Thread: 5 days on the Gibb River Highway

We'll this is my experience up there last month (June) - all hail to LR for pulling us out. And you're right about a lot of Prado driver, and Britz van drivers!

Gibb River Rd: A Range Rover in the Kimberley

We drove the GRR in 2009 and made the journey to Mitchell plateau.
In a Prado (with aftermarket suspension), and our travel companions in a Suzuki Grand Vitara (absolutely bog standard!) no less.
Rough corrugated and dusty. Slow.
Bone rattling, fillings loosened. The ladies found it emotionally distressing.
But the vehicles held up better than the occupants - no mechanical issues whatsoever.
Was it worth it - absolutely!
Drive it again- absolutely not. Once is enough.
Lower the tyre pressures, go steady. Stop occasionally and check the vehicle - bloody hell the shock absorbers get hot on corrugations.
And watch out for those Britz campers.
And Patrols towing trailers at speed - eye opening and bum clenching having these idiots coming at you sideways at speed on a corrugated bend in the road.
Only recall seeing one LR on the GRR - towing a big off road van. He was going steady and seemed to be doing it ok.

I think we got our timing pretty good for our GRR crossing earlier this year. We headed out last week of April from Derby end - had only been open about a week and the grader had just finished the first full length grade after the wet. Very few rough sections (rocky, rather than corrugations). Very little other traffic.

Was awesome scenery and so wonderfully green. Only downside was most of the side routes hadn't opened and our time was limited so we did Windjana and Bell Gorge and camped at both, then drove straight through, via a night at Ellenbrae (scones to die for!). The Pentecost river crossing was great as it was still fairly high!

More on our blog - Landy Travels | Up on the roof

Originally Posted by Ean Austral

A idiot in a Prado ensured I will need to replace my windscreen when he passed us going up a hill only to have to swerve infront of me when a car came the other way and showered the D3 with rocks putting a nice crack in the windscreen. When I caught up with him later he refused to talk and was going to report me to the cops for threatening him if I didn't leave him alone, all from the locked doors and windows of his Prado.

Ean

In car cameras are great for this, and, as I have recently seen, are considered evidence enough for insurance companies to go after the driver of the vehicle who damaged your vehicles windscreen...


And a tip: Dont remodel a vehicles door with your knee... I've *heard* the side intrusion bars can hurt....


Once had a similar discussion with another gentleman who had clipped me back when I was riding a pushy... Through his wound up window he was very brave. Still have a couple of scars where my closed hand and arm went through the glass.

To tell you the truth, I think the Gibb road, the Simpson, the cape York thing, are highly over rated. Give me a quiet road, in the real bush, no *******, that'll do me. Bob

Originally Posted by bob10

To tell you the truth, I think the Gibb road, the Simpson, the cape York thing, are highly over rated. Give me a quiet road, in the real bush, no *******, that'll do me. Bob

I agree Bob, something like Winton to Jundah to Windorah springs to my mind. Only came across 2 other vehicles in 2 days on my last trip and they were both station vehicles. Camped about 200 metres off the road on a waterhole and no vehicles at all passed during the night. That's the sort of bush driving I like!

Originally Posted by bob10

To tell you the truth, I think the Gibb road, the Simpson, the cape York thing, are highly over rated. Give me a quiet road, in the real bush, no *******, that'll do me. Bob

Agreed + +

Why would anyone spends thousands to leave town/crowds and go spend rec time with other crowds?

Does anyone fit mesh over their windscreen or has that become illegal/ daggy?

It used to be fairly common in the bush.