Unfortunately, this is the wrong time of year to enjoy that country.
From the end of August it can get too hot out there so I would not recommend that area at that time of year at all.
There will be very few tourists out there (except for a few Europeans that take huge risks, or don't know better) and not too many locals either.

If you can not change the dates, I would suggest maybe the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, and southern Australia generally with maybe short trips into the desert areas if the weather looks kind.
If you can change your dates, try for May to August, September at a pinch and we will find a much more interesting route for you to tackle.

We have some very good Dutch friends who toured Australia for 5 1/2 years in a motorhome. Maybe you would like to chat with them?

Cheers,
Peter

Peter,
Thanks a lot for ur reaction.
We are bound by timeframe I stated ( unfortunately)
We will happily abandon shortcut plans, and look forward to your trip suggestions, pls bear in mind we did over 12k on bitumen already , so some real outback experience is what we are looking for,
like 50% of our total timeframe.

you may contact me on : j.denkers@denkers.fr should you wish so.

Thnx

Jacob

This our schedule:

Arriving Melbourne sept 26th.
Hiring rentals ( Cruiser 8 cyl outback proof) and Caravan ( outback proof....) in Albury.
Abury will be our starting point, and our return to location.
Fying out of Melbourne ( Maybe Sydney..)no later than dec. 4/5th.

What we did so far ( in 2014 same period sept-dec.) :
From Sydney up to Townsville along the coast, I am scuba diver so obviously I take a trip in Airlie beach.. than from there through the country, via Blue mountains to Melbourne,
couple days there, than to Adelaide ( Great Ocean obviously), from Adelaide via Gawler and Freeling ( The Daughters!!!!!) up to Erldunda and Uluru.
From Uluru back via Flinders( couple a days there amongst which the crater..) along the Murray river back to Albury, to return deliver, equipment and afterwards got a breather in Sydney.

Not really outback there, .... I have been standing at the beginning of dock river road.... and it started itching'!!! I really want to do some dirt road dancing.... anyway we are/were thinking now longest shortcut, but seems bad idea, ok, now you know what we have seen.( Oonandatta seems like a very exotic name and track to us.. the name promises history and awe.....)

So basically WA would be of most interest for us, we are not really into birds or some special thing, we are in love with the scenery and yes the aussies too, you guys have the best from Europe ( Italian coffee) and the best from USA ( love for 8 cylinder vehicles) ha..

Yes I read about the Eyre peninsula, and Lincoln ... (shire..?) of course we can faze that into our trip !

Cheers

Jacob

.... I have been standing at the beginning of dock river road.... and it started itching'!!! I really want to do some dirt road dancing....

That is wonderful. I know exactly what you mean.

Tell us some more about this "outback proof" caravan. I have never heard about one of those.

The Holland Track that Willem mentioned is an interesting route, but not one that I would drive half way across Australia to see. And it may be a bit too narrow in some places for your 'caravan'? The wildflowers are spectacular in WA. Our favorite places in the west are the Pilbara and the Kimberley, but you are too late in the year to be heading up there because it would be very hot and the start of the wet would be developing.

Some year you must visit in our winter for those special places up north.

You mention the Oodnadatta Track. It is possibly the most interesting of all of Australia's iconic 'tracks', although it is just a wide gravel road these days. There is tens of thousands of years of history as a trading route all the way to the present with lots of 'modern' history and remnants of the overland telegraph line and the Ghan train. I would not normally recommend people go that route this late in the season, but it may be possible, with luck, to have a reasonable window of weather.

This is what it was in the middle of November 2009.

High 40sC with very strong winds. Not a place to have a breakdown, and it will seriously test your 'outback proof' caravan. I seriously suggest you equip yourself with an Australian registered PLB (with GPS) https://www.gme.net.au/catalogue/emergency-beacons-and-safety/mt410gaus.aspx and maybe a hire sat phone.

The Oodnadatta Track also provides access to Lake Eyre from William Creek which currently has water in it, but may be dry again by the time you get there.

So I am thinking, do your desert roads as early as possible in your trip....

Albury, Broken Hill, Mutawintji National Park, Milparinka, Tibooburra, Warri Gate (dog fence), Cameron Corner, Merty Merty, (maybe Innamincka and Coongie Lakes?), Moomba, Lyndhurst, Marree, William Creek (to Lake Eyre), Oodnadatta (Painted Desert), Coober Pedy, (via Moon Plain and the Breakaways), Woomera, Wilmington, Burra, Freeling.

Some of our favourite country in there.

Then a few weeks on Eyre Peninsula or follow the SA coast east.

Cheers,

Peter

 

 

 

-- Edited by Peter_n_Margaret on Monday 25th of January 2016 11:53:41 AM

Trying to advise Europeans about travelling Australia is always difficult Willem, as you well know.
Some want to go from city to city, some want to see the 'bush' by road, but have no concept of how big the place is and think they can do 3 times as much as is practical or sensible. We try to limit ourselves to an average of 100km per day. That gives flexibility to spend a few days at a great spot or take an unplanned detour to somewhere discovered on the way or accept the invitation from a local to a week on a cattle station. These are the things that add real experiences and life long memories.
"Hot, dusty, flies?" That is enough to put some off the bush for life (not Jacob though, I anticipate).
And then there is the weather. They are not common, thank goodness, but we still have deaths that are closely related to weather, remote areas and vehicle break downs. Most can be avoided, but even apart from the risks, being in the right place a the right time can make an enormous difference to the enjoyment of an area. One January, we spent a week on a cattle station out from Coober Pedy. It was near 50C EVERY day, and there was work that needed to be done in those conditions. There is no way I would suggest that European visitors subject themselves to that for fun, but some do.

Cheers,
Peter

Kijk eens aan Jacob alles in control zie ik
tegen de tijd kom ff terug hier dan kan ik je altijd ff me telefoon nummer geven indat je het nodig hebt
je weet maar nooit
wij woonen 4 uurtjes boven Brisbane bij auto


Proost Marjoleine en John

Sorry, ik begrijp niet een woord Nederlands.

Cheers,
Peter

Hi, John just concludes that Jacob has everything under control. And at the end of the trip he invites Jacob to come to Hervey Bay for drinks and nibbles (but that's not in the message) Wants to give Jacob his phone number and that it is a 4 hours trip from Brisbane.

And Peter, after this Sorry, ik begrijp niet een woord Nederlands no Dutchman will believe you any more.

Hello Jacob,

Holland Track and The Lily are only of interest if you are heading for WA. Here the track notes on Exploroz: www.exploroz.com/TrekNotes/SouthCoast/Holland_Track.aspx

And it shows up when you type Holland Track in Google Maps.

Funny, in your answer you say you do 1400 km in one day, trek notes say you do 730 km in 3 days .Two worlds.

Cheers,

Willem

Jacob70 wrote:

---

Hi Willem

from south of france back to holland, home to home is 1400 km, no towing, just speeding..two gas/sanitary stops , so one day is ok, leave 0800 and coming home 20.00 hr.

Will check out your above stated
Thanks & Cheers.

Jacob

Have a safe trip.

Hope you don't get caught speeding  Free Dictionary: 'The act or instance of operating a motor vehicle or motorboat faster than allowed by law'.

Cheers,

Willem

 

 

---

 

Yes I can fix a tyre, and do minor repairs, had a rainstorm in Blue Mountains 2014 Katumba, and awning was near destructed, fixed it so we could use it later on.
Our van : Youtube : Detleffs Bedouin VIP and you' ll find a nice manufacturersvid showing the van we have overhere , length 7.60 mtr. excl A-beam, weight 2 tons, lowriding tandemaxle, it is all " soft" caravanning, no rough roads, maybe a bit in midst of spain on portuguese border ( extramadura) but no its all very soft and comfy ....
We drive and tow with Porsche Cayenne Turbo, 525 hp, and mountains of torque, tears anything apart effortless.

To show who we are and what we did in our lives.. : www.denkersbv.nl , we started this my wife and me, now one of the sons taken over and we retired ( unless needed ......)

thanks for the invite, we will certainly come and see you guys !!

I'll try and have a look at your suggested trip on computer screen anyway, can't help it am too curious.., will comment on it.

The best

Jacob

Nice car in Europe, but I meant what car and van in Australia for the trip?
Fuel won't be a problem.

If the weather is kind, you could extend north from Innamincka and go to Birdsville and then down the Birdsville Track to Marree.

Cheers,
Peter

-- Edited by Peter_n_Margaret on Wednesday 27th of January 2016 09:10:20 AM