Route Planning - Advice Please...

[Yorkshire_Jon]

Guys I need help...
As many of you know I will be accompanying Leeds in November to do some off-road driving.

The original plan was to do the Canning Stock Route plus whatever else we had time for but it seems that is not a wise move in November.

So... Now we need a new plan... and your advice.

Current thoughts are that I will fly into Darwin and meet up with Leeds in his Land Rover (2nd / 3rd November perhaps). Spend the month driving and then bail out at Alice Springs where I/we can do the touristy bit before flying back to Darwin and then home on 30th Nov.

After reading ExploreOz.com and the top 10 4WD Treks it appears that there may be a sort of route developing if we consider Mitchell Plateau, Gibb River Road, Paradurdoo to Murchison via Mt Augustus and Gun Barrell Highway or Great Central Road. The first problem though is there seems to be a lot of "road" between the southern end of the Gibb River Road and the northern end of the "Paradurdoo...", then again between the end of the "Paradurdoo..." and the western end of the Gunbarrel / Great Central.

Essentially then the route would start in Darwin, see a few of the sites en-route to the Gibb River road, over some of the other 4WD Treks, leading back towards Alice Springs...

So, is this a doable plan or another no-no??

Can anyone suggest a good months 4WD treks starting from Darwin, ending in Alice Springs??

Thanks..

[EchiDna]

I assume you are flying into Darwin on a discount fare from Tiger Airways or something?

most of the area you are talking about is still going to be affected by the buildup - it's going to be mid thirties or higher the whole time you are there and the closer you are to the coast, the higher the humidity (think 90%rh or more, I'm not joking!) without a moment of respite, there will probably not be too many flies but IMHO, it is considered just about unbearable for most of the locals (supposedly more than 1/3 disapear south for this season), never mind autumnal travellers form the UK

anyway not to put you off, but if I had only a month and it had to be in November, I'd get onto another plane from Darwin and head south for the Vic/NSW high country... november is typically too early for fires, and not so hot as to be unbearable (mid twenties during the day).

I'd say 90% or more of travellers to the northern 1/3 of Australia do so from May-September - for a good reason!

[Pedro_The_Swift]

at that time of the year one things for sure---

you'll have most tracks to yourself!








what was that early Joe Cocker album???

[WhiteD3]

Off the topic but


I've got a record (black shiny disk with a hole in it) somewhere and the opening track has this French guy introducing the band saying......"Zee mad dogs....zee Englishmen.....and Joe Cockeeeer...!!

[Pedro_The_Swift]

and this classic---


"I wus just gunna say dont get hung up about easter"

[dmdigital]

I assume you are flying into Darwin on a discount fare from Tiger Airways or something?

most of the area you are talking about is still going to be affected by the buildup - it's going to be mid thirties or higher the whole time you are there and the closer you are to the coast, the higher the humidity (think 90%rh or more, I'm not joking!) without a moment of respite, there will probably not be too many flies but IMHO, it is considered just about unbearable for most of the locals (supposedly more than 1/3 disapear south for this season), never mind autumnal travellers form the UK

anyway not to put you off, but if I had only a month and it had to be in November, I'd get onto another plane from Darwin and head south for the Vic/NSW high country... november is typically too early for fires, and not so hot as to be unbearable (mid twenties during the day).

I'd say 90% or more of travellers to the northern 1/3 of Australia do so from May-September - for a good reason!

Lot of truth there, though the flies should have gone south too.

The worst 2 months of the year up this way are October and November. That said 2007 was actually quite pleasant, December was crap. Temperatures in Darwin and down to Katherine are going to be 35-40C, humidity will be high, cloud cover will be sparce, sun will be slightly to the south but almost overhead, UV radiation will be listed as extreme.

See this site: Climate statistics for Australian locations

[Yorkshire_Jon]

The original plan was to fly into Darwin for the CSR, no other reason as it sort of made sense and we thought Leeds would be around that area at that time.

I suspect though that at this early stage I could fly in anywhere and the Land Rover could divert towards that airport...

That means our options are still wide open as nothing is set in stone / booked yet.

Thinking caps on boys...please.

[Xtreme]

As EchiDna said in post #2 the south east of the island is the area to be touring during November. The Victorian High Country is one area that has been mentioned.

For an interesting four week trip, I would suggest a route that would include the VicHigh country then continue north through some interesting forest & National Park tracks, maybe even take in a few beaches with nice camp spots to about Sydney or maybe a little further north. Then head west to experience some of the more arid areas (Camerons Corner / Innamincka) before heading south to finish at either Adelaide or Melbourne.

Total distance between 5 & 6000kms with a mix of scenery and road/track conditions.

I'm also sure that some of the members of this forum &/or associated Land Rover Clubs would be more than willing & keen to meet up with you at various points along the way and lead you through some of the interesting tracks and areas in their 'backyard'.

Let me know if this would be to your liking and I'll expand on the route with more detail and suggested times for each area. I'd also need to know of any special interests (to maybe include certain things/areas) you and leeds may have - apart from Land Rovers and 4WDing!

[LSBob]

The Top End is very hot, humid and uncomfortable during November with the buildup and you will notice it coming from a lot cooler England. The temperature is also very high at night often without any breeze. If you are camping out a tent can be stuffy though you can buy a small portable fan to assist in cooling you. But at night there is a buildup of insects and the termites mass and fly off to a new home so any fluro light soon gets smothered with them. Some beetles also do mass migrations at night and in the morning the ground is covered with them. Is your vehicle air conditioned else you will fry during the day also.
You could still do Litchfield NP 1 day and a couple of days in Kakadu but there will not be any water coming over the falls at Jim Jim. There may be the odd thunderstorm and they can look spetacular coming across the plains but they can also be dangerous if you get caught in one.
Katherine will still be operating cruises up the Gorge but at a reduced schedule. Alice Springs will be very hot, up to the 40s but very dry, you will find it uncomfortable to spend a lot of time outside.
Accommodation will be cheaper though as this is the worse time to visit, gets more popular in January when the area is green and there is water around.
But drop in anyhow, we still love to meet you or better still come back when the weather is better!!
Actually I will not be here in November as SWMBO has a neice and nephew getting married overseas at that time, 2 separate weddings.

[lewy]

don't discount the tropical areas just because it is the buildup.it will be hot and humid for sure but the storm season can start novemberish and we have some sensational storms in the top end.locals [im not a local to the top end as i have only been here 7 years]seem to avoid the desert tracks in the hotter months. you have to remember most of these tracks have had several months of tourist pressure on them by november and can be very rough ie corrugation's,i suggest have an open itinerary and if the weather is bad plan to travel south by the highways.perhaps consider darwin,katherine then to the kimberlies then with local advise travel the tanimi track to alice springs,the tanami will be very demanding on the vehicle and yourself's this time of the year.perhaps big john can advise from alice springs.anyway hope this helps. dont hesitate to contact anyone on this site cheers