Hi there, my hubby and I are planning a 6mth trip around our beautiful country with our van Departing Jul 17. We've not done such a big trip before. Do you have any tips & must see places for us. We're in SA & are heading west 1st. Thanks in advance
Cupie said
11:25 AM Apr 6, 2017
Firstly welcome to the Forum.
Wow that's a very large topic. You can fill a book with things not to miss & many do. As well it all depends on what turns you on. Some love isolation, bush experiences while others love the coast etc etc. It's an individual thing. Some just have a tick list of touristy things & that's fine, while others avoid such things and try to get immersed with the communities ... whatever.
What we did many years ago was to start with several years supply of Caravanning Magazines & wade thru them looking for ideas. Then of course lots of those 'Travel Australia' coffee table books. We got lots of individual area travel brochures from State & local Tourist Info centres. I set up volumes with material in sections based on regions & used it to update my memory as we moved around the place. Bulky & heavy though. We also devoured piles of Leyland Bros., Ted Egan & all those other Aus Travel videos .. still use them ... years of watching just in that area.
These days google/internet gives access to immense volumes of information & might be a better source.
But I suppose that you are looking for a distillation of all that stuff.
The best general advice that I can give is to take your time & talk to the locals & fellow travelers as you go.
Perhaps you can get specific info from the other sub forums on here like .. 'Travel Blogs by Members' and 'Recommendations' or even using the search function in relation to specific areas .. eg 'Tasmania'.
Good luck .... enjoy.
ps ... 6 months might seem a lot but in reality it's not but its a great start. Don't try to do too much. Perhaps this trip will just give you a taste & help you refine what turns you on in preparation for all the experiences that lie ahead in your touring life.
-- Edited by Cupie on Thursday 6th of April 2017 11:32:21 AM
woolman said
11:36 AM Apr 6, 2017
In 6 months I would just be doing WA. Enjoy the nullabor the head north from Kalgoolie to Karijinj, then work your way zig zag south wards from there. That way you will follow the wild flowers and the good weather down. Be too late to get to Kimberly's if you going to see any thing in WA. Don't forget WA is one third of Australia.
Good luck and travel safe.
Neil
brickies said
01:07 PM Apr 6, 2017
Six months is not a long time to do what you want to do , Seeing you are not starting till 19 Jul , Have a think about going up the centre to Darwin while you have cooler weather then head down the western Australian to Perth , Then head back to South Australia , The Top end of australia can get very hot in summer , You can always do Queensland another time .
macka17 said
01:17 PM Apr 6, 2017
As above.
6 months is nothing. you'll only skim over the surface and spend most time travelling.
Myself. I'd start going East.
Adel to Newell Hway. Up the Newell to Leichardt H,Way.
chuck a Rightie at the end. and go East to coast.
Head North and round from there. and see the real AUSTRALIA.
Come back down the middle.
Then NEXT trip. do the WEST.
I've sailed round the island. M'Biked round . Several or more times vanning.
Done the West once. loooong time ago.
Too much of nothing after driving through a lot of nothing there. For me.
but we all different.
There's nothing. really till you get North of Bundy.
Then Australia in real life. Q'Land and the Territory.
Nothing like them anywhere else in the world. apart from maybe Alaska
and Egypt.
But that's only My opinion. I started from Adel 35 yrs ago,
Never really been back apart for visits.
They have the best sailing in Aust South of Lincoln down there.
Been here 44yrs. Never even seen Sydney yet. only the main road through NSW heading North. with one fuel stop on the way inside the border. YUK...
EX Bikie. 40\30 yrs ago NSW Police were the biggest pigs on the planet when they saw ANY bike with interstate plates.
Whichever way you go. Enjoy. It's ALL good really.
Everybody has their own preferences.
Me. I don't like anywhere UNDER 25deg minimum. Night or day.
Tony Bev said
03:55 PM Apr 6, 2017
Hello Scotty86526
May I be one of the first to welcome you to the forum
Unfortunately one mans utopia place to visit, may also be another mans nightmare There are so many places to see, and if everyone nominated just one of their best places, you would be criss crossing, this large and wonderful country of ours, for a long time
My first lap went from November 2013 to April 2014 (6 months) I picked my route and followed it, without backtracking, but I did miss a lot of places, other travellers had recommended to me I basically left WA and went around the coast to south of Newcastle NSW, went inland to Emerald QLD, across to Threeways NT, up to Katherine, and then along the coast back home, staying on the bitumen
I can recommend both the Camp Australia Wide book, (the latest is book 9) And the WikiCamps apps
On this forum under this link below Are place for free/budget camps, which some members have recommended, broken up into state regions
Hope that this info is useful to you, and that you have a very nice first lap of the backyard
Aus-Kiwi said
04:09 PM Apr 6, 2017
We did SA -WA - NT then back to NSW Home . Took as 7 months âºï¸. Looking back there's plenty I would like to look over again or better look rather than driving past ., One thing is take your time .. Plan ., Ask questions from the locals . WA is a VERY big state . So much to see and so easy to miss . We mainly did the WA coast .
Gaylehere said
08:30 PM Apr 6, 2017
For places to see I would also scroll through some of the "Pick this Place" here under the general forum. I have put some of those places on my to see list. Pick this Place has been going for 6 years and covers places all over Australia. Have some decent heating, particularly if free camping down south, during winter. Don't over load your van/vehicle. There's an article in the current CMCA magazine if you are a member on this that you might find useful. Also, if going into National Parks in WA you can buy a 12 month ticket which we felt was worthwhile. Some parks do have extra entrance fees but we felt we got value for money. If traveling with a pet then National Parks are a no go area. NSW National Parks also have a scheme. Before we go away I usually visit our local Tourist Information Center and pick up brochures if you like paper copies. There's always plenty from interstate as well as our home state and we visit other information centers as we go along. Also look at the postcards they have on sale for places to see and generally talk to people in your travels. Take clothing that is easy to wash and look after and that won't shrink in a very hot dryer. (A lesson learnt). We all make mistakes with what to take and not to take and would do some things differently. At some stage on your trip you will probably get some wet weather so give this some thought too. Most of all enjoy your travels. Cheers.
Warren-Pat_01 said
08:35 PM Apr 6, 2017
Don't forget to stop at the Whale Watching Platform at Head of Bight - at that time of the year, you should see lots of Southern Right whales. Before you get there however, try some of Australia's best oysters at Ceduna/Smokey Bay.
Koonalda Station has featured in some magazines recently - it shows the life that the Gurney family lived in a difficult location. Old Cyril was good for a yarn when we used to go in for fuel (off the old highway(?) in the 70s. The odd goat would wander through the house (made from railway sleepers) at times!
Bremer Bay (in WA) is a known haunt of Orca whales (we've seen & photographed them from a distance). All along the bays there you should see the Southern Right whales - we even saw one with a calf jumping out of the water (a never to forget experience but too quick for the camera). We guessed it was giving lessons to the young one - or was aware we didn't have the cameras ready!
Some say the "Nullarbor" is boring (most of them think that it starts at Port Augusta) & there's nothing to see but there are caves, blow holes to be seen if you know where to go. As well there is some unique bird & wildlife there too.
Just be prepared for some chilly & strong head winds (the reason most travellers go anti-clockwise) but you can also have some nice weather too.
Scotty86526 said
01:09 PM Apr 7, 2017
Hi again, thanks' for all of your comments and advice. We have already travelled extensively over Oz, but I am the only one who seen most of the West, so it's now time for the chief cook and bottle washer to have a look!! I understand why we have been advised to travel anti-clockwise from SA, unfortunately our plans don't allow it. The majority of the time will be between the Nullarbor to Katherine as we have to be in Sydney in Nov and Melb in Dec before retuning home.
Hi there, my hubby and I are planning a 6mth trip around our beautiful country with our van Departing Jul 17. We've not done such a big trip before. Do you have any tips & must see places for us. We're in SA & are heading west 1st. Thanks in advance
Firstly welcome to the Forum.
Wow that's a very large topic. You can fill a book with things not to miss & many do. As well it all depends on what turns you on. Some love isolation, bush experiences while others love the coast etc etc. It's an individual thing. Some just have a tick list of touristy things & that's fine, while others avoid such things and try to get immersed with the communities ... whatever.
What we did many years ago was to start with several years supply of Caravanning Magazines & wade thru them looking for ideas. Then of course lots of those 'Travel Australia' coffee table books. We got lots of individual area travel brochures from State & local Tourist Info centres. I set up volumes with material in sections based on regions & used it to update my memory as we moved around the place. Bulky & heavy though. We also devoured piles of Leyland Bros., Ted Egan & all those other Aus Travel videos .. still use them ... years of watching just in that area.
These days google/internet gives access to immense volumes of information & might be a better source.
But I suppose that you are looking for a distillation of all that stuff.
The best general advice that I can give is to take your time & talk to the locals & fellow travelers as you go.
Perhaps you can get specific info from the other sub forums on here like .. 'Travel Blogs by Members' and 'Recommendations' or even using the search function in relation to specific areas .. eg 'Tasmania'.
Good luck .... enjoy.
ps ... 6 months might seem a lot but in reality it's not but its a great start. Don't try to do too much. Perhaps this trip will just give you a taste & help you refine what turns you on in preparation for all the experiences that lie ahead in your touring life.
-- Edited by Cupie on Thursday 6th of April 2017 11:32:21 AM
6 months is nothing. you'll only skim over the surface and spend most time travelling.
Myself. I'd start going East.
Adel to Newell Hway. Up the Newell to Leichardt H,Way.
chuck a Rightie at the end. and go East to coast.
Head North and round from there. and see the real AUSTRALIA.
Come back down the middle.
Then NEXT trip. do the WEST.
I've sailed round the island. M'Biked round . Several or more times vanning.
Done the West once. loooong time ago.
Too much of nothing after driving through a lot of nothing there. For me.
but we all different.
There's nothing. really till you get North of Bundy.
Then Australia in real life. Q'Land and the Territory.
Nothing like them anywhere else in the world. apart from maybe Alaska
and Egypt.
But that's only My opinion. I started from Adel 35 yrs ago,
Never really been back apart for visits.
They have the best sailing in Aust South of Lincoln down there.
Been here 44yrs. Never even seen Sydney yet. only the main road through NSW heading North. with one fuel stop on the way inside the border. YUK...
EX Bikie. 40\30 yrs ago NSW Police were the biggest pigs on the planet when they saw ANY bike with interstate plates.
Whichever way you go. Enjoy. It's ALL good really.
Everybody has their own preferences.
Me. I don't like anywhere UNDER 25deg minimum. Night or day.
Hello Scotty86526
May I be one of the first to welcome you to the forum
Unfortunately one mans utopia place to visit, may also be another mans nightmare
There are so many places to see, and if everyone nominated just one of their best places, you would be criss crossing, this large and wonderful country of ours, for a long time
My first lap went from November 2013 to April 2014 (6 months)
I picked my route and followed it, without backtracking, but I did miss a lot of places, other travellers had recommended to me
I basically left WA and went around the coast to south of Newcastle NSW, went inland to Emerald QLD, across to Threeways NT, up to Katherine, and then along the coast back home, staying on the bitumen
I can recommend both the
Camp Australia Wide book, (the latest is book 9)
And the WikiCamps apps
On this forum under this link below
Are place for free/budget camps, which some members have recommended, broken up into state regions
http://thegreynomads.activeboard.com/f474339/freebudget-campsites-suggested-by-our-contributors/
Also on this forum under this second link below
Are caravan parks which some members have stayed in, and recommended
http://thegreynomads.activeboard.com/f527151/caravan-parks/
Hope that this info is useful to you, and that you have a very nice first lap of the backyard
Koonalda Station has featured in some magazines recently - it shows the life that the Gurney family lived in a difficult location. Old Cyril was good for a yarn when we used to go in for fuel (off the old highway(?) in the 70s. The odd goat would wander through the house (made from railway sleepers) at times!
Bremer Bay (in WA) is a known haunt of Orca whales (we've seen & photographed them from a distance). All along the bays there you should see the Southern Right whales - we even saw one with a calf jumping out of the water (a never to forget experience but too quick for the camera). We guessed it was giving lessons to the young one - or was aware we didn't have the cameras ready!
Some say the "Nullarbor" is boring (most of them think that it starts at Port Augusta) & there's nothing to see but there are caves, blow holes to be seen if you know where to go. As well there is some unique bird & wildlife there too.
Just be prepared for some chilly & strong head winds (the reason most travellers go anti-clockwise) but you can also have some nice weather too.