check out the new remote control Jockey Wheel SmartBar Canegrowers rearview170 Cobb Grill Skid Row Recovery Gear
Members Login
Username 
 
Password 
    Remember Me  
Post Info TOPIC: Dayles Gorge Camping Karijini


Senior Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 235
Date:
Dayles Gorge Camping Karijini


Hi,

Has anybody stayed at Dayles Gorge Camping area at Karajini. I have tried to book into there on the National Parks website, and it says you cant book in advance. Its a busy time of the year that we want to stay there [early June]  so having a booking would be great. Does anyone have any suggestions. We have a 2wd Motorhome....



__________________

Avan Ovation M7 with Fiat Ducato 3 Lire diesel engine, 2 x 160watt rooftop solar panels, 3 x 100a/h batteries, self contained with separate toilet [SOG NO CHEMICALS], and shower, 100 litre fresh water tank and 100 litre grey water tank



Senior Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 418
Date:

We have stayed there, its a convenient basic campground, with just drop toilets, no other facilities. Its a very big campground with several loops of camping, some allow generators and some don't. We were there late in the tourist season and it was almost empty. My understanding is that except for school holidays you should always get in, they do have an overflow area if the main camping area happens to be full, but in June I feel you won't have any problems. The road to the campground is sealed, the camping loops are good gravel, no worries for 2wd.



__________________


Senior Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 235
Date:

Thanks, its just that its the long weekend

__________________

Avan Ovation M7 with Fiat Ducato 3 Lire diesel engine, 2 x 160watt rooftop solar panels, 3 x 100a/h batteries, self contained with separate toilet [SOG NO CHEMICALS], and shower, 100 litre fresh water tank and 100 litre grey water tank

jrg


Senior Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 121
Date:

Arrive about 10 am and be first in the que all should be good arrive at 5 pm and you could be dissappointed.


__________________


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 508
Date:

There is an overflow area if you get in later and Dales is full. Will always find a spot but may have to move into Dales next day. If you take your time there is lots to see. Been camp hosting there many times and is my favorite place in Australia.

 

Neil



__________________


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 1889
Date:

In 2015 when we were up there we stayed in the overflow area. We arrived just after 5pm and the NP office was shut for the day. There was 2 good drop toilets at the overflow area. Like most places take a roll of toilet paper just in case. We were happy with the overflow area.

__________________


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 637
Date:

awful place to camp. expensive for a 3 x 6 m parking bay that is either muddy from a previous camper or so rocky you might easily roll your ankle.
generators droning all day and night. no camp fires or other things to while away the later hours and truly smelly drop toilets.

Karinjini is however worth at least a few days of your time. Truly awesome gorges and swimming holes. wear your swimming gear on each gorge walk.

Best place to stay is at the Albert Tognilini Rest Area on the great northern hwy only a few km outside of the national park. Fantastic views and heaps of space well off the road. Safe to unhitch and day trip into the gorges of Karinjini NP.

__________________


Senior Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 418
Date:

Hylife wrote:

awful place to camp. expensive for a 3 x 6 m parking bay that is either muddy from a previous camper or so rocky you might easily roll your ankle.
generators droning all day and night. no camp fires or other things to while away the later hours and truly smelly drop toilets.

Karinjini is however worth at least a few days of your time. Truly awesome gorges and swimming holes. wear your swimming gear on each gorge walk.

Best place to stay is at the Albert Tognilini Rest Area on the great northern hwy only a few km outside of the national park. Fantastic views and heaps of space well off the road. Safe to unhitch and day trip into the gorges of Karinjini NP.


 Almost sounds like you stayed at a different campground to us.     Our site was considerably larger than 3 x 6m, it fitted our 20 ft van with the awning out and our car comfortably, and were reasonable gravel.   The toilets were about as clean as a drop toilet can be, the camp hosts were regularly doing the rounds cleaning.    We were in a non generator loop, some loops do allow generators so in those I would expect generator noise.       At $22 a night it isn't as cheap as a free camp, but I didn't think it was overly expensive either.  

Agree about the awesome gorges and swimming holes.



__________________


Senior Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 235
Date:

Thanks for that correction Meredith ... great stuff



__________________

Avan Ovation M7 with Fiat Ducato 3 Lire diesel engine, 2 x 160watt rooftop solar panels, 3 x 100a/h batteries, self contained with separate toilet [SOG NO CHEMICALS], and shower, 100 litre fresh water tank and 100 litre grey water tank



Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 4711
Date:

I think Hylife was referring to the overflow camping and not Dales. It is a bit bare and some people have little consideration for others as to where they drop their water.

__________________

PeterD
Nissan Navara D23 diesel auto, Spaceland pop-top
Retired radio and electronics technician.
NSW Central Coast.

 



Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 1889
Date:

I think with all places they can be very different at different times. When we were at the overflow area the toilets were clean. Don't remember any generator noise and you just drove in and found a spot. No mud and we wouldn't think to drop our water, but like PeterD said some people have little consideration for others no matter where they are.

__________________


Senior Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 235
Date:

Thanks to everyone for their input..



__________________

Avan Ovation M7 with Fiat Ducato 3 Lire diesel engine, 2 x 160watt rooftop solar panels, 3 x 100a/h batteries, self contained with separate toilet [SOG NO CHEMICALS], and shower, 100 litre fresh water tank and 100 litre grey water tank



Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 637
Date:

PeterD wrote:

I think Hylife was referring to the overflow camping and not Dales. It is a bit bare and some people have little consideration for others as to where they drop their water.


Nope, was at the main Dales Camp. 

Generators had their allocated area but the noise simply carried everywhere.
Even the camp host had two generators running 24/7. Silly twit had no idea about power requirements. Said his 3way fridge used too much gas and he was contracted for 3 months which meant he couldn't go get his gas bottles refilled and his batteries would only last a couple of hours.

No worse than so many inconsiderate campers these days that simply get around the no generator rules by starting their tug and letting it run at a fast idle for 3 hours. Worse than a generator.

Could barely fit our 16 footer in and certainly couldn't open the awning. All around were big wooden posts 1 foot away on offside and 3 feet out on door side. We had to park the tug on an angle to get most of it off the loop track.

Every car that arrived or departed had to drive right around the one-way loop track kicking up storms of dust regardless of how slow they drove. The entire camp area is all rock (well duh, of course it is, that's why we visit) which means any water released from previous campers flows widely across the ground making muddy boggy sites.

$22 a night for tiny unpowered sites covered in baseball sized muddy river rocks? I dunno if anyone else has every stopped at the massive Albert Tog rest area just down the road, but it is far superior and free.



__________________


The Happy Helper

Status: Offline
Posts: 12023
Date:

Crikey, we were there in 2005 or 2004 - It was great - and about $9 - we had a camper trailer, and had no problem parking in the alcove allotted - there was a bbq or stove thing in the middle of our section, everyone was boiling water, etc. Must say though, that we were showering at 3pm and in bed by 7pm - boy it was cold - early June - beautiful days though.

__________________

jules
"Love is good for the human being!!"
(Ben, aged 10)



Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 4711
Date:

Hylife wrote:
PeterD wrote:

I think Hylife was referring to the overflow camping and not Dales. It is a bit bare and some people have little consideration for others as to where they drop their water.


Nope, was at the main Dales Camp. 

Generators had their allocated area but the noise simply carried everywhere.
Even the camp host had two generators running 24/7. Silly twit had no idea about power requirements. Said his 3way fridge used too much gas and he was contracted for 3 months which meant he couldn't go get his gas bottles refilled and his batteries would only last a couple of hours.

No worse than so many inconsiderate campers these days that simply get around the no generator rules by starting their tug and letting it run at a fast idle for 3 hours. Worse than a generator.

Could barely fit our 16 footer in and certainly couldn't open the awning. All around were big wooden posts 1 foot away on offside and 3 feet out on door side. We had to park the tug on an angle to get most of it off the loop track.

Every car that arrived or departed had to drive right around the one-way loop track kicking up storms of dust regardless of how slow they drove. The entire camp area is all rock (well duh, of course it is, that's why we visit) which means any water released from previous campers flows widely across the ground making muddy boggy sites.

$22 a night for tiny unpowered sites covered in baseball sized muddy river rocks? I dunno if anyone else has every stopped at the massive Albert Tog rest area just down the road, but it is far superior and free.


 There are plenty of comments in WikiCamps. The only one bad comment was in reference to the overflow camp site.



__________________

PeterD
Nissan Navara D23 diesel auto, Spaceland pop-top
Retired radio and electronics technician.
NSW Central Coast.

 



Veteran Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 88
Date:

Hylife wrote:
PeterD wrote:

I think Hylife was referring to the overflow camping and not Dales. It is a bit bare and some people have little consideration for others as to where they drop their water.


Nope, was at the main Dales Camp. 

Generators had their allocated area but the noise simply carried everywhere.
Even the camp host had two generators running 24/7. Silly twit had no idea about power requirements. Said his 3way fridge used too much gas and he was contracted for 3 months which meant he couldn't go get his gas bottles refilled and his batteries would only last a couple of hours.

No worse than so many inconsiderate campers these days that simply get around the no generator rules by starting their tug and letting it run at a fast idle for 3 hours. Worse than a generator.

Could barely fit our 16 footer in and certainly couldn't open the awning. All around were big wooden posts 1 foot away on offside and 3 feet out on door side. We had to park the tug on an angle to get most of it off the loop track.

Every car that arrived or departed had to drive right around the one-way loop track kicking up storms of dust regardless of how slow they drove. The entire camp area is all rock (well duh, of course it is, that's why we visit) which means any water released from previous campers flows widely across the ground making muddy boggy sites.

$22 a night for tiny unpowered sites covered in baseball sized muddy river rocks? I dunno if anyone else has every stopped at the massive Albert Tog rest area just down the road, but it is far superior and free.


Wow sounds like a different place to when we stayed there last year.  Being peak time we arrived mid morning and had no trouble getting a good spot.  It was a bit tight getting out 21ft van in because of bollards but plenty of room once in and the sites were well spread out.  The toilets were as clean as I have ever seen for drop toilets and the bucket of water and brush beside them helps.  Certainly no smells.  From memory we only paid $14/n concession. We were in the generator section but could only run it certain hours if we needed to.  We thought it was a well run camp with camp hosts doing a great job.  

The park itself is amazing and we loved exploring the gorges with some of them being quite difficult and rugged walks.  The roads were in need of a good grade but we lowered tyre pressures and took our time.  Karijini was one of the highlights of our 7.5 month trip.   



__________________


Senior Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 235
Date:

Now I am totally confused ... we had planned on staying there in June ?



__________________

Avan Ovation M7 with Fiat Ducato 3 Lire diesel engine, 2 x 160watt rooftop solar panels, 3 x 100a/h batteries, self contained with separate toilet [SOG NO CHEMICALS], and shower, 100 litre fresh water tank and 100 litre grey water tank



Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 4711
Date:

What are you confused about? It is a primitive campground with the some long drop dunnies well placed amongst the van sites. The sites are grouped in areas along the loop roads. There is an area for generators, the rest is generator free. There is only one respondent that has anything against and he sounds like he was in an area that had a crowd overloading it or in the overflow area which is a short distance from the ranger station. There is no adverse comment at all in WikiCamps (I suggest you get a copy if you do not have one.)

You can not book so I suggest you find an overnight camp within an hour or two of Dales. Arrive by mid morning and you will most likely get a choice of sites.

See the aerial view of the park.



__________________

PeterD
Nissan Navara D23 diesel auto, Spaceland pop-top
Retired radio and electronics technician.
NSW Central Coast.

 

Page 1 of 1  sorted by
 
Quick Reply

Please log in to post quick replies.

Tweet this page Post to Digg Post to Del.icio.us
Purchase Grey Nomad bumper stickers Read our daily column, the Nomad News The Grey Nomad's Guidebook