav4, towing Jpod Outback.
Have you got Camps 11 or older .
Also The APP Wiki Camps. You will find all the info you need on either of those.
Wiki Camps also includes Recent remarks by campers and photos of the Free Camps and also Caravan Parks.
I would also recommend carrying a handheld radio. Learning how to talk to Truck Drivers, and wide load Pilots, on the road who appreciate your communication to them.
When trucks get behind a Caravan, "they" like to know, "you realise" that they are behind you, and then they can let you know when they are going to come around you.
Asking the Wide Load Pilot "What's your width Pilot" ! they will reply with the width of the load. Say Six metres and you know you need to pull over or even get off the seal.
-- Edited by elliemike on Monday 30th of May 2022 07:15:19 PM
Its fantastic trip and Im sure youll have a great time. As has been suggested get WikiCamps & Camps apps and spend some time researching on it. There are rest areas everywhere but we have a few faves, starting at Nerren Nerren, Robe Bush Camp, Yule River, Larrawa Station. Hope these help out.
-- Edited by Ger08 on Tuesday 31st of May 2022 07:45:55 AM
And Welcome to the world of outback travelling !
We were in WA for 6-months about 5 yrs ago and came away with heaps of good photos and lots of good & not-so-good memories
Firstly- the excellent highway from Perth to Kununurra has plenty of Dept Main Roads stopping points - all have 72hrs max stopping, the vast majority have toilets of some sort plus dump points plus free WiFi ... all paid for by the minerals royalties paid to the WA government
Caravan parks along the way come in all shapes and sizes - and price brackets. We were not impressed with $84 per night at one place - and we departed
The big "problem" in WA is that the state gov't has never rescinded the 50yr old laws that state "no camping is allowed within 50km of a registered caravan park". If ... yes "if" a local council wishes to over-rule that, they can make their own distance - and some have changed it to 20km. Big deal
One place I would strongly recommend to you is Keep River NP and also the Zebra Rock mine / cattle station, both on the WA / NT border just outside Kununurra. The NP is a wonderful place to visit and walk around. They have 2 campgrounds, one allows generators, the other refuses generators. The Zebra rock place has boat excursions into Lake Argyle, both daytime for fishing and evening for the "good ole sunset with champers etc plus looking at the wildlife"
Inland places like Marble Bar + Karajini + others are all worth a visit too. All the roads are excellent, made for the mining company vehicles so you should not have any issues there. The costs of engine servicing your vehicle will be 50% higher than in Perth, so get as much done before leaving home
Hope this helps
Phil
Have you got Camps 11 or older .
Also The APP Wiki Camps. You will find all the info you need on either of those.
Wiki Camps also includes Recent remarks by campers and photos of the Free Camps and also Caravan Parks.
I would also recommend carrying a handheld radio. Learning how to talk to Truck Drivers, and wide load Pilots, on the road who appreciate your communication to them.
When trucks get behind a Caravan, "they" like to know, "you realise" that they are behind you, and then they can let you know when they are going to come around you.
Asking the Wide Load Pilot "What's your width Pilot" ! they will reply with the width of the load. Say Six metres and you know you need to pull over or even get off the seal.
-- Edited by elliemike on Monday 30th of May 2022 07:15:19 PM
Its fantastic trip and Im sure youll have a great time. As has been suggested get WikiCamps & Camps apps and spend some time researching on it. There are rest areas everywhere but we have a few faves, starting at Nerren Nerren, Robe Bush Camp, Yule River, Larrawa Station. Hope these help out.
-- Edited by Ger08 on Tuesday 31st of May 2022 07:45:55 AM