Our long-awaited Western Australia/Gibb River trip has finally arrived after months of planning and preparations. Unlike our previous long caravan trips, this one is just Jack and I and this actually frees us up to be more flexible in what we are up to. I usually write a blog in some form or another and I’m inviting you all to join us on this trip and hopefully inspire you to also take to the open road and have a go yourself.

This blog is going out to family and friends and that includes our English & Norwegian families so there will be some explanations that the Aussies don’t need but hopefully understand that some readers may like to read. As usual please address all complaints to Jackie as I’m not interested. 

As usual I am a stickler for spelling and punctuation so will be displaying any blatant offenders on these pages. Any discretions that you witness here are purely typos or the dreaded ‘auto-correct’ that Apple devices use, and discussions will not be entered into. 

The main focus points of the trip are as follows;

Canberra - to see the grandkids and to say goodbye for the next 3 months or so to our kids and their families.

Flinders Ranges in South Australia - this is Jackie’s wish to revisit and explore more of the FR.

Esperance & Albany in the far south and west of Western Australia. The last time we were there the weather was terrible and we cut our visit short. Our memories are of the whitest beaches and the bluest waters that we have ever seen, despite all the rain that we had.

Kalgoorlie - this one is for me. The Super Pit is amazing and I’ve just got to have another look.

Meekatharra - this is more to fill in parts of our country that we have yet to explore. Right up the middle of WA as we’ve seen the coastal route on our previous Big Lap. It is sensational but I want to experience the centre.

Gibb River Road - the mere mention of this road is enough to send shivers up the spine of other travellers. 665 Kms of rough corrugations and river crossings. They don’t call this road ‘The Caravan Killer’ for nothing.

Darwin & Arneham Land - I’ve been into Arneham Land about 20 years ago and I want to revisit it. Introduce Jackie to massive saltwater crocs in their natural environment, do some more fishing etc. The place I want to go to may be booked out so we will have to see how it goes as we get closer.

Head home for the birth of grandchild #6 (Joey’s sister). Wouldn’t miss it for the world. This should be mid August sometime. 

There will be various pie and vanilla slice tastings but I’m trying to lose a few kilos so not as many pies as on previous trips. Realistically I’m not going to lose weight on this trip but if we can come back without putting too much on then I can start over again from there. 

PREPARATIONS

There is quite a bit to think of to prepare for a trip like this. I’m expecting to do about 15,000 Kms and through some obviously very rough terrain. I won’t bore you with the details but I had quite a job trying to reduce the weight in the van so that it’s legal and safe. So no kayak, no electric scooters, no bike racks but I will never compromise on my tools. Being able to fix items on the road is vital and if you are unable to make repairs when you are in the middle of nowhere (we are going to places that are termed ‘The Outback’  and ‘The Never-Never’ they are both time-consuming and expensive, REALLY expensive.

I’ve equipped both the Landcruiser and van with what I consider the very best tyres on the market (Toyo) and have also included 3 cans of tyre repair mix along with a repair kit. If you get a flat on the wrong part of this journey tyres are $$$$.

THE START

We left Ulladulla on Wednesday 7th and had pizzas with the kids at Clancie’s house. Highlights of that were in no particular order;

Bowie - once again we were amazed at Bowie’s shiny, bright copper hair and loved making him laugh. This is easy as he just loves to stretch his permanently open mouth into a big grin. He has lovely fat cheeks and matching dimples. He’s delightful.

Loki - I introduced Loki to the old TV cartoon/puppet show Captain Scarlett and we watched 3 episodes together. He’s hooked and I left him a Thunderbirds DVD to watch too, S.I.G. Loke.

Joey - how can you not give her a cuddle? I did and the poor little bugger cried her eyes out. Her bottom lip turned down in the most miserable face ever. She’s so cute.

Penny - gave me a lovely cuddle and is more and more a mini-Clancie. She’s very good though and her and Loki are really into looking after and playing with their young cousins. 

Remi - is a typical 3 year old boy and is full of energy and cheek. He loved to plaster our van with stickers that may or may not last the rigours of our trip, let’s see.

All of our kids and their spouses/partners are looking well and Jackie and I are so proud of them all.

DAY 1.

Long drive of about 700 Kms to Balranald NSW. A good first day’s drive for us but I’m going to try not to do such lengthy drives through this trip. About half of that will be good. Balranald is a favourite stop for us as it is free to park behind the Civic Centre. There is a very clean toilet/shower block and it is just across the road from the local RSL. We had dinner there and I had a very early night as I was tired from the drive. We did well to get there about 4:30 as you do not need to be on the road between dawn and dusk as we have large hopping animals here that just love to launch themselves at your windscreen during those times.

Speaking of which, here is the Road Kill Toll so far;

Wombats - about 20. Mostly between Ulladulla and Canberra.

Kangaroos/Wallabies/Wallaroos - at least 250 in varying stages of decay.

Pigs - 1.

Bird and other animal sightings - lots of emus, a big echidna, red rump parrots, various hawks and eagles. Also large moth nests that I will explain soon.

The van and car seem to be running well and so they should be with the work I’ve put into them. The average fuel consumption of 17 litres/100 Kms is about where it should be sitting on and I try to get to 97Kph if the conditions are good. 

We were passed by a wide load on the Hume Hwy and at 5.4m wide it took up both lanes. Looked like a bucket for a front end loader. I’ve seen ones that big before and the price for them is well over a million $$$.

DAY 2-3.

From memory about 300-400 Kms to Horsham in Victoria. Horsham is a beautiful town and one of the best in Australia in my point of view. Very tidy, very well appointed and just a great feel to this town. I cannot recommend it enough and both Jack and I are so impressed I think that if we didn’t have other commitments we could easily live here. We parked right next to the Wimmera River for 2 nights.

Did you know that Mark Twain once stayed at the White Hart pub in Horsham? He wrote about his experiences in one of his books. I’ve had a few beers in that pub so that makes some sort of connection between Mark and me, right? 

Went for a drive to Hollow Mountain, aboriginal rock ‘art’ but that could equally be described at aboriginal rock graffiti.

Day 4.

Horsham to Pinnaroo, approx 300 Kms. I’m at a Pinnaroo pub at the moment writing this. Had dinner with a couple from the van next to us at the pub. Very nice beef schnitzel and a few beers. Speaking of beers there is no Reschs west of Binalong NSW. Luckily this pub had my 2nd choice of Coopers Pale so that was good.

DAY 5.

Bit of a windy road trip to Burra in South Australia today. Another 300-400 Kms meant we were there a little after lunch. We crossed over the Murray River which looked quite healthy despite much of Victoria and South Australia complaining of drought conditions. The field do look dry but quite in the desperate stage yet.

Burra is a lovely little town on the edge the Adelaide Hills wine region. Leafy with a creek running through town, the buildings are old and well looked after. Took a photo of an old farmhouse today that appeared on the cover of a Midnight Oil album, Diesel and Dust if you’re interested.

Lots of people around here at the moment as there is a ‘walking group’ in town. I’m not exactly sure why this is a thing as lots of people I know can walk. Hardly a super-power I would think. Anyway they all look pretty pretentious but I also note that they have driven into town, a lot of them towing their caravans so they’re not exactly committed to walking.