Brisbane to Perth Route Planning & General Advice

[Jasen Banned Find all posts View Profile Close Jasen]

Hello fellow Prado Pointers,

I'm moving from Brisbane to Perth and will be driving the trusty Kakadu across. I would welcome advice on route planning and any general recommendations.

We will be leaving around 8th April and want to do it in around 10 days-ish. We would like to get off the black stuff wherever we can as long as its within fuel range and isn't too slow or treacherous.

I will be taking my rooftop tent, cloths, food, cooking stuff, recovery gear and tools but would welcome any suggestion on things to take and any essential spares or tools.

Please feel free to give any advice, even if you think you might be stating the obvious.

Larking around and general p**s taking and off topic chit chat is very welcome as I have been known to be involved in some of the afore mentioned myself from time to time!

I will keep this first post updated of my plans if anyone is interested.

[Bushbasher Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Bushbasher]

Well, if you've never been through the centre of this continent - now is your chance. Once you zoom across the Barkly to Tennant Creek you can have a squiz around Alice and the McDonald Ranges. Do the West McDonalds, Kings Canyon and end up at Ayers Rock. Travel down the super smooth Great Central Rd through Docker River, Warakurna (Giles), Warburton and then Laverton where you rejoin the blacktop to Kalgoorlie and then Perth. 10/12 days easy peasy.

[letsgoplaces Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close letsgoplaces]

He hasn't just done it.... he lives it!

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

What about a slight detour to Mawson Base? You have a snorkel and snow plow, should be eaaasssyyyy!

[letsgoplaces Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close letsgoplaces]

Yeah you might struggle with fuel if you go via Mawson
But there are certainly enough stops for fuel along the GCR. Have a squiz at this... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Central_Road
Just be sure to know their opening times. It is a great itinerary Bushy has suggested.

[letsgoplaces Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close letsgoplaces]

I have zero knowledge of the Brisbane to Tennant Creek leg, but if is bitumen then you wouldn't hit the dirt til after Alice. There won't be any challenging driving as such, but the scenery is spectacular.
We do our fair share of single vehicle drives from where we are but we do have peace of mind with the sat phone, which paid for itself when I got two flats. It was 50'ish degrees that day and fortunately I could sit in the car with the a/c on while waiting for someone to bring me a wheel.
So I guess the greatest concern would be if the car became immobilized, or something caused a single vehicle accident... and they happen more often than you would probably think.

Hope this is helping
John

[letsgoplaces Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close letsgoplaces]

We work in a community in the far north western part of SA. I got the flats when I was picking gear up from another community. So I had already changed one tyre and the next one was only 30 minutes later so I phoned my wife and she got another employee in community to bring me the spare. It was only 2 hours from home, but in that heat if I couldn't run the a/c it could have been extremely uncomfortable as I was taking our 5y/old for a drive as well. The following week 4 new tyres were fitted. It was the work car not my own.
But if you have gone with a/t's they should be fine, just drop your pressures on the dirt.
Hiring a phone is a good idea. On a different forum someone made a comprehensive list of contact numbers for each state, I will try to find it and i'll put the link up.

We went for a drive to Warakurna the other week, and the night before the Giles weather station recorded about 35mm and the GCC seems to drain pretty well. Plenty of puddles to the side of the road and only little ones to drive over. I would think it needs a lot more rain before the road became slow going. If rain does concern you, I can let you know how much we are having then you could contact any of the roadhouses along the GCC and ask their opinions. Also see what Giles has recorded eg:http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDW60...01.94461.shtml
It's bucketing down as I write

Cheers
John

[letsgoplaces Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close letsgoplaces]

Mate here is the emergency contact list http://www.4x4earth.com.au/forum/com...rs-list-4.html Post #33

[KIMBOPRADO Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close KIMBOPRADO]

Hi Jasen

Understand your originally from the mother land - found 10 tips for you when you arrive in sunny WA - bit different than QLD English weather

http://www.watoday.com.au/opinion/te...022-28172.html

PS - just noticed your a professional bear poker - watch out for the drop bears in WA....

http://australianmuseum.net.au/Drop-Bear

In the above link jmbtett 11mths ago posted a picture of the last guy to bring a smartbar into WA!!!

[Jeffers Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jeffers]

Sounds like a great trip Jasen, make sure you do a trip report with some photos for us all to see!

Good luck

Cheers,

Jeff

[Si & Rae Member Find all posts View Profile Close Si & Rae]

Thanks Jeff.

I will upload some photos as soon as we get back to civilisation.

Back to civilisation??? It definitely ain't civilised over here buddy.

[Bushbasher Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Bushbasher]

Paradise Camp? WTF is that? Enlighten me, I know many spots all around the Goldfields/Gt Central Road. Trust me, there ain't no Paradise between the WA/NT border and the bitumen.
There's some interesting rock holes/rock formations along the Gt Central. Stop in at Leonora and visit the old Gwalia townsite (free). You could detour to Kookynie & Niagra dam after Leonora on the way to Kalgoorlie. Kalgoorlie has a few spots worth looking at too.

[Bushbasher Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Bushbasher]

So now I know where Paradise is. It's west of the Tjukayirla Road House. the locals call it paradise because of the view from the elevated position and their belief that they can have alcohol west of this point. Went through there on sunday on my way to warburton and Warakurna.

[Mark from Brisbane Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mark from Brisbane]

I thought Paradise was where those stupid terrorists go??

Seriously, this does sound like a great trip...I am doing the CSR in July and due to time we are just trundling over on the blacktop to Wiluna....bring on retirement I must say (2 more bloody years and can it hurry up please!!)

[Bushbasher Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Bushbasher]

Paradise is no where near here. It's 3am NT time, I'm baby-sitting a local who tried to run some grog into Wanarn. There's hundreds of dogs and they have ticks the size of 20c pieces. Babies have scabies and kids as young as 10 have syph and hep c. Some little shits broke into the road-house. They also got into the rear of my work car but fortunately for me nothing was stolen out of the car. I was sleeping 20m away with an arsenal so they were lucky that they didn't wake me. I've just been gassed by a stink beetle. Yep, paradise it ain't.