Lap of Oz - Timings and must do's

[Fubar]

So we have 3 months set aside late next year to do a lap of Oz in the 130...the new Isuzu powerplant will be in and ready for work by then. The main focus is getting across to the WA coast whilst seeing some varied terrain and catching up with family/friends in the major centres.

I have pencilled in about 75 days so far and have another 20 or so up my sleeve for emergency or detours.

We will stay in Brissy and Darwin for 5 days'ish each...and possibly look at catching the train, truck and all, across from Perth to Adelaide (maybe Melbourne).

Kids (7 & 9) are used to doing big days in the car so we will mix it up with some big kilometre days and some days that are just a few hours to the next nice campsite.

It is a fast lap (75-80 days)...but I have 3 months or so to work with. We might scrub the Vic High Country stay if the travel tempo needs to slow down or the WA coast is too good to leave.

Thoughts? Recommendations?

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/11/975.jpg

[Russrobe]

Would at the very least be driving up to Cooktown via the Bloomfield. You're also driving straight past GRR and Mitchell Falls! [bawl] If you aren't keen on the GRR, you can get to the El Questro entrance without even leaving the tarmac.

GRR can be done in 4 days if you must rush it (including a night in El Questro for the hot spring in the morning and a gorge walk. Emma Gorge is amazing over to road too.

Add atleast 1 night in Lake Argyle too, you drive straight past it otherwise.. amazing.

Not too sure why you've got 20 days down the coast of way. I'd allow 14 MAX. We included 3 nights in Gnarloo station (base of ningaloo reef) 3 nights in Exmouth (you will lover the snorkelling off the beach but bring rashies, at the very least. You can drive from Perth to Karratha in one day (14hours) to give you an indication, and there's really only handful of stops. I'd add in Karijini too, well worth the detour. (allow 3 nights in Karijini as it's a days drive in and a early morning leave if you go from exmouth to karijini then to Port Hedland via Hamersley Gorge, past Wittenoom back to the main highway.)

Really if you end up in W.A at the right time of the year, you want to be spending a good 2 weeks between getting to Broome and leaving Lake Argyle to experience the Kimberleys.

Just the way I'd do it if and when we go again.

Anyway, if you find yourself short on time for whatever reason in W.A I'd say my must see locations where:
-Camping a night above lake argyle (make sure you book).
-Karijini (although that's because we went in June, weather dependent that place, you want just after the wet season).
-The gorges in El Questro (make sure you see Emma Gorge over the road in the morning, and the hot springs before 8am plus the camp grounds here are great).
-Mount Barnett gorge/fall was up there IMO an overall equally good experience as Mitchell Falls was, Exmouth (amazing snorkelling).
-Coral bay for one night.
-Gnarloo Station for the location + snorkelling. (Not much else to see between Perth and Exmouth unless you go to Steep Point but that's a 4 day trip) Maybe Monkey Mia if you have time?

[Fubar]

Would at the very least be driving up to Cooktown via the Bloomfield. You're also driving straight past GRR and Mitchell Falls! [bawl] If you aren't keen on the GRR, you can get to the El Questro entrance without even leaving the tarmac.

GRR can be done in 4 days if you must rush it (including a night in El Questro for the hot spring in the morning and a gorge walk. Emma Gorge is amazing over to road too.

Add atleast 1 night in Lake Argyle too, you drive straight past it otherwise.. amazing.

Not too sure why you've got 20 days down the coast of way. I'd allow 14 MAX. We included 3 nights in Gnarloo station (base of ningaloo reef) 3 nights in Exmouth (you will lover the snorkelling off the beach but bring rashies, at the very least. You can drive from Perth to Karratha in one day (14hours) to give you an indication, and there's really only handful of stops. I'd add in Karijini too, well worth the detour. (allow 3 nights in Karijini as it's a days drive in and a early morning leave if you go from exmouth to karijini then to Port Hedland via Hamersley Gorge, past Wittenoom back to the main highway.)

Really if you end up in W.A at the right time of the year, you want to be spending a good 2 weeks between getting to Broome and leaving Lake Argyle to experience the Kimberleys.

Just the way I'd do it if and when we go again.


Thanks for the tips....the 20 days on the WA is because if we find a nice bit of beach with no one around we will park our backsides there until we get low on water, or the fish stop biting.

I'll add Karijini to the places list.

Cheers

[trout1105]

Beware of Darwin Many have intended just to visit and have been there ever since, You will see what I mean when you get there [biggrin]
Have a great trip [thumbsupbig]

[Zeros]

I may see the world differently, but after many years of journeys across this continent, my advice is slow down and focus on one side, west, or north, or east, or centre, or south.

Your plan is very ambitious for the time you have IMO. Others will differ no doubt but that's my advice. Slowing down is better for vehicle, soul, mental health, and wallet.

...Go anytime and just rove (wander), follow your nose, don't have an itinerary, make it your own journey of discovery.

All the best

[Fubar]

I may see the world differently, but after many years of journeys across this continent, my advice is slow down and focus on one side, west, or north, or east, or centre, or south.

Your plan is very ambitious for the time you have IMO. Others will differ no doubt but that's my advice. Slowing down is better for vehicle, soul, mental health, and wallet.

...Go anytime and just rove (wander), follow your nose, don't have an itinerary, make it your own journey of discovery.

All the best

Sound advice...I have to somehow reconcile the trip to Brisbane and 1770, which is long overdue, with the desire to spend all our time exploring the west coast.

[Russrobe]

Sound advice...I have to somehow reconcile the trip to Brisbane and 1770, which is long overdue, with the desire to spend all our time exploring the west coast.Agree with taking your time. You could spend two weeks in the southwest of w.a alone and your missing it entirely with your current route. Best part of W.A is going from one extreme to the next by doing a top to bottom... The Karri Forrest down to the beach is stunning.

[weeds]

Your plan is a good start.....and there is flexibility

You like many of us with kids and limited time it’s about fitting in as much as you can with the time available.

Have a cracking trip.......

[Colmoore]

Gday! Great ideas on your trip. Russrobe has the drum on it, but defs do SW WA at some point in time. To me that was some incredibly beautiful and different country.
GRR is also amazing - there are so many waterholes and rivers to see & swim in; Manning Falls probably being my highlight - stunning walk in, followed by a massive waterhole with nice big jump off the top of the falls. Mitchell Falls was good too - but nowhere to jump.
I could go on & on - just writing this, I've said 'that was the best place' about 10x in 10 mins!
BUT as Zeros said 'less is more'! We travelled for a whole year and it just went too fast! It would probably be a good idea to break things up and 1/4 (at the least) the country. Do 3 months in each 1/4, then, when you've done that, you'll spend the rest of your life planning trips to revisit the best places and the places you missed that the locals raved about.
Whatever you do in this amazing country we live in, it will be such a great adventure that your family will share and talk of for life.
Happy rovering!

Col

[Fubar]

Gday! Great ideas on your trip. Russrobe has the drum on it, but defs do SW WA at some point in time. To me that was some incredibly beautiful and different country.
GRR is also amazing - there are so many waterholes and rivers to see & swim in; Manning Falls probably being my highlight - stunning walk in, followed by a massive waterhole with nice big jump off the top of the falls. Mitchell Falls was good too - but nowhere to jump.
I could go on & on - just writing this, I've said 'that was the best place' about 10x in 10 mins!
BUT as Zeros said 'less is more'! We travelled for a whole year and it just went too fast! It would probably be a good idea to break things up and 1/4 (at the least) the country. Do 3 months in each 1/4, then, when you've done that, you'll spend the rest of your life planning trips to revisit the best places and the places you missed that the locals raved about.
Whatever you do in this amazing country we live in, it will be such a great adventure that your family will share and talk of for life.
Happy rovering!

Col


I'll add all those places to the list.

Just this morning I have been kicking stones around with the concept of using the Ghan and Indo Pacific line to shuttle the car around to spend more time focusing on good/better areas. The drive from Nth QLD to Darwin, in my mind, be relatively mundane. If I can get to QLD on a seperate trip next year (will be tough) I can take the train (with truck) to Darwin Ex Melbourne.....which in itself will be a great experience.

With the kids along I'm mindful of the ticking clock....I only have so much time to do all this. It will be 6-7 years before we can afford to take 3 months off just to travel again.

[Classic88]

I did that exact trip in three months in 2009. It is doable but three months does mean driving almost every day with maybe 3-4 days in particular spots.

[Fubar]

I did that exact trip in three months in 2009. It is doable but three months does mean driving almost every day with maybe 3-4 days in particular spots.

Yeah Google says 14,000km and 152 hours at the wheel.

Over 75 days thats an average of nearly 200km/day......lot of looking through the windscreen and not much fishing.

[Zeros]

If your mission is to conquer the continent like a military operation and do the lap for the sake of it...by all means. But if there's one thing in the world many on this forum are qualified to advise on, it is 'doing the lap' (or not), the how and the why. ...Much sage advice already in this thread on slowing down. ...thinking you can compress a whole continent of overlanding into 3 months is not a good idea for so many reasons...

[Wraithe]

Exmouth to Perth, there are lots of things to see... Dont dismiss any area as boring or nothing interesting...

Just north of Carnarvon, the blow holes... Quobba is the name of the place...

Very nice bit of coast, was good fishing years ago, not sure now... Too many landrover drivers with fishing rods, probably killed it....

East of Carnarvon is Gascoyne Junction and thats the road into Mt Augustus... Interesting place and a damn big rock... Its a monocline, 2 1/2 times the size of Ayers rock...

Shark bay for fishing... Kalbarri, holiday town with a nice gorge for canoeing in...

Cervanties, they have the Pinnacles Desert...

Blah blah blah, there are heaps of places of interest and to see... The histor in WA's country areas is huge and 3 months will not give you the chance to see 1% of the state...
The highways are built for access to the next place of business, not where the sights, interest and history are...

Take Roebourne, there is so much around that area, yet most bypass it...

Now as for the Sth West, I would not go there... The trees are widow makers and drop branches on the highways... The people that live down that way are hill billies... Bit like Deliverance, they are weird and dangerous... I would not go there it s a bad place... I wouldnt live there...

Its terrible, I know, I'm in the middle of it...

Trust me I wouldnt lie to you[bighmmm]

[sam_d]

Regarding El Questro, book yourself one of the private campsites rather than one of the ones next to the station. They're much quieter.

Do the gorge trips and the drives up to the lookouts but really don't bother with the hot springs. As hot springs go they are really pretty average but they will also be really crowded.

On the west coast the Pinnacles are worth a look at. Rottnest Island is also pretty good but I'd hate to be there in the peak. I went in June and there were only about 30 other people on the island at the time.

Hamelin Pool stromatolites are interesting if you're in to that kind of thing. Stay at Tamala Station if you're in that area. I camped at Ram Island campground and it was really quite nice and quiet.

Ningaloo reef is worth the visit for snorkelling but it means that you'll probably have to stay in Coral Bay which is an overpriced and overcrowded. Also, Ningaloo Station isn't worth the hassle of going to and staying at.

(I'm not trying to put you off going to anywhere in particular but there are some things I wouldn't bother with again.)

[POD]

Your trip plan map reminds me of our first outback jaunt in 2001, had 8 weeks which we thought was forever- longest holiday we had ever had- but once you get out and find just how big this island is, the weeks just evaporate making miles from one place to the next and you find you are rushing on from somewhere you like, just to get to the next place in time. Each subsequent trip, we have done less and less and spent more time staying in places we enjoy.
For example, you can 'do' the Gibb River Road in 2 or 3 days, you'll be able to tell everyone you've 'done' it, but it will be just another dirt road; or, you can spend 2 or 3 months there and find it's the best place on earth. My advice would be, pick an area that sounds like it would interest you, go there and spend as long as you can.
Sounds like you're a fisho, the north-west coast from Ningaloo Reef to Cape Leveque would probably float your boat and would be plenty to bite off in 8 weeks from the east coast.

[Zeros]

Similarly the trip Broome to Kununurra and Katherine is one of the most spectacular drives on the planet. I did a lot of it at least once a week on average for more than 5 years...never was there a drive I didn't enjoy! The options for places to explore along the way are endless. 3 months across northern WA would be my first choice.... and if you're into fishing, nothing beats Barra!

[simonmelb]

Agree with all the above - my wife and I did a 9 Month 'lap' and still didn't even venture at all into NSW and QLD!

[Fubar]

Great advice thanks guys...as I mentioned previously I'm already looking at using the West to East and South to North motorail as an option to cut down on 'transport' stages freeing more time up for the WA coast. I drove a nice chunk of the coast back in 97 whilst doing some work with the Pilbera Regiment...I can't wait to show it to the family and get into some off the places suggested.

It is all worth seeing at some point, but I'm going to have to drive straight past a lot of good country/sites just to get there. Still pondering whether to do SW WA below Perth...is it that good?

Thanks for the ideas and input.

Jason

[Classic88]

Definitely avoid the Nullarbor if you can! A whole week of sod all quite frankly.

[bblaze]

I cant help much as we headed from Tassie to Perth to the daughters uni grad and figured we would continue the big lap on the way home, 5 years later we sort of got the biggest bits of wa sorted out but want to go back.
For my money, I would drive straight to the cape (couple or 3 days) and then start the trip, spending a big bit of time to cross the top to broome, bit less time going down the west right down to Albany. Now you are about a week from home, so depending on time left check out the most important bits on the home leg
with the thought that all this is a bonus.
cheers
blaze

[DiscoMick]

As others have said, I would do less, but spend longer at each place.

[Tins]

Unless you like driving for driving’s sake, I agree with others; put you and your car on the train from Perth to Adelaide. Sure, there are one or two things to see, but they are 15 hours apart.

Drive from Adelaide to Melbourne though , around the coast. The VHC is not to be missed, but you are in the Hunter, so you can easily do it another time, it’s only a day’s drive from you. Better to spend more time in WA, as it’s much further away and thus harder to return.

I envy you. Enjoy.

[Wraithe]

I dont agree with train to Adelaide...

From Perth, you have the goldfields pipeline running up to Kal... Along that run there are some good sights not far off the highway...

Wave Rock is a trip to take, its at a place called Hyden... Worth it...

Merriden has some history and just north of there is Nungarrin, Army museum and some WW2 history, plus the unlicensed Irish pub, nice spot to visit for a good meal...

Southern Cross, Bullfinch to the north and then the stops and side tracks between there and Coolgardie...

Kal has some nice things to see and if you dont stop there and look around you've never between through the gold fields...

Heading across to the border, the old telegraph station is just before the SA border, but on the way there are plenty of things to see, some of the old water tanks from the old dirt run, some of the old highway is still accessible and it is country thats different...

Then beyond WA is the lookout over looking the Sthn Ocean, then Nullabor RH and the paddock between the coast and the RH... Yalata, Penong and the coastal access roads...

Never believe someone that tells you its boring, they probably like playing computer games or something like that...

I have never found a spot in Australia thats boring or uninteresting except that concrete shack in Canberra, I think the smell put me off, worse than stock yards that have been full of bulls...

[Tins]

I dont agree with train to Adelaide...

From Perth, you have the goldfields pipeline running up to Kal... Along that run there are some good sights not far off the highway...

Wave Rock is a trip to take, its at a place called Hyden... Worth it...

Merriden has some history and just north of there is Nungarrin, Army museum and some WW2 history, plus the unlicensed Irish pub, nice spot to visit for a good meal...

Southern Cross, Bullfinch to the north and then the stops and side tracks between there and Coolgardie...

Kal has some nice things to see and if you dont stop there and look around you've never between through the gold fields...

Heading across to the border, the old telegraph station is just before the SA border, but on the way there are plenty of things to see, some of the old water tanks from the old dirt run, some of the old highway is still accessible and it is country thats different...

Then beyond WA is the lookout over looking the Sthn Ocean, then Nullabor RH and the paddock between the coast and the RH... Yalata, Penong and the coastal access roads...

Never believe someone that tells you its boring, they probably like playing computer games or something like that...

I have never found a spot in Australia thats boring or uninteresting except that concrete shack in Canberra, I think the smell put me off, worse than stock yards that have been full of bulls...

C'mon, Wraithe. Like I said, there are things to see, but once you get past Norseman they get to be few and far between. I would drive the Nullabor again, no question, but I'll be damned if I will do it with two teenagers ever, ever again. It is one hell of a long way with nothing to see but roadkill, and it is certainly not a drive I would do at night unless I was in something like you have in your avatar pic. The bloke is on a short leash, time wise. Sitting back on the Indian Pacific for a couple of days would be a very nice R&R period for the kids.

Still, I did see the biggest spiders I think I have ever seen at that telegraph station.

[Wraithe]

C'mon, Wraithe. Like I said, there are things to see, but once you get past Norseman they get to be few and far between. I would drive the Nullabor again, no question, but I'll be damned if I will do it with two teenagers ever, ever again. It is one hell of a long way with nothing to see but roadkill, and it is certainly not a drive I would do at night unless I was in something like you have in your avatar pic. The bloke is on a short leash, time wise. Sitting back on the Indian Pacific for a couple of days would be a very nice R&R period for the kids.

Still, I did see the biggest spiders I think I have ever seen at that telegraph station.

Are you ok John, I was expecting something about game machines or the like...

Like anywhere really, if you have seen it then a lot are happy, but to bypass first go, well thats like truck driving, follow a little white line from A to B then back again, eventually get sick of the view and dont wish to return...

Sadly the place that had the biggest bugs is no longer there... Barradale road house... I have seen a tourist pull up at the bowsers(about midnight), male opens tank to fill, female gets out, asks if he would like a drink, takes two steps and screams so loud they heard her in Darwin... The ground was crawling with spiders, centerpeades at least 6 inches long etc etc, every bug imaginable... Well boyfriend or what, jumped on car, girl screaming still and frozen stiff, bugs crawling up legs... And what comes to the rescue, Trucky with thongs and shorts on and towel across shoulders... He just walked over, picked her up and carried her inside... she left the roadhouse dining room about 8 hrs later when no bugs around... Boyfriend sat on car until someone drove it away from buolding and then he stayed in it til sun up...
Damn that place was funny at night...you never daudled or something may crawl up your leg...

[trout1105]

I can remember pulling up at Barradale for the night and drinking cold beer from the pub watching the Movie on the small drive in like screen at the back of the roadhouse/boozer, I can't recall any spiders or centipedes giving me grief.
Barradale used to be the end of the bitumen and the start of the gravel from there to Broome, The next stop used to be at the pub at Sandfire roadhouse halfway to Broome [thumbsupbig]

[Zeros]

If you try to do a full lap of the continent in three months, or to get the long stretch over with, of course all you'll be doing is driving past everything, thinking there's nothing to see but roadkill. A road trip isn't about the road. Or what you can see from the road. It's about engaging 4WD at every opportunity and getting off the road. Then walking. Then camping in a place for a while. Only then do we even begin to see.

You could spend 3 months just on the side tracks off the nullabour. It's a magnificent, beguiling stretch of country. It's quiet. The desert breeze and the stands of low gums. A vast meandering sense of space. It's dramatic and calm. Expansive and intimate. Sitting beside my Landy off a sandy track, in the shade,on a small rise...listening...to nothing. Watching. Bliss. Sit still a while and a whole world within a world becomes apparent. It's difficult to describe. There's nowhere like it.

[wardy1]

I stand to be corrected here, but the last time I freighting the car to Darwin it had to be EMPTY OF ALL BELONGINGS. Apparently this is because the risk of theft from vehicles is very high as cars are left unlocked whilst being transported.
This killed the idea for me simply because without packing the car, how was I to get all my gear there?

[Fubar]

I stand to be corrected here, but the last time I freighting the car to Darwin it had to be EMPTY OF ALL BELONGINGS. Apparently this is because the risk of theft from vehicles is very high as cars are left unlocked whilst being transported.
This killed the idea for me simply because without packing the car, how was I to get all my gear there?

This probably still holds true....though it will be moot as I costed up moving the family and truck via rail and it is way past what we want to pay. I would easily rack up an 8k plus bill. They only way we could look at it was to ship the truck via rail and fly us between stations...still a lot of mucking around, cost and incidental travel/time to make that happen. I enjoy driving and the family is already conditioned to a day or 2 in the car....it won't be the first or last time we do a few long hauls.

As someone mentioned previously it may be a bit of a military operation doing the lap in 3 months, which is fine by me, I'm ex-military! We will have to do few long haul transport stages, with set timings, to get to where we need to be to enjoy the parts we think are worth it the relatively short precious time we have. There is no way to see it all in 3 months, but we can see some bits that are hard to get to and are not likely to get another to visit for a decade or so.

I've convoyed through the interior a few times and spent a bunch of time doodling through the desert, it's nice....but we will be sticking to the coast for the most part whenever we slow down too smell the roses.

Next task is to re-visit that map and add in all the detail and good ideas that have been supplied for the areas we will holiday in. Not so much a lap...as an extended driving holiday on the WA coast!

Cheers,

Jason

[trout1105]

Personally the drive itself is just as important as the destination and going via train defeats the purpose of going on a trip as far as I am concerned.
Sure there is always long tedious stretches of road But at least when you drive you Can stop to "Smell the Roses" whenever and wherever you feel like it, This won't happen if you go by train.

[mrapocalypse]

Honeymoon bay via Kalumburu.

Great drive. Awesome destination.

Was there a re a month ago. Loved it.

[POD]

Honeymoon bay via Kalumburu.

Great drive. Awesome destination.

Was there a re a month ago. Loved it.

Have they cleaned the toilets this year?

[Zeros]

Honeymoon bay via Kalumburu.

Great drive. Awesome destination.

Was there a re a month ago. Loved it.

Agreed. Magnificent.

[Tins]

I stand to be corrected here, but the last time I freighting the car to Darwin it had to be EMPTY OF ALL BELONGINGS. Apparently this is because the risk of theft from vehicles is very high as cars are left unlocked whilst being transported.
This killed the idea for me simply because without packing the car, how was I to get all my gear there?

But, we aren't talking about freighting, or Darwin.

Motorail Indian Pacific 2017 2018 (https://greatsouthernrail.com.au/fares-and-timetables/motorail/motorail-indian-pacific-2017-2018)

[Fubar]

But, we aren't talking about freighting, or Darwin.

Motorail Indian Pacific 2017 2018 (https://greatsouthernrail.com.au/fares-and-timetables/motorail/motorail-indian-pacific-2017-2018)

It's all for nought anyway, aside from price etc the height restriction of 1.94m means no go.