Savannah way followed by Simpson Desert

[blowie Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close blowie]

Hi all,
would 5wks be a realistic amount of time for the following?:

Canberra to Normanton
Savannah way to Darwin
day or 2 around Kakadu/ Litchfield
straight down the highway to Alice
out to Ayers Rock/ Olgas
on to Mt Dare
across the French line to Birdsville
home to Canberra.

Or are we kidding ourselves?

cheers,

--
Mark

[404pug Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close 404pug]

You need more than 2 days in Kakadu- it is big- 20,000+km2 and the main sites are scattered around hours apart. With solid driving most days and not stopping to see much you will get to Darwin in a week but there is a lot to see along the way eg. Stockman's Hall of Fame in Longreach, Normanton and surounds etc. If you have seen everything on the way to Darwin it is doable in 5 days but you will be shagged. If you haven't, take 10 days + and see a bit along the way.A few days in Dawin to recover then across to Kakadu, if you haven't gone in from the southern end at Pine creek on the way up. 3-4 days there. Litchfield- a day or 2. A day to Katherine with a few good spots along the way. A day or 2 around Katherine - eg gorge tour worthwhile. A long day to Alice if you are pushed for time. Allow a week or 10 days Around Alice/ Uluru- a LOT to see and do in the centre around here.A long day from Alice to Mt Dare- Suggest Uluru to Lambert Centre- geographic centre of Aust and ony 10 km in off the road you will be travelling on to get to Mt Dare -good camping. Mt Dare next day. There to Birdsville 3 or 4 days is fine. Rest day in Birdsville at pub. Home in 3 or 4 days if need be from there. My suggestion is spend most time at the furthest extremities of your trip because they are hardest to get back to. So a few long 700- 800 km days at the start and finish gives you more time in the remote parts. Definitely doable but keep in mind that there is a lot to see on the journey and not just a the destination. Have a good trip. Neil. PS do it before it gets too hot up north when everything browns off and dries out to dust.

[cnfusedstu Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close cnfusedstu]

How are you travelling? what number and age are in the travelling group? What sort of accomodation are you going to use? camping only/Camper trailer/mix of camping and hotelsl???? I would think it would be do-able, but a bit of a push.

Canberra to Normanton ~5 days
Savannah way to Darwin ~5 days
day or 2 around Kakadu/ Litchfield ~7 days in and around Darwin/Kakadu/Litchfield
straight down the highway to Alice ~2 days
out to Ayers Rock/ Olgas ~5 days (including Kings Canyon)
on to Mt Dare ~1 days
across the French line to Birdsville ~5 days
home to Canberra.~4 days

Those are only my estimates for minimum time required, others probably have more accurate ideas on different aspects, however should be ok for an overall idea.
Will all depend on how far you can travel per day between places of interest. No real time for relaxing though.

Cheers,
Stuey

[blowie Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close blowie]

thanks Neil/Stuey.

2 cars in the group. 2 families.
Both groups - parents mid 40s
kids range from 10 - 15
Mostly camping until the wives insist on a room.

Wife and I met and lived in Alice Springs for a couple of years so know there's a lot to see around there, and big distances to travel.

Agree with Neil re spending the most time at the most distant places Savannah Way, Darwin Kakadu/Litchfield.

cheers,

--
Mark

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

Don't know about your kids, but mine wouldn't last too long on the road in one stretch (ours are younger though). We are planning on under 400km / day on our trip to the Simpson, plus 4 days to cross it.
I figure we're taking a reasonable effort to get there, so want to do some sites on the way - will make it much nicer for them.

[blowie Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close blowie]

Don't know about your kids, but mine wouldn't last too long on the road in one stretch (ours are younger though). We are planning on under 400km / day on our trip to the Simpson, plus 4 days to cross it.
I figure we're taking a reasonable effort to get there, so want to do some sites on the way - will make it much nicer for them.

true Palmer.
We don't want to turn them off after their first big trip!

We talked about the wife and kids flying to say Cairns and I pick them up.
Maybe they could fly back from Alice, and I do the Simpson.
Will talk it through with the other party.


cheers,

--
Mark

[Corigator Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Corigator]

true Palmer.
We don't want to turn them off after their first big trip!

Maybe they could fly back from Alice, and I do the Simpson.
Will talk it through with the other party.


cheers,

--
Mark

I would have thought the Simpson was the interesting bit. Especially Dalhousie Springs.

[blowie Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close blowie]

I would have thought the Simpson was the interesting bit. Especially Dalhousie Springs.

thanks Greg,
we met last night and everyone's decided to try for 6wks leave.
The Simpson is definitely the interesting bit for me, but if the kids (and wife) have had enough they have the option of getting on a plane in Alice.

cheers,

--
Mark