question time

drongo & wendy · Senior Member

question time

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

Tell us a bit more, Dave.
What sort of wheels do you drive and what things interest you guys?

Cheers,
Peter

Pam · Guru

We are heading that way too from the Riverina next April so this will be of interest to me as well.

JRH · Guru

G'day to Drongo & Wendy and Pam,

As Peter says please give us some more info re your rig and interests, also are you coming into WA across the Nullabor or from up North, what sort of time frame are we talking about. There is so much to do and see in WA and the distances between towns can be quite great, in all honesty it once took me 5 days to cover 120k's heading north from Perth, and it wasn't due to traffic LOL.

Are you set up to free camp or are you only interested in Caravan Parks?

In April the South West of WA can be quite cold and often wet so places such as Albany, Esperance, Margaret River and Pemberton can have some inclement weather. From Early May we usually head North towards Geraldton, Kalbarri, Carnarvon, Coral Bay and Exmouth (Coral Bay & Exmouth for the Ningaloo Reef) following the sun. Monkey Mia can be a bit of a tourist trap, and dare I say it, in my opinion a bit of a rip off. Such places as Karatha which you can use as a base to go out to Point Sampson and Cossack is worth a mention and of course everyone has heard about the stairway to the moon in Broome, you would need to contact the Broome Visitors Center on (08) 9192 2222 for the dates as the stairway is only on the full moon at certain times of the month starting in June.

I look forward to hearing from you re your rig and interests then I can be a bit more specific in the Info.

Regardless of where you go in WA I feel sure you will have a great time and if you don't return to Vic with a suntan and the desire to return and explore more of our wonderful state I would be very surprised.

A very good book for info is "Explore Australia" it has info on hundreds of towns in every state of Australia.

Best Regards and Safe Travelling.

John

Pam · Guru

JRH,

I have just changed my pic to show our 'rig' though its not very clear. We now tow it with a captiva instead of the commodore.
I have written you a note in your photos too.

Pam

drongo & wendy · Senior Member

Hi John
Thank u for your note.
Just to fill u in a bit more we will be leaving april/may first stop mildura in vic then on to brocken hill to pt augusta, after that its up to the front of the car lol.
Have noted your advice on the weather and the warm sounds better so ur advise is a good lead
Mundrabilly is a must stop due to son inlaw [he has a friend on a station that we may visit] but after that the west is an oyster to be devowered
After perth its on to broome the darwin then no idea lol.
As far as things we like to do we lean more to the great sights like the ocean and its beaches but also love the hills cattle stations for me would be good but as for the boss i could be in trouble.
Camping wise free or parks. Being a small van limited to what we can carry so i guess parks will be most used.
I will talk to a wooden post just to find out y it is there wendy is more reserved.
As far as what il be driving it is a 03 commodore 6 c.l petrol, and towing a 16ft viscount.
I have towed a bigger van before, but not for distances like out there
Thanks again Dave

JRH · Guru

G'day Dave (Drongo & Wendy)

As I mentioned earlier, that time of year the weather can be a bit on the cool and possibly wet side around the Perth area so maybe it would be better to head North. Call into Cervantes and have a look at the Pinnacles (Nambung National Park), then the coastal road from Cervantes to Dongara is a great drive Passing through places such as Jurien Bay, Green Head and Leeman, you will then come back out onto the Brand Highway for the trip to Geraldton, depending on your time limit and if you feel so inclined the S Bends CP is a good overnight stop, Drive through sites at $23 Per night for a powered site for two and some great fish and chips at $10 a serve. The S Bends is only about 30 k's from Geraldton which is also worthy of a visit, from Geraldton head North to Northhampton around 60 odd k's, from Northhampton you could take the Port Gregory/Kalbarri Road to Gregory, Horrocks Beach and Kalbarri or if you so desire keep heading North from Northhampton on the Brand Highway to the Kalbarri turn off.

Monkey Mia in my opinion is a bit of a rip off but if you decide to go there the turn off to Denham is opposite the Overlander Roadhouse. Denham from memory was quite a nice little oceanside village.

Carnavon is worth a look as is Coral Bay and Exmouth (The Ningaloo Reef), by this time you should be experiencing some nice warmer weather. After that Karatha is well worth a couple of days at least and a trip out to Point Sampson and Cossack is a must, both are on the coast.

On the way to Broome you will pass Sandfire Roadhouse, whilst I have not stopped there overnight all I have spoken to have complained bitterly about the conditions there, maybe stop for fuel and have a look at the amenities.

In Broome, you may have to phone ahead and book a site or phone the visitors center for info on CP's, the "stairway to the moon" is a sight not to be missed if possible.

I realise I am repeating some of the info I put in my first message so please bear with me.

After Broome, Derby and the longest cattle trough is a good photo opportunity as is the prison tree. Kunnannurra is a must and if you like a little spirits then a trip out to The Hoochery, the only privately owned distillery in Australia, is well worth a visit for the tour and to sample and purchase some very nice Cane Spirit. Take a day trip to Wyndaham and go up to the lookout to see the five rivers come together and go into the ocean, DO NOT take the caravan up to the lookout.

My rig is a 1993 EB Falcon Wagon and a 1984 15 foot Jayco Songbird, I have a solar panel on the roof connected to a 100amp hour deep cycle battery, we carry a Porta Potti and a small shower/toilet tent, one of those that springs up and folds down like some of the car windsreen shades so we can free camp if we wish.

Well I hope this is of some help to you and I am sure you will enjoy your trip through WA. I also will talk to anyone anytime, I remember one evening in Karatha my wife Irona sent me to the laundry to get some hot water to wash the dishes after dinner, like a dutiful hubby I toddled off and filled the bucket as ordered, said hello to the lady using the dryer and five minutes later Irona came in looking for me, I had been chatting for over an hour and the bucket of hot water was now rather cool and the dishes were washed,dried and put away.

Best Regards and Safe Travelling.

John

Ps: If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask, I will be only too happy to help if I can.