We've been travelling along with so many people for so long... I just want a quiet campsite for once!! Every free-camp has been packed, every caravan park is so busy it has become necessary to book ahead.
We have met some really nice people, and a few others besides, and the conversation seems to always be about how difficult it is to get in at whatever popular place we are all heading towards. I have had to queue for a washing machine in laundries in several caravan parks... (Even witnessed "washing machine rage"!!).Its getting stressful!
We've been thinking of getting a gas or diesel heater fitted, and do our travelling in the quieter/cooler months down south. Yet I've read on the forum some unhappy stories of bad weather so maybe I should just be grateful for 3 months of warm weather!
Those who are travelling in the cooler areas, do you have any tips?
We've been travelling along with so many people for so long... I just want a quiet campsite for once!! Every free-camp has been packed, every caravan park is so busy it has become necessary to book ahead.
We have met some really nice people, and a few others besides, and the conversation seems to always be about how difficult it is to get in at whatever popular place we are all heading towards. I have had to queue for a washing machine in laundries in several caravan parks... (Even witnessed "washing machine rage"!!).Its getting stressful!
We've been thinking of getting a gas or diesel heater fitted, and do our travelling in the quieter/cooler months down south. Yet I've read on the forum some unhappy stories of bad weather so maybe I should just be grateful for 3 months of warm weather!
Those who are travelling in the cooler areas, do you have any tips?
Hi Gerty, it seems that in most places we travel to these days that the retiring baby boomers and international tourism has made us "too successful"and we have lost the sense of remoteness in area's once deemed remote. Re washing machine rage, clothes dryer and line rage, we have also experienced theft from same!!
I love a sense of peace and solitude when I travel but it sure makes choosing a spot bit of a lottery at times, especially inconsiderate campers with unrestrained animals/feral kids and generators as my pet dislikes.........but most of all when I find a spot offering what I want is when someone parks alongside when acres of room are available
Enjoy your travel, look forward to your next post,
Hi Gerty, Rob and I travel in the cooler months, mainly in freecamps where you can have a fire, all our cooking is done on a similar stove to an Oz Pig so keep warm at the same time. Have nice cosy beds so that's no problem, also have a hot water bottle! We don't have a heater. Washing....well I have brought a washing machine which is great, spins out too. I use the generator to run it but that's only for an hour or so during the day so surely isn't too bad. I usually charge up my laptop at the same time. We have a dog, but is always on the lead, we take his kennel so he's no problem.
Some camps there is no option but to park quite close to others, but all things in moderation and consideration
If I travel its generaly in the off season for that very reason & generaly cooler months as i dont like heat. Have a very warm bed & wifey type hottie to keep warm. Since we are usualy free camping & there is no neighbours we use a generator to run a fan heater, this is switched off when in bed. Start genny & run in the morning for heater again untill we move of.
Keep posting of your experiences GD, we have been following you on the forum & on the road. Leaving Darwin next week for the West & it is handy to get a handle on what to expect. Plus being a month or so behind you I am hoping that some of the crowds may be thinning out.
Terry
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Chris & Terry
3.2lt 4 x 4 Mazda BT 50, single cab chas with full alloy canopy
I know what you mean about crowded GD. In Broome for the past two days at everywhere full, even the overflows. I'm lucky, got into the Seventh Day Adventist one and parked with power and water under a mango tree! Cost is $35 per night. Weather is gorgeous though, 34 today and not too hot at night
Forgive me, I was tired. I really aught to be more grateful for the lovely weather we've enjoyed and the fantastic experiences we've had! I'm not usually so anti-social, maybe its as Ozi2 said, we have expectations of solitude in remote places, and my expectations have not been met.
Gubby, the crowds are all seasonal, caravan parks charging a squillion now will be nearly empty in 3 months.
Chris and Terry, our problems started on leaving Darwin! We'd been at Corroboree Park which was fairly quiet, then went South, planning to stop at Douglas hot Springs, but the road was closed, so we kept going to Edith Falls, and after driving 23km off the highway to that campground we were met with a "Camp Full" sign!!. Poor Mr D had to keep driving as we'd passed all the other camp spots by then, and we ended up at the Big 4 in Katherine! Truly hope that the crowds have thinned a bit better for you!!
Justjo, its a few k's out of Broome , but we moved out to the Broome Bird Observatory, and loved it there. No power, and a dirt road to get there, but after the cliques we met in a Broome caravan park, it was just heaven. And just as warm as Broome!
Now in Exmouth, beaches are soft white sand, sea is turquoise, whale-sharks still here along with humpbacks with their calves, wildflowers are out.... and lotsa other people are here sharing it all with us!
Gerty Dancer wrote:We've been thinking of getting a gas or diesel heater fitted, and do our travelling in the quieter/cooler months down south. Yet I've read on the forum some unhappy stories of bad weather so maybe I should just be grateful for 3 months of warm weather!
Those who are travelling in the cooler areas, do you have any tips?
GD, we had a diesel heater fitted to our van last July and love it! It's efficient, much quieter than the air conditioner, and runs for many hours on one (10 L) tank of fuel. And no, there is definitely no diesel smell in the van, and little to none outside. Ours has two outlets, one near the front and one at the back. They're not cheap, although better if you can install it yourselves.
As for the far north -- we've been property-sitting in the Geraldton area since late April, finally moved south a few days ago. We've decided that Geraldton is a pretty good spot to spend winter (especially with free rent, etc.!) -- no crowds, beautiful climate -- and we'll be back there for another 4-week sit in September, after a brief visit to Perth for grandson's 3rd birthday.
Hope you enjoy the rest of your trip; if you're near Geraldton during September, let us know -- we'd love to meet you both for a cuppa and a chat.
Andrea
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Free-ranging, in a Southern Cross 5th wheeler, in between property-minding (to save money!).
I think that mid-June to end July is always the busiest time across the north. On top of the usual nomads, there's the school holiday effect - families taking a few weeks extra before the mid-year holidays, then ditto after them. It makes for quite a peak across that approx 6 weeks. Maybe it is even worse this year because many people seem to have decided to avoid Qld?
What about all the stories of CP's having trouble with lack of clients???? 
