We are toying with the idea of going to Karumba early next year.Is it a good or bad time to go in Feb/march?We would appreciate your opinions.The Falcon and Penguin will be our travel means.Fuel is not a problem as we have found out that if we travel short distances i.e pub to pub etc.we can manage quite nicely.Just joking,no drink driving.Thanks for any info..

of course that is the wet season as you would know but we have done it years ago and it is fantastic, just remember that road closures are going to be everywhere and a lot of out of the way places will be closed, the humidity can be a bit harsh just before the afternoon downpoar but to see the waterfalls in the area in full flight is simply stunning, karumba in itself is a great little spot but just phone ahead to find out if the road is open, a little downpoar can seal you in or out for a week, just keep that in mind

Thanks Davo,just the kind of info we are looking for.You just cannot beat other folks experience.Cheers ibbo.

no worries martin, just carry plenty of spares and test each crossing before attempting it, camp high and clear, remember the snapping handbags, fuel should be readily available on main roads through normanton and cloncurry, watch the sandflies and midges, mosquitos by the beach are a mongrel, take your time dont rush any of it, enjoy the trip, destination is not the important bit, the memories are, all the tableland country is spectacular, make sure you get photos of the gulflander (if it is still running ) for Basil

Hey Davo,you say dont worry........well apart from the sand flies,midges mossies,bloody crocodiles and a Beast called the Gulfllander we are looking forwards to our (expedition).Although I see that it is probably the wrong time of the year to be heading that way.By the way Davo sorry I have missed the 06 from your signature(A bit close to Kevin 07).just joking mate.cheers ibbo.

martin anytime is a great time to visit Karumba, with a little preperation and information, and plenty of insect repellant (as is usual in the tropics) preperation is the key whilst not being that isolated anymore one can still run in to trouble just be aware not afraid, crocs watch habits, vary your tracks to the water, camp in the open so that you have a clearing around you, and away from the waters edge, I really dont think there is a "wrong time" to go anywhere, the sheet lightning is absolutely amazing and the rain just absolutely buckets down by the ton, I seen 2 inches in less than twenty minutes, and it's all gone in half an hour, the waterfalls in the area are absolutely fantastic, all in all a great trip awaits but as I keep on saying preperation, preperation, preperation, dont be another statistic, the 06 is a leftover from my email, as this is the only forum I belong to and contribute to I was not aware that one could put whatever on as their name, I didnt even know about the text shorcuts, these forums can get over run by one or two people and of course the "experts" come in and ruin them for everyone. this one, so far, is the only one that I have seen where there is "genuine" conversation and ALL opinions are not only welcomed but encouraged, there is sound knowledge in here as well as experience and good humour, I have studied other forums and keep seeing the same names pop up in quite a few, this one so far is still quite good, it tends to be a little bit silly at times but it has corrected itself, but I would like a bit more input from others as it seems my name is everywhere and I dont want to take over the forum as is the case in others, I am a "GURU" simply because I like to talk, not because I hold all knowledge, far from it, and my answers are a little bit long winded, but I want to encourage others (solo and couples) to just plain talk, not "ask a question get an answer " rubbish but actually TALK after all thats what we do isnt it

Dave thanks for a most entertaing and informative reply.I agree with your sentiments 100%.I must say that you have certainly given us much encouragement and advice.We are looking forward to our trip even more.I do carry some important spares for the ford and I will also be taking wheel bearings etc for the Penguin.I am of a mechanical nature and usually work out a way around any problem that comes along(hopefully).As for the wildlife,well having spent my youth living in Liverpool U.K I will get by.LOL.Cheers.Ibbo

with that attitude mate, you cant fail, I really hope you enjoy the trip to its utmost potential, dont hurry savour every moment, time is your freind not your enemy, fantastic country, take your time

Strewth the optimism shown by some on this forum inspires me. I'd never venture to that part of the world in the WET.... Take plenty of tinea powder, mossie repellant and WD40.....
Bon Chance

Gee Basil,you are starting to make me feel like a pommie on a pushbike in a lion Park.All of a sudden a change of plans could occur,perhaps Tassie instead.Seriously we do listen to more seasoned travellers and digest any advice or ideas.At this stage we will play it by ear and make enquiries about weather conditions etc up north.If we find that it is not safe or practical to make the trip well our options are vast in this huge country.Time is not going to be a factor in our plans as we just aim to meander from place to place.The glory of this forum is that there are so many G/Ns who willingly pass on their experiences and advice without fear or favour.We are happy to be amongst"The Crowd".Cheers Ibbo.

ibbo wrote:

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Gee Basil,you are starting to make me feel like a pommie on a pushbike in a lion Park.All of a sudden a change of plans could occur,perhaps Tassie instead.Seriously we do listen to more seasoned travellers and digest any advice or ideas.At this stage we will play it by ear and make enquiries about weather conditions etc up north.If we find that it is not safe or practical to make the trip well our options are vast in this huge country.Time is not going to be a factor in our plans as we just aim to meander from place to place.The glory of this forum is that there are so many G/Ns who willingly pass on their experiences and advice without fear or favour.We are happy to be amongst"The Crowd".Cheers Ibbo.

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Tassie in Summer is a far more realistic idea.....Still may see snow on the higher peaks and the flies will be out in force but you wont be stranded by torrential tropical rain...

Tassie is indeed a beautiful place.We lived on the NW coast some years back.Stark and quiet,snow,noisy Devils,wallabies,Boags beer,no tv.At the time I was working in a tin and copper mine at Luina a mining town90klms from Burnie and a million miles from city life.I remember Christmas Day at Waratah pub,snowing,and white ****atoos on the beer garden fence,it was quite eerie.We found old mining towns hidden away in the bush that were treasure troves of old bottles,crockery,tools etc.All the time we lived in Luina we did not need a fridge,just left milk,butter etc on a shelf in the porch .My sister lives at Ross,a beautiful town full of history.Tassie is certainly a state not to be missed.Cheers Ibbo ,,

Oh dear,I didnt mean to say****atoo,Imeant noisy white birds with yellow crests.I live and learn.

yeah tassie is a lot easier option, we did the karumba trip in 82 in the wet, and as I stated you have to allow more time for the crossings to go down could be a day could be a week, the little critters are more active and so allow more protection, crocs come a bit closer as its there sexy cycle or whatever, we loved absolutely every second of it, except the build up humidity before the afternoon rain, it was, to say the least, extreme, the sheet lightning and the way the rain just buckets out of the sky is amazing and most of it is gone within an hour, but we have also been to the kimberleys in the wet, same thing, I wouldnt advocate going somewhere unless I had already done it myself, if you are not a seasoned traveller and you do not prepare then dont take the trip. we found it absolutely glorious, we travelled from pirie to broken hill to nyngan to bourke - charlieville - longreach- cloncurry - normanton - karumba - mt isa to three ways and back down the centre, with a lot of detours in between to various water falls and places of interest, we had to wait a few times at different crossings but there was always a camp nearby as this is a common occurance, people ask if it can be done and IF I HAVE DONE IT I say yes WITH PREPERATION, and precautions. we have travelled to the mighty cooper via the strzelecki in peek summer, fantastic but without the preperation YOU WILL DIE!!! and people have, dont sell it short, prepare for the area you are going in to and with most cases you should be ok, if you have doubts DONT DO IT!!!

Hello Dave.I guess you are spot with your advice,maybe for me it should be learn to crawl before walking.looking back on our original plan I can now see that it was to far reaching for a first up long trip considering the weather conditions etc.it will now be a trip to look forward to later on in the year.2009.Cheers Ibbo.

dave06 wrote:

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as its there sexy cycle or whatever,

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Hmmmmm Ok so you can say sexy but you cant's say some of the relativley innane words in our vocabulary... It's those god damned Yankees I tell you...

martin as with anything, you did the right thing, you sought advice, now I'm the first to say that some of our trips have, well lets just say stretched our capabilities, but thats us, we have seen a lot of out of the way places and we have log books and photos and film by the score and enough memories to fill a freight train full of road trains, but I dont advocate you doing the same thing, I advise you make up your own mind, if its comfort and safety at all times that you want then stick with what you know, but stretch yourself just a little every now and then, baby steps, mate, baby steps, I've said it before, time is not your enemy, we went and we enjoyed it dont mean to say you will, we grew up with colonel les hiddens and malcolm douglas they were my heroes, I worked out in mines on big machinery, being alone or stranded for a little while doesnt bother me, people die because they do something stupid and as simple as leaving the car on breakdown, little things get you, but most of all it is mindset, think you are doomed and straight away you are doomed

-- Edited by dave06 at 14:31, 2008-10-31