My name is Terry Nathan (Hi NAT), with my wife Liliane I live in Suffolk, UK and will be visiting Australia from 4 December 2013 for three months, arriving into and departing from Sydney, and renting a motorhome from Maui. Our proposed route: Sydney - Brisbane - Cairns (for Christmas) - Mt Isa - Longreach - Cobar - Adelaide - Melbourne - Tasmania - Melbourne - Sydney. We've done the route from Adelaide - Melbourne - Sydney in a motorhome in previous years, and visited Tasmania too.
We would like advice about any very special places to stop at on the way north from Sydney to Cairns, and even more particularly, from Cairns to Mt Isa, and from there the journey south. We understand a little about December being a bad time of year in the north (cyclones), but those are the dates we have to live with.
It is likely we'd be in/around Mt Isa for New Year - any recommendations about things to do and campgrounds more than welcome.
Thank you, we're looking forward to being back.
Terry
Baz421 said
03:37 AM Sep 13, 2013
Are you looking for attractions, free camps, parks or caravan a parks Terry?
hako said
04:33 AM Sep 13, 2013
As Baz421 says, it depends on what attracts you - is it beaches, bright lights, markets, aboriginal history, native animals, zoos, early settlement, the Australian bush or what. Inland or coastal. By the way, I don't understand your byline
copper1 said
04:44 AM Sep 13, 2013
Hi NAT, welcome to the forum well if you are travelling to escape the pommy winter you are coming to the right place. certainly hope you have air con in the camper as you will need it up north, especially Cairns Humid, Humid, Humid LOL. Anyway Mt Isa for New years we were there in April this year 35 Deg days stayed at the big 4 which was $34 p/n then. Can recommend the Buffs Club for as meal and Drinks you will get thirsty out there LOL, and a mine tour. Anyway don't know when you will be heading to Tassie but we will be touring around for 7 weeks from 26th Jan so might see you down there.
Welcome to Aussie when you arrive.
nomadic1 said
05:24 AM Sep 13, 2013
Good heavens you're going to do all that in 3 months???? It would take me at least 2 years. Welcome to Australia and welcome to the forum and I hope you have a great trip. You said that you've been here before so I assume you're aware of the distances you're talking about. Rather you than me. Can I assume that you are already familiar with the Camps book (the Grey Nomad's bible). If not you can find it at www.campsaustraliawide.com/.
Hi NAT said
07:02 AM Sep 13, 2013
Thanks Baz, going north from Sydney for us means beaches and towns/people, zoos and nice restaurants, whereas on the way south it will be Outback country, giving us what I hope will be the best of both Australian worlds. Our preferred campgrounds have power and on concrete slabs rather than on grass. Terry
Hi NAT said
07:26 AM Sep 13, 2013
Hi Denis, one of the reasons we love the nomad way of life is that we get to meet lots of different people on a casual basis in lots of different places and environments, some of whom become close friends but mostly 'like ships passing in the night', and for the same reason we live in a small village in East Anglia in UK. The by-line seems to fit with that fairly well!
Whereabouts in Australia are you? Terry
Hi NAT said
07:33 AM Sep 13, 2013
Thanks Nomadic1, and yes, we hope to do all that in three months - around 9000 kms, average 100kms a day, considerably more in the Outback, less when following the coast. We tend to spend half of each year either in our own European motorhome, or renting when outside Europe - this year we spent Jan and Feb in France and Spain, May and June in Austria and Croatia, August in Scotland, and will be in Cornwall for October - and of course the big one, to Sydney on 2 December.
Thanks too for the campaustraliawide website - that will be very useful.
Terry
Hi NAT said
07:40 AM Sep 13, 2013
Hi Copper1, and thanks for the info about Mt Isa - I just looked at the Big4 Argylla campground on the internet - it looks good, and has availability over New Year so I'll book that today. It would be great to meet up in Tasmania - all being well we will take the ship from Melbourne on 8 February. We spent a week on the island about four years ago and fell in love with it, and promised ourselves we'd be back.
Terry
copper1 said
04:30 PM Sep 13, 2013
Hi NAT wrote:
Hi Copper1, and thanks for the info about Mt Isa - I just looked at the Big4 Argylla campground on the internet - it looks good, and has availability over New Year so I'll book that today. It would be great to meet up in Tasmania - all being well we will take the ship from Melbourne on 8 February. We spent a week on the island about four years ago and fell in love with it, and promised ourselves we'd be back.
Terry
Terry yes mate drop me a line via the site when you make Tassie, and we will se if our paths can cross.
Garry
neilnruth said
04:45 PM Sep 13, 2013
Hello Hi NAT. Welcome to the forum. Hope you have booked your passage over and back on the Spirit of Tasmania. It's not like the ferry to Isle of Wight. You have to get in early and know how big/long your motorhome is. You can do it on line. In regards to your travel plans - you might find that you will have to travel more than 100kms to get from one town to the next. We usually find between 300 and 400km is a good day's trip. 9000kms doesn't sound enough for the places you have planned on visiting. Hope you enjoy the whole trip as much as we Australian Nomads do.
I've just put in your destinations on distancesCalc.com and it comes up with 9485km. That doesn't take into account all the extra kms in each town. I also note that it says it would take 1 day and 4 hours to drive from Sydney to Cairns. A bit optimistic. Glad to see you plan on taking longer than that!
All the best with your planning. Sounds like you enjoy the motorhome experience.
-- Edited by neilnruth on Friday 13th of September 2013 04:55:40 PM
Hi NAT said
04:45 PM Sep 13, 2013
OK Garry, we'll be sure to do that. Thanks for the interest this morning. Terry
Jay-Jay said
08:32 PM Sep 13, 2013
Hi Folks, Been to Mt Isa recently and was very impressed visiting their underground hospital... a must-see... also their museum at their tourist info office.... Jay-Jay
Hi NAT said
08:18 AM Sep 14, 2013
Hello NeilRuth, thanks for taking the time to answer, and also for the reminder to book the Tasmania ferry - I'll do that this afternoon. I had calculated the distances using mynrma.com, which gave me 8466kms, but perhaps I should do it again.
Whereabouts in Australia are you? Terry
grill n chill said
01:36 PM Sep 14, 2013
Howdy
Here is a link that may be handy for you that gives official max, min temperature and rainfall statistic by area. Just click on a blue dot or type in the name of the location. I am not famous at adding links, hopefully some else will help out if it fails.
Select the section then the item of interest & with a left click the appropriate website will become active.
Section "39.Overseas" like your self, is becoming very popular overseas travellers.
Any further assistance you may require, my contact is on each page.
Cheers
Gorm
neilnruth said
10:59 PM Sep 14, 2013
Hi NAT I have PMd you.
Hi NAT said
01:40 AM Sep 15, 2013
Thanks neilnruth, I've replied. Terry
Hi NAT said
05:30 AM Sep 17, 2013
Thank you Gorm, the Touring Kits website contains a real wealth of information, and will provide answers to so many of our questions and research. Really great. Terry
Hi NAT said
05:44 AM Sep 17, 2013
Thanks for the url - it does exactly what it's supposed to, so your download skills are clearly exemplary. I've downloaded it, it will travel with us. Terry
Hi everyone,
My name is Terry Nathan (Hi NAT), with my wife Liliane I live in Suffolk, UK and will be visiting Australia from 4 December 2013 for three months, arriving into and departing from Sydney, and renting a motorhome from Maui. Our proposed route: Sydney - Brisbane - Cairns (for Christmas) - Mt Isa - Longreach - Cobar - Adelaide - Melbourne - Tasmania - Melbourne - Sydney. We've done the route from Adelaide - Melbourne - Sydney in a motorhome in previous years, and visited Tasmania too.
We would like advice about any very special places to stop at on the way north from Sydney to Cairns, and even more particularly, from Cairns to Mt Isa, and from there the journey south. We understand a little about December being a bad time of year in the north (cyclones), but those are the dates we have to live with.
It is likely we'd be in/around Mt Isa for New Year - any recommendations about things to do and campgrounds more than welcome.
Thank you, we're looking forward to being back.
Terry
Are you looking for attractions, free camps, parks or caravan a parks Terry?
As Baz421 says, it depends on what attracts you - is it beaches, bright lights, markets, aboriginal history, native animals, zoos, early settlement, the Australian bush or what. Inland or coastal.
By the way, I don't understand your byline
Hi NAT, welcome to the forum well if you are travelling to escape the pommy winter you are coming to the right place. certainly hope you have air con in the camper as you will need it up north, especially Cairns Humid, Humid, Humid LOL. Anyway Mt Isa for New years we were there in April this year 35 Deg days stayed at the big 4 which was $34 p/n then. Can recommend the Buffs Club for as meal and Drinks you will get thirsty out there LOL, and a mine tour. Anyway don't know when you will be heading to Tassie but we will be touring around for 7 weeks from 26th Jan so might see you down there.
Welcome to Aussie when you arrive.
Thanks Baz, going north from Sydney for us means beaches and towns/people, zoos and nice restaurants, whereas on the way south it will be Outback country, giving us what I hope will be the best of both Australian worlds. Our preferred campgrounds have power and on concrete slabs rather than on grass. Terry
Hi Denis, one of the reasons we love the nomad way of life is that we get to meet lots of different people on a casual basis in lots of different places and environments, some of whom become close friends but mostly 'like ships passing in the night', and for the same reason we live in a small village in East Anglia in UK. The by-line seems to fit with that fairly well!
Whereabouts in Australia are you?
Terry
Thanks Nomadic1, and yes, we hope to do all that in three months - around 9000 kms, average 100kms a day, considerably more in the Outback, less when following the coast. We tend to spend half of each year either in our own European motorhome, or renting when outside Europe - this year we spent Jan and Feb in France and Spain, May and June in Austria and Croatia, August in Scotland, and will be in Cornwall for October - and of course the big one, to Sydney on 2 December.
Thanks too for the campaustraliawide website - that will be very useful.
Terry
Hi Copper1, and thanks for the info about Mt Isa - I just looked at the Big4 Argylla campground on the internet - it looks good, and has availability over New Year so I'll book that today. It would be great to meet up in Tasmania - all being well we will take the ship from Melbourne on 8 February. We spent a week on the island about four years ago and fell in love with it, and promised ourselves we'd be back.
Terry
Terry yes mate drop me a line via the site when you make Tassie, and we will se if our paths can cross.
Garry
Hello Hi NAT. Welcome to the forum. Hope you have booked your passage over and back on the Spirit of Tasmania. It's not like the ferry to Isle of Wight. You have to get in early and know how big/long your motorhome is. You can do it on line. In regards to your travel plans - you might find that you will have to travel more than 100kms to get from one town to the next. We usually find between 300 and 400km is a good day's trip. 9000kms doesn't sound enough for the places you have planned on visiting. Hope you enjoy the whole trip as much as we Australian Nomads do.
I've just put in your destinations on distancesCalc.com and it comes up with 9485km. That doesn't take into account all the extra kms in each town. I also note that it says it would take 1 day and 4 hours to drive from Sydney to Cairns. A bit optimistic. Glad to see you plan on taking longer than that!
All the best with your planning. Sounds like you enjoy the motorhome experience.
-- Edited by neilnruth on Friday 13th of September 2013 04:55:40 PM
OK Garry, we'll be sure to do that. Thanks for the interest this morning. Terry
Hi Folks, Been to Mt Isa recently and was very impressed visiting their underground hospital... a must-see... also their museum at their tourist info office.... Jay-Jay
Hello NeilRuth, thanks for taking the time to answer, and also for the reminder to book the Tasmania ferry - I'll do that this afternoon. I had calculated the distances using mynrma.com, which gave me 8466kms, but perhaps I should do it again.
Whereabouts in Australia are you?
Terry
Howdy
Here is a link that may be handy for you that gives official max, min temperature and rainfall statistic by area. Just click on a blue dot or type in the name of the location. I am not famous at adding links, hopefully some else will help out if it fails.
Hope you like hot weather.
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/data/
grill n chill
The following 2 websites will provide you will the information & more for your proposed adventure.
The "Caravanner's eKit" www.qorf.org.au/_dbase_upl/3. eKit.pdf
"Touring Kits & Event Calendars" www.qorf.org.au/_dbase_upl/5.Kits&Calendars.pdf
Select the section then the item of interest & with a left click the appropriate website will become active.
Section "39.Overseas" like your self, is becoming very popular overseas travellers.
Any further assistance you may require, my contact is on each page.
Cheers
Gorm
Thanks neilnruth, I've replied. Terry
Thank you Gorm, the Touring Kits website contains a real wealth of information, and will provide answers to so many of our questions and research. Really great. Terry
Thanks for the url - it does exactly what it's supposed to, so your download skills are clearly exemplary. I've downloaded it, it will travel with us. Terry