So many threads on the Gibb River Rd

[joel0407]

With the number of AULRO members posting there experience up there in the last month or so, there isn't much left for me to say. I think I have looked at 4 - 5 threads already and that's just AULRO members so that'll give you an idea of the number of people up there.

It's not the great Australian adventure I was expecting. Busy as hell and just as expensive. The best place that I saw was Diamond Gorge at Mornington but also the most expensive. It cost us $400 for 2 families for 2 nights camping.

Pretty much all of what the others have said about the Rd conditions and traffic is exactly right. The Gibb was pretty good but the Kulumbaru/Mitchell Falls rd was rubbish. The grader was about 15km north of Drysdale and still heading north when we were there.

Happy Days.

[Ean Austral]

With the number of AULRO members posting there experience up there in the last month or so, there isn't much left for me to say. I think I have looked at 4 - 5 threads already and that's just AULRO members so that'll give you an idea of the number of people up there.

It's not the great Australian adventure I was expecting. Busy as hell and just as expensive. The best place that I saw was Diamond Gorge at Mornington but also the most expensive. It cost us $400 for 2 families for 2 nights camping.

Pretty much all of what the others have said about the Rd conditions and traffic is exactly right. The Gibb was pretty good but the Kulumbaru/Mitchell Falls rd was rubbish. The grader was about 15km north of Drysdale and still heading north when we were there.

Happy Days.

Have to agree Joel, the joys of travelling when the whole country is on school holidays.
I must admit I was expecting to read how crap your D2 was and how you should have bought a 100 series cruiser, but after watching your posted dash cam vid and reading the associated words I assume the D2 went well. It certainly passed plenty of Toyota's.


Cheers Ean

[PAT303]

It's getting harder to get away from the wobblies in the bush,it'll get worse as they tar more and more of the roads. Pat

[CraigE]

With the number of AULRO members posting there experience up there in the last month or so, there isn't much left for me to say. I think I have looked at 4 - 5 threads already and that's just AULRO members so that'll give you an idea of the number of people up there.

It's not the great Australian adventure I was expecting. Busy as hell and just as expensive. The best place that I saw was Diamond Gorge at Mornington but also the most expensive. It cost us $400 for 2 families for 2 nights camping.

Pretty much all of what the others have said about the Rd conditions and traffic is exactly right. The Gibb was pretty good but the Kulumbaru/Mitchell Falls rd was rubbish. The grader was about 15km north of Drysdale and still heading north when we were there.

Happy Days.

The point of it all was it was rough crappy roads not freshly graded easy road, part of what limited access to those that really wanted to explore. Now it is basically open to soft roaders all the way through once the graders have been through. The other thing to remember is the graders can only start after the rains and cyclones have stopped. This can be anywhere from the start of June through to late July and then another month at least to complete. Not exactly sure what you expect? Yes the area is expensive and certain groups do overcharge for camping $400 is way too much for 2 nights and they wonder why people camp on the side of the road. I know we certainly do when they charge stupid prices like that.

[cjc_td5]

This year was my first up there for 12 years and the first in the school holidays. It was much busier than I remember but whether this is the holidays only I don't know. The GRR is not the challenge that it once was but the landscapes and gorges make it worth it.

The main thing that got us was the size of rigs being towed, 30+ foot off-road caravans etc.

I would go back in an instant, only got photos and a dusty car to look at now :-(.

Cheers,

[joel0407]

Have to agree Joel, the joys of travelling when the whole country is on school holidays.
I must admit I was expecting to read how crap your D2 was and how you should have bought a 100 series cruiser, but after watching your posted dash cam vid and reading the associated words I assume the D2 went well. It certainly passed plenty of Toyota's.


Cheers Ean

Yes mate, I'm going to have say I have been given faith in my Disco. My only problem was knocking the Fog/Indicator out of the bumper. The problem now is, I went to both wreckers in Broome, one in Kununnara, the dealer in Broome and the Dealer here in Darwin. To start with I haven't found a Disco 2 being wrecked anywhere up north here, Broome LRn keep no parts, they only get stuff overnight from Perth and to top it off Land Rover only sell the whole unit, I can't buy just the clip.

From the amount of rubbish I gave my mate about my Disco being better than his Toyota I have to keep this a little secret. I have a squeal sort of sound coming from the engine bay. I just can't pick if its bearing, belt or metal vibration.

It wasn't all stress free. I was very worried when I left. I was limited by not just cash but space of how many spares I could take. 2 things I didn't have was fuel pump and crank angle sensor. About half way I noticed my fuel pump was noisey but I can't remember how noisy it was before. Then when the weight fell off the rear diff I thought it had all come to an end but it turned out not to be that bad at all.

Happy Days.

[cjc_td5]

I'll agree with you Joel that I feel very confident about the d2 now. My dad rode with me when we did the mercy dash to get the new trailer spring and he commented just how great it rode compared to his cruiser. I could take the floodways and bumps much faster and just float over them where he would have to slow or crash through.

I heard a few new noises occasionally and driving up was stressing about I should be carrying this or have replaced that. In the end I told myself to stop stressing and enjoy the trip. The car pulled through great in the end and powered home.

Cheers,

[joel0407]

The point of it all was it was rough crappy roads not freshly graded easy road, part of what limited access to those that really wanted to explore. Now it is basically open to soft roaders all the way through once the graders have been through. The other thing to remember is the graders can only start after the rains and cyclones have stopped. This can be anywhere from the start of June through to late July and then another month at least to complete. Not exactly sure what you expect? Yes the area is expensive and certain groups do overcharge for camping $400 is way too much for 2 nights and they wonder why people camp on the side of the road. I know we certainly do when they charge stupid prices like that.

I found it a bit anoying going back the Vic Hwy to Kununnara and they must have been 30 free 24hr camp sites along the hwy but where all the people that want to bush camp, along the GRR, there is only 1.

Open to soft roaders is an understatement. You could drive a Commodore along the GRR but not on some of the side roads to the gorges. It was exactly the road condition that turned some off the Kulumbaru/Mitchell Falls Rd but there was still over 60 vehicles in the camp area.

Happy Days

[Ean Austral]

Yes mate, I'm going to have say I have been given faith in my Disco. My only problem was knocking the Fog/Indicator out of the bumper. The problem now is, I went to both wreckers in Broome, one in Kununnara, the dealer in Broome and the Dealer here in Darwin. To start with I haven't found a Disco 2 being wrecked anywhere up north here, Broome LRn keep no parts, they only get stuff overnight from Perth and to top it off Land Rover only sell the whole unit, I can't buy just the clip.

From the amount of rubbish I gave my mate about my Disco being better than his Toyota I have to keep this a little secret. I have a squeal sort of sound coming from the engine bay. I just can't pick if its bearing, belt or metal vibration.

It wasn't all stress free. I was very worried when I left. I was limited by not just cash but space of how many spares I could take. 2 things I didn't have was fuel pump and crank angle sensor. About half way I noticed my fuel pump was noisey but I can't remember how noisy it was before. Then when the weight fell off the rear diff I thought it had all come to an end but it turned out not to be that bad at all.

Happy Days.

I felt a bit like this for the first 50ks driving out of Darwin when we did the Canning Stock Route, in the end I told myself if I think that way I would never do any trip off road. Never thought that way again.


Is it the rear light in the bumper you speak of ? reckon I likely have one of them at home, will check tonite and let you know.


Cheers Ean

[Gerokent]

My first trip across the GRR was in the mid 80's in a holden HZ ute with swags and a 44 gallond drum of fuel on the back, no problems at all. Now you see 4WDs with 4" lift, the biggest muddies they can get, 27 spot lights, and they still brake down. I find it amazing how people get sucked into the mind set where they think they need all and any accessories they can lay their hands on when all it takes is an easy right foot and a bit of nouse.