We would like to travel from Gippsland in Victoria to Weipa next May.
We have a19ft Pop Top Caravan; not Off road. Towing with a Toyota Hilux 4wd.
Hopefully someone can advise if the road to Weipa (leaving from Cairns) is safe and sensible to tow a poptop without it falling to pieces.
Also wondering what Weipa is like for new visitors.
Your advice would be appreciated.
I actually emailed the Tourist Centre in Weipa but never received a reply.
Cheers
Bob
Peter_n_Margaret said
11:24 PM Jul 30, 2019
There is 400km (+/-) of gravel road to negotiate to get to Weipa.
Its condition will vary depending on the end of the wet season, the traffic density and the timing of the graders.
The road is in its best condition when it is first "Open to all traffic" after the wet season. That will mean that it has dried out and most grading is completed. Pretty much any vehicle can easily get through then with care. Problem is that this point in time will vary every year according to when the wet season finishes, so an exact date can never be established. One option is to wait somewhere until then and then go as soon as possible.
Coming back the road will usually have deteriorated somewhat and some corrugations will be expected. This will especially be the case after any school holidays.
Cheers,
Peter
The PDR is reported to be badly corrugated atm and at it's worst. Some of those reports come from locals and might be realistic. Most come from inexperienced travellers who rarely leave the tar and I take those with a grain of salt. Lower your tyre pressures, drive slower than normal (even on sealed bits if using low pressure), use UHF40, lights on and look out for following and oncoming vehicles.
cjt55 said
11:49 AM Aug 1, 2019
I strongly advise against it.
Relax-n said
06:41 AM Aug 9, 2019
We have just come back down the PDR, and it is really really bad in some spots.
There are some good spots, but as a van is something that you don't want to have to replace quickly, I would not recommend it.
Too many people driving way too fast, throwing up rocks. We got a few new w/screen chips.
There is some major works being done, which will be great when finished. Some great road on the way up was chewed to bits when we came back. It changes every day
Even a "made for it" van can twist and jump and do other stuff, but they don't make vans to take constant corrugation.
Cowboys will say "do 90 ks then you fly across the top". But not possible when the corrugation is so variant, up to 4 - 6 inches, and some spots sandy, not forgetting the dust holes.
Hi,
We would like to travel from Gippsland in Victoria to Weipa next May.
We have a19ft Pop Top Caravan; not Off road. Towing with a Toyota Hilux 4wd.
Hopefully someone can advise if the road to Weipa (leaving from Cairns) is safe and sensible to tow a poptop without it falling to pieces.
Also wondering what Weipa is like for new visitors.
Your advice would be appreciated.
I actually emailed the Tourist Centre in Weipa but never received a reply.
Cheers
Bob
Its condition will vary depending on the end of the wet season, the traffic density and the timing of the graders.
The road is in its best condition when it is first "Open to all traffic" after the wet season. That will mean that it has dried out and most grading is completed. Pretty much any vehicle can easily get through then with care. Problem is that this point in time will vary every year according to when the wet season finishes, so an exact date can never be established. One option is to wait somewhere until then and then go as soon as possible.
Coming back the road will usually have deteriorated somewhat and some corrugations will be expected. This will especially be the case after any school holidays.
Cheers,
Peter
Actually by the end of this dry season it is expected that there will only be about 200km of unsealed road to get to Weipa https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Projects/Name/C/Cape-York-Region-Package-Peninsula-Developmental-Road
We have just come back down the PDR, and it is really really bad in some spots.
There are some good spots, but as a van is something that you don't want to have to replace quickly, I would not recommend it.
Too many people driving way too fast, throwing up rocks. We got a few new w/screen chips.
There is some major works being done, which will be great when finished. Some great road on the way up was chewed to bits when we came back. It changes every day
Even a "made for it" van can twist and jump and do other stuff, but they don't make vans to take constant corrugation.
Cowboys will say "do 90 ks then you fly across the top". But not possible when the corrugation is so variant, up to 4 - 6 inches, and some spots sandy, not forgetting the dust holes.
DON'T PUT YOUR VAN THROUGH IT