Newbies Travelling from Illawarra to Cooktown August 2017
yaksta said
12:17 PM Oct 3, 2016
Hi all, time to take long service break and my wife and I are planning 3 months on the road with our Jayco Swan and Ford Territory (Not 4WD). Our basic plan is to travel to Cooktown with limited stop overs and then wind our way back home. Staying for a week if we like it and leaving next day if we don't is our plan for each stop on the way back home. Bit of golf, fishing and sitting on the beach with a good book.
Any tips regarding places to stop, places to avoid and anything that is a must have in the van appreciated.
We are planning a few weekend trips in the interim to get a feel of the setup etc and will have a 2 week stay on the South Coast in January. Prefer to stay in Parks but the odd night or two free camping is anticipated.
Cheers
Wayne
Tony Bev said
12:51 PM Oct 3, 2016
Hello yaksta
May I be one of the first to welcome you to the forum
I am sure that others who live/know of that area will come along and give advice
If you download an app called WikiCamps Australia (less than $10), it shows recommended camps, put up by other travellers
You can purchase the Camps Australia Wide 8 map book It has all the camp sites in Australia, paid, low cost, and free. It shows what is at that camp site, such as toilet/water/dump point/shade/BBQ/ etc
Hope that this info is helpful to you
yaksta said
12:59 PM Oct 3, 2016
Thanks Tony, one of the girls I work with gave me the same recommendation regarding Wiki. So will do that asap. Thanks again for the feedback.
rgren2 said
01:13 PM Oct 3, 2016
Don't travel to Cooktown during the wet season.
the rocket said
01:41 PM Oct 3, 2016
Welcome yaksta
Dougwe said
02:00 PM Oct 3, 2016
Welcome to the gang Wayne, enjoy here and out in the playground.
Keep Safe on the roads and out there.
yaksta said
03:00 PM Oct 3, 2016
rgren2 wrote:
Don't travel to Cooktown during the wet season.
Cheers, should be back near home by then.
Geeco said
03:01 PM Oct 3, 2016
Welcome to the forum Wayne. In June 2015 we took our MH to Cooktown via the Bruce Hwy with diversions to various beaches, waterfall etc along the way. We returned via Mt Surprise, Charters Towers, Emerald etc down the Kennedy Development road. If you go that way the Undara Lava Tubes is a must as is a UHF radio to talk to the road trains. That road is at best one lane of bitumen and with 200 tonnes of road train heading towards you it is nice to know they are coming so you can stop and get out of the way. Places to see and things to see depend on your interests. There is no end of places to see up & down both roads. Suggest you do some searching on the net as there is plenty of info to help with the decisions. Wikicamps is our accom bible however we always take hard copy maps. Lots of Qld outback is not so mobile phone friendly, we use the Optus network via Virgin mobile and it did offer coverage up the coast road most of the time but did fall off the perch inland in some areas. The general consensus is Telstra has a wider coverage but at a much higher price point. Remember Brisbane to Cairns is about the same distance as Brisbane to Melbourne so take your time and enjoy.
Fringe Dweller said
03:20 PM Oct 3, 2016
G'day Yaksta . Along with the others , welcome.
Yeah Wayne , I would be heading back by now , but getting there . Why not consider.
MacQuarie pass then to Goulburn , Crookwell , Cowra , Canowindra , Dubbo , Gilgandra , Walget , Th Ridge , St George.
Roma , Rolleston , Emerald , Clermont , Charters Towers , Th Lynd to Ath & Mareeba then Cooktown.
You can deviate from Roma or Emerald to do Longreach & Th Isa & Nomanton & th Gulf.
Some folk don't realise . You have to go west as far as Bourke or Cunnamulla , yep that is how far west Cairns is. So there is
heaps of room to do "your thing" . Same as heading back , if you hang around the Bruce & Pacific , you can shoot off to various
places & detours & still be heading home. Have a Great holiday & Keep it SAFE.
yaksta said
04:02 PM Oct 3, 2016
Cheers Fringe, food for thought. I go to Cowra each year for Easter playing golf so know it well. Yeah its strange that an inland tour is shorter than a coastal run. My wife loves the coast so it will take some convincing to drag her that way. I think she has given me permission to plan an inland route to Cooktown but coming home I think we'll be staying to the coast. Although it may surprise her and she may want to see more of the inland sites. Our initial plan was only to Cairns but had a couple of people say that Cooktown is worth a visit. See what feedback I get from the Nomads.
Gaylehere said
05:03 PM Oct 3, 2016
We have the Camps 8 book and find it a good resource but as you are leaving in August 2017 the next version should be on the market in February, 2017 as it comes out every two years if I remember correctly.
cruisaderhilton said
08:26 PM Oct 3, 2016
Hello ,you mentioned that you will be going via the coastal route but ,if you want to see waterfalls,scenery ,wildlife then when you get to Innisfail turn off the Bruce hwy and come up to the Atherton Tablelands ,Malanda also has the best cake &pie shop in nth queensland ,I know because i am an expert when it comes to these sorts of things .
JohnR said
08:53 PM Oct 3, 2016
Wayne
We have just spent 6 months in Qld between Brisbane and Mareeba. Did not make it to Cooktown this time. We prefer the inland ways to Qld from the Central West of NSW (Dubbo), however in Queensland as some one has mentioned it is about 1500klm+ to Cairns and another 200+ to Cooktown via the Bruce Highway.We utilized Caravan Parks with the occasional free camp along the way when heading North. This is the trip North:- Brisbane (Seventh Day Adventist Park Dakabin), Hervey Bay, Bundaberg, 1770 at Agnes Waters, Gladstone, Rockhampton, McKay, Airlie Beach, Bowen, Townsville, Mission Beach, Mareeba (Rodeo Grounds).
On the way back down South (Search Hervey Bay to Burren Junction and Mena Creek to Pilliga Scrub via Hervey Bay) this will detail free camps on the Bruce Higway. Note you will find August 2017 on the "Bruce" Highway extremely busy and still the Vic traffic in the area.
JohnR
brickies said
09:23 PM Oct 3, 2016
August is still busy time at coastal areas go up inland get to the top and work your way back down, We are in north Queensland right now and all the southern have gone south so it's free and easy , Remember you don't see much ocean from the Bruce highway it's mainly bush , Longreach , Winton great places to visit on the way up and head down the Bruce home , Cooktown great place to visit head there from Mareeba and drop into Port Douglas on the way back and head back down the coast .
yaksta said
05:01 PM Oct 4, 2016
Thanks John, did a bit more research yesterday based upon a few replies and the following is my suggested route to be run by the better half.
The return Journey will be much slower and take in a lot more towns back down the east coast.
Cheers
yaksta said
05:28 PM Oct 4, 2016
cruisaderhilton wrote:
Hello ,you mentioned that you will be going via the coastal route but ,if you want to see waterfalls,scenery ,wildlife then when you get to Innisfail turn off the Bruce hwy and come up to the Atherton Tablelands ,Malanda also has the best cake &pie shop in nth queensland ,I know because i am an expert when it comes to these sorts of things .
Hi all, time to take long service break and my wife and I are planning 3 months on the road with our Jayco Swan and Ford Territory (Not 4WD). Our basic plan is to travel to Cooktown with limited stop overs and then wind our way back home. Staying for a week if we like it and leaving next day if we don't is our plan for each stop on the way back home. Bit of golf, fishing and sitting on the beach with a good book.
Any tips regarding places to stop, places to avoid and anything that is a must have in the van appreciated.
We are planning a few weekend trips in the interim to get a feel of the setup etc and will have a 2 week stay on the South Coast in January. Prefer to stay in Parks but the odd night or two free camping is anticipated.
Cheers
Wayne
Hello yaksta
May I be one of the first to welcome you to the forum
I am sure that others who live/know of that area will come along and give advice
If you download an app called WikiCamps Australia (less than $10), it shows recommended camps, put up by other travellers
You can purchase the Camps Australia Wide 8 map book
It has all the camp sites in Australia, paid, low cost, and free.
It shows what is at that camp site, such as toilet/water/dump point/shade/BBQ/ etc
Hope that this info is helpful to you
Don't travel to Cooktown during the wet season.
Welcome yaksta
Keep Safe on the roads and out there.
Cheers, should be back near home by then.
G'day Yaksta . Along with the others , welcome.
Yeah Wayne , I would be heading back by now , but getting there . Why not consider.
MacQuarie pass then to Goulburn , Crookwell , Cowra , Canowindra , Dubbo , Gilgandra , Walget , Th Ridge , St George.
Roma , Rolleston , Emerald , Clermont , Charters Towers , Th Lynd to Ath & Mareeba then Cooktown.
You can deviate from Roma or Emerald to do Longreach & Th Isa & Nomanton & th Gulf.
Some folk don't realise . You have to go west as far as Bourke or Cunnamulla , yep that is how far west Cairns is. So there is
heaps of room to do "your thing" . Same as heading back , if you hang around the Bruce & Pacific , you can shoot off to various
places & detours & still be heading home. Have a Great holiday & Keep it SAFE.
Cheers Fringe, food for thought. I go to Cowra each year for Easter playing golf so know it well. Yeah its strange that an inland tour is shorter than a coastal run. My wife loves the coast so it will take some convincing to drag her that way. I think she has given me permission to plan an inland route to Cooktown but coming home I think we'll be staying to the coast. Although it may surprise her and she may want to see more of the inland sites. Our initial plan was only to Cairns but had a couple of people say that Cooktown is worth a visit. See what feedback I get from the Nomads.
Wayne
We have just spent 6 months in Qld between Brisbane and Mareeba. Did not make it to Cooktown this time. We prefer the inland ways to Qld from the Central West of NSW (Dubbo), however in Queensland as some one has mentioned it is about 1500klm+ to Cairns and another 200+ to Cooktown via the Bruce Highway.We utilized Caravan Parks with the occasional free camp along the way when heading North. This is the trip North:- Brisbane (Seventh Day Adventist Park Dakabin), Hervey Bay, Bundaberg, 1770 at Agnes Waters, Gladstone, Rockhampton, McKay, Airlie Beach, Bowen, Townsville, Mission Beach, Mareeba (Rodeo Grounds).
On the way back down South (Search Hervey Bay to Burren Junction and Mena Creek to Pilliga Scrub via Hervey Bay) this will detail free camps on the Bruce Higway. Note you will find August 2017 on the "Bruce" Highway extremely busy and still the Vic traffic in the area.
JohnR
Thanks John, did a bit more research yesterday based upon a few replies and the following is my suggested route to be run by the better half.
Tamworth, Toowoomba, Roma, Emerald, Charters Towers, Atherton & Cooktown.
The return Journey will be much slower and take in a lot more towns back down the east coast.
Cheers
Can't beat a good pie