Trip of a Lifetime - Camping around Oz

[ck10_9]

We had the time of our lives in this amazing country

The blog is not quite finished yet - the trip itself is but I have been kept busy by a trip back to the UK in Oct
Anyway I am back writing it again so I thought I would share it with you all....

We drove 36,000 kms around Australia in a Ford Maverick 4x4 with a roof top tent Jan 09 - Jul 09

The size of the country is mind blowing and you just don't understand that until you drive around it!! It is such a beautiful country with so much to see. 7 months was not enough to do it all but we gave it our best shot!

Not a huge % of the trip was 4x4 but we did do Birdsville track, big red, Cape York, coffin bay, bungle bungles etc

Camping in Cape York was by far our best experience

Here is the blog with lots of pics (I am still finishing it up - Cape York back to Brisbane is a work in progress)

http://twopomsandatruck.blogspot.com/

(The blog runs a bit back to front so if you want to go from the beginning use the date selector on the right hand side of the screen)


I am back at work now and just want to be back on the road, I miss the freedom a lot. Such a great country to travel!!

Hope you enjoy our little adventure

In the near future we will be adding a stats page to show our accom and fuel expenses - this may be of some use to you too


Have a read and leave comments or ask questions if you wish. I enjoy sharing my experiences so it's no trouble.

C

[Prawn_86]

Hi CK,

Sounds amazing. Feel free to upload some pics in this thread or post a gallery here:
http://www.aussietravellersforum.com.au/forums/album.php

What made you decide to do it? And how long did you spend planning it?

Did you work around or had enough money saved?

[ck10_9]

Cool thanks -

We have always wanted to travel and after we looked into Australia and I read a couple of travel books on Oz our minds were made up
We spent over a year planning and buying stuff for the trip
Luckily we had saved enough to do the whole lot - no working ;-)

[kennas]

Wow, awesome. Plenty of Australians don't even travel around their own country. I've been lucky enough to see pretty much everything except NW Western Australia, and south of Perth. Will see it when we eventually do our around Australia camping trip too!

[ck10_9]

Hi All the blog is tarted up a bit now! And looking good if I do say so myself!

I have added Cape York QLD and a Campsite Cost sheet (If it works!)
Can't beleive we spent $4,800 on Campsites!!

Also added is a fuel cost sheet it is not finished yet but it gives you an idea of how big Australia is and what fuel you will need in a 4x4 to drive around it

Happy reading and feel free to comment on the blog site

http://twopomsandatruck.blogspot.com/

[kennas]

Great blog, nice work! Some serious 4x4 ing there!

[sonusrc]

Australia is a huge country and camping is the ideal way to see the awesome Australian outback on a budget. here are some key survival tips which will make your journey more comfortable and safer.
*Take enough water.
*Take a good set of relevant maps
*Know your vehicle
*Snakes.
Thank you.

[sonusrc]

hey guys, i need your suggestion, i want to go Australia and love camping. but i really dont know where is the good place in Australia for camping

[Prawn_86]

Hi sonusrc,

Welcome to ATF :)

Anywhere in Aus is good for camping once you get outside the major cities. Most country towns have a caravan park where you can pitch a tent and have access to amenities, or if you want to 'rough it' there are plenty of side roads, parks etc that you could pitch a tent.

Pick a state, or region that sounds good and start exploring :)

[sonusrc]

Hi friends,
I heard that caravan park is one of the best place for camping.could you give me more information about it.thank you.

[Prawn_86]

Hi friends,
I heard that caravan park is one of the best place for camping.could you give me more information about it.thank you.
Hi Sonu,

Caravan parks are essentially managed 'parks' where people can pull up with a caravan, campervan, or just thier car and pitch a tent. They have on site facilities such as toilets/bathrooms and showers etc, which are usually shared. Some caravan parks also have cabins available if you want to pay (a lot) more to stay in them. Prices tend to vary between parks depennding on the location.

[sonusrc]

Its really nice to see you and thanks for your recommendation.::)

[Gracious_Goddess]

Hi CK!

Your trip sounds fantastic, I'm just reading your blog now!
My husband, son and I are just starting to plan our trip around oz (we live in Adelaide, South Australia) and it sounds almost the exact route you took, minus the east coast, which we've seen quite a bit of.

Our plan is to go from Adelaide to Perth, then on to Broome, from Broome across and up to Darwin, then from Darwin over to Cape York. From Cape York, we're planning on going to Townsville (where husband's family is), and then from Townsville to Alice Springs and Uluru then back to Adelaide.

We'll only have 3 months to do this, do you think that's a reasonable time frame?

I'm interested to know how long it took you to do Cape York?

Look forward to hearing comments on our intended route :)

Janine

[sonusrc]

Best and good option for healthy and fresh mind is just go on for camping in australia,where people can find good sound advice on just about anything to do with camping.
Implementing new strategies for camping is really appreciating.Thanks.:rolleyes:

[mrburns]

Shame most Australians never get to see their own country, they always think "overseas" me included.
Sounds like you had a great time, well done.
I've seem more of Europe than Oz, but I must say Uluru and the Olgas and the red centre in general was just amazing, at least I got that far.

[EverNothing]

Awesome blog, CK. It was a great read. I've been camping before but not since I was a pimply faced teenager but i'm always looking to get back into the game.

Especially now that I can drink - legally. ;)

I have some quick questions for anyone who wishes to answer them...

* What coast is traditionally second to none when it comes to roughing it? North, South, East, West?

* What season of the year is the best time to set up camp, weather wise? Summer, Winter, Spring, Autumn?

* What is the #1 tool, device and/or gadget which is VERY important but is often forgotten or left at home by mistake?

Thanks.

[chrissylewis03]

I love this idea, camping all around australia. I was lucky enough, when i was a kid my mum took us from noosa (sunshine coast) to Perth down the bottom of oz. it took us about 3 months because we weren't in a hurry then we lived in fremantle for a year after that. us QLDers always find our way home though!

we saw some amazing things, as i was quite young i have retained a lot of images but couldn't remember many of the names of the places we stayed. I know we broke down on the nullabor plains and stayed there for a while in a hotel until we got the car fixed. we went through a few amazing caves through the nullabor plains, one of them collapsed on a group of people just a couple of weeks after we went through them! we were lucky!

we live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world and most people will still just go to the gold coast when they travel inside oz... there's so much more out there!

evernothing, you asked what an important tool, device and/or gadget is that is usually left behind? well we left behind a sensible, working car... we took a beat up old combi van which i would not recommend to anyone! i think it was broken down more then it was working!

[tripping]

Love all the photos in the blog. I keep saying I'm going to do a trip like that, but somehow stopping work for long enough never seems like an option :(

Cape York looks stunning!

[white_crane]

Awesome blog, CK. It was a great read. I've been camping before but not since I was a pimply faced teenager but i'm always looking to get back into the game.

Especially now that I can drink - legally. ;)

I have some quick questions for anyone who wishes to answer them...

* What coast is traditionally second to none when it comes to roughing it? North, South, East, West?

* What season of the year is the best time to set up camp, weather wise? Summer, Winter, Spring, Autumn?

* What is the #1 tool, device and/or gadget which is VERY important but is often forgotten or left at home by mistake?

Thanks.

The best time to camp all depends on the weather. I can tell you that in Nth Qld (and probably Northern Australia in general), winter is the peak season. For southern residents, our winter is like their summer. Also, summer means lots of rain, floods, cyclones and jellyfish. After the wet (April, May) can be a good time because everything is green, the creeks are flowing and the mass tourists and grey nomads haven't arrived yet.

Number one tool - a pocket knife? They can be very handy.

In terms of roughing it, most national parks in Qld have at least compost toilets, cold showers and bbq's.

[ck10_9]

Hi CK!

Your trip sounds fantastic, I'm just reading your blog now!
My husband, son and I are just starting to plan our trip around oz (we live in Adelaide, South Australia) and it sounds almost the exact route you took, minus the east coast, which we've seen quite a bit of.

Our plan is to go from Adelaide to Perth, then on to Broome, from Broome across and up to Darwin, then from Darwin over to Cape York. From Cape York, we're planning on going to Townsville (where husband's family is), and then from Townsville to Alice Springs and Uluru then back to Adelaide.

We'll only have 3 months to do this, do you think that's a reasonable time frame?

I'm interested to know how long it took you to do Cape York?

Look forward to hearing comments on our intended route :)

Janine

Hi Janine

Hows the trip planning?

3 Months is probably just long enough but you are going to see a hell of a lot of bitumen in a short time. One thing that blew us away was the size of the place and the distances involved in getting from one place to the next.
With the route you have given you will only be able to travel that in winter. Whilst the weather is great up north be prepared for sub zero temps in Alice in the winter - We were freeeezing!

Will you be doing the Gibb River Road?
Don't whatever you do miss Karijini National Park near Tom Price - Give yourself a couple of days at least to do some gorge walking - awesome place.

I assume you have a 4x4 so have a think about the Plenty Highway when going over to Alice - It is a decent shortcut. It is remote though so you need to be safety concious. We only saw 2 cars in around 700kms of dirt road. There is only one fuel stop in the middle now as well so take extra fuel.

We spent 13 days 'up the cape' and enjoyed every minute. Favourite part of the trip for me. We spent 3 nights on the OTL alone it was great camping out in the wilderness. Still though we could have spent a bit longer. We didn't even get over to Weipa.. :-(

Hope this helps a little
Any more specific questions let me know

[ck10_9]

Love all the photos in the blog. I keep saying I'm going to do a trip like that, but somehow stopping work for long enough never seems like an option :(

Cape York looks stunning!


Thanks - Yes Cape York was stunning I would recommend everyone go there.
But of course the lack of people going there is what keeps it such a great place!

http://twopomsandatruck.blogspot.com/

[ck10_9]

added another post for those that are keeping up

[boscodcosta]

There is undeniable beauty and magic on the Earth just waiting to be enjoyed, but only selective destinations around the world that will truly take your breath away.Thanks for the wonderful post.

[bazza]

Wowo sounds great - you've inpired me to go do some camping myself!

[buddinghealth]

Your trip sounds like it was an amazing experience, keeping a blog is such a nice way to remember your experiences and share them as well. Like bazza I think I'll be off camping again soon - I know its cooling down but you can't beat those early nights by the campfire....

[camper]

I wonder how it feels like to be at the most northern point of OZ? LOL. I love camping but havent tried a 4x4 driven to cape york. But i reckon it is a must to be experienced and keep a blog of it too! cool

[stunshaz]

Yes Cape york is a Beautiful place especially around Portland roads Iron range area, the Aboriginal rock art at Laura is well worth a look, I will be headin up there again in the not to distant future with the Missus as she has never been up there i have done countless trips up there as i used to live on the door step of it, we will be keepin an "online diary" here http://aroundozwithstunshaz.yolasite.com/ (http://aroundozwithstunshaz.yolasite.com/)
but of course i will not be attemptin the trip in the ute we are lookin forward to headin off thats for sure.

[Prawn_86]

Yes Cape york is a Beautiful place especially around Portland roads Iron range area, the Aboriginal rock art at Laura is well worth a look, I will be headin up there again in the not to distant future with the Missus as she has never been up there i have done countless trips up there as i used to live on the door step of it.

Hi Shaz,

Be sure to also write a journal for us in the journals section here:
http://www.aussietravellersforum.com.au/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=16 :)

[buddinghealth]

Definately get that travel blog up there - I'd like to find out more about cape york, how to get there etc - really liked the information in the link you posted, espesically the 'Auzzie' song!

[travelee]

It sounds great. I think your trip will be remembered by you for a long time. I am also interested in camping and want to have such kind of the trip. Are you going to do it once more?

[love2travel]

Hi Sonusrc

There are amazing places to camp around Australia because the country is so big Fraser Island, Great Ocean Road, Blue Mountains to name a few. It also depends what you are into and how much of an intrepid traveller you are and how deep into the nature you want to get. Caravan parks are ok if it is general camping but a lot of places have camp grounds and specific areas set up for camping too. Chillagoe in North Queensland is a cool place and the Undara Lava tubes is great too.

Where do you plan on going in particular?

[CradleMtn]

Hi All the blog is tarted up a bit now! And looking good if I do say so myself!

Great blog guys, really enjoyed skimming through it. What a fantastic trip! (looks like there was plenty of Aussie wine "tasted")

How are you coping with the boredom of working again? Must be hard.

[bucky]

This sounds like a simply awesome idea, I bet it was fun! Blog looks cool too by the way. I've been thinking of doing something similar, perhaps getting one of those "Wicked Vans" and doing massive trip around OZ.