Well we have finally decided to do the Nullaboor from Ceduna over to Perth and go as far up as Exmouth. We would then return back down the coast and do the south west - Busselton Albany Esperance etc and back home across the Nullaboor. We have 3 mths and were thinking July August Sept but wanting to keep out of the cold weather. Would it be better to go a month later in August ? We are unsure how cold it will be Perth and the Nullaboor at that time. Any advice would be much appreciated THank you.
If you don't want cold weather in the south west then I think you should delay until at least August.
We did a similar trip last year, leaving Melbourne the first week of September. Going across the Nullabor we were still early enough to see the whales at the Head of the Bight, with over 30 mothers and calves very close to shore that day. We went first to Perth where we spent a week, taking time to go to the wildflower festival in the botanic gardens. We then headed inland for a couple of weeks, coming back to the coast near Carnarvon at the start of October as the school vacations finished. We headed up to Exmouth and Cape Range National Park, then followed the coast down via Coral Bay, Monkey Mia and Kalbarri (we had already been to these places a couple of years before but wanted to see more of them). Near the end of October we started travelling around the south-west where we hadn't previously been, taking about 6 weeks before heading back home. The weather was mostly ok in the south-west, a couple of hot days, many reasonably nice ones, but a few that were suprisingly cold. The south-west weather averages really aren't much higher than Melbourne, so you could get some still cold weather in September.
We did it about this time last year.. Still nice and warm.. We went right up to Darwin all on west coast so we left it a little latter ..Ahh ? Is there a bad time ? Lol
-- Edited by Aus-Kiwi on Saturday 11th of March 2017 10:52:59 PM
Busselton in June July august is generally cold wet and miserable , not the best time to visit. We live here so know what it's like. Good time to be in Exmouth area though.
July would work OK, provided you head north as quick as you can in WA, then work south. That way you will get the wild flowers. Probably get flowers on the way north if you take the inland route.
Looking at one particular town of Bunbury in the South West of Western Australia
It is six of one and half a dozen of the other, as it will be cold in those months
Below is a snip of an average normal weather pattern It looks as though starting in August it would be slightly warmer, and a bit less rain, when you eventually reach the South West of our State
Hope that this is helpful to you, but there is no guarantee that the average previous weather pattern will stay the same
Well we have finally decided to do the Nullaboor from Ceduna over to Perth and go as far up as Exmouth. We would then return back down the coast and do the south west - Busselton Albany Esperance etc and back home across the Nullaboor. We have 3 mths and were thinking July August Sept but wanting to keep out of the cold weather.
I would be inclined to go quickly over to Kalgoorlie then north to Leinster and across to Mt Magnet. From there you have the choice of going north to Karijini National Park and across to Exmouth from there or across to Geraldton and up the coast. Going through Karijini would not take much longer than hurrying up the coast from Geraldton. If you can stay off power for a few nights then stay in Dales Campground.
I would suggest being in Exmouth in the beginning of August to follow the wild flowers down the coast. If you are interested in the Australian flora I would suggest a night or two in the Western Flora Caravan Park north of Eneabba. Get there around lunch time so you have time for a walk around the reserve and are in time for the afternoon guided tour.
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PeterD Nissan Navara D23 diesel auto, Spaceland pop-top Retired radio and electronics technician. NSW Central Coast.
Imo NO rush.. Look around there's many things to see.. we took 5 days.. Wish we took longer.. We stopped and talked to Aborigine woman.. She showed us many good swimming places etc.. The truckies really use the CB radio well too .. Telling you they are passing or turning off a head.. I thing I tried to do further on our trip.. All good experience..
I recon the best time to cross the Nullarbor especially east to west is when there is no head wind, big cost saving to be had!
As mentioned, take your time there is a lot to see and just like Melbourne winter months of the south west can be very cold and wet.
Have a great trip.
As Moonraker has said - when you have a tail wind. The wintery-early spring period is good for whale watching at Head of Bight & WA beaches/headlands. Yes, you can see Orcas off some beaches in WA.
Summer can get VERY hot. And some winter days, you'd swear the South Pole was not far away!
The important thing is not to be in a rush & to enjoy the scenery, wildlife.
I spent 15 years at Ceduna & did many thousands of Kms on the Eyre Highway (both dirt/rock & bitumen).
Enjoy the trip.
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Warren
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If you don't get it done today, there's always tomorrow!
Really agree with Peter D, we did this last year June to September. We loved it so much we are doing it again this year but leaving later (July or August) as we want to see the wildflowers. Last time we went up the Stuart Hwy to Katherine and through the Kimberley. Beautiful, but we loved Karijini, Leinster, Tom Price and the great free camps along the inland highway. So we will go from Sydney across and back on the Nullarbor which in itself is a great trip.
Thanks Peter for Eneabba suggestion, we will definitely include it on our trip.
�I would be inclined to go quickly over to Kalgoorlie then north to Leinster and across to Mt Magnet. From there you have the choice of going north to Karijini National Park and across to Exmouth from there or across to Geraldton and up the coast. Going through Karijini would not take much longer than hurrying up the coast from Geraldton. If you can stay off power for a few nights then stay in Dales Campground.
I would suggest being in Exmouth in the beginning of August to follow the wild flowers down the coast. If you are interested in the Australian flora I would suggest a night or two in the Western Flora Caravan Park north of Eneabba. Get there around lunch time so you have time for a walk around the reserve and are in time for the afternoon guided tour.
For our big trip Cairns to Cairns in 2011 taking 31 weeks I planned like crazy! According to BOM weather roses ( historical wjnd directions ) our west to east crossing should have been a breeze! Pun intended. Not for us no no! We spoke to many people who had crossed many times with the wind their way. ! It's just good luck at the time. we crept into Eucla with nothing to spare in the tank. Then there are the marsh flies! The head wind hadn't blown them away.
