EOI-Canning Stock Route 2016

[Maximage]

Def a TBC, am interested for sure. Need to speak to the old man and find out what it was like when all us 3 boys were that kinda age. I remember us all doing big road trips when we were young, but how we handled it I can't remember.

If I come, it would likely be sans wife as she has no interest in such a remote trip for that long, which will be good for space in the car, but as she would be back working part time by then, would probably bring the little fella to make it easier for her being back here alone.

My old man may be keen too, if so, could potentially throw another baby seat in his Cruiser, that way the little fella can alternate between cars to keep him interested.

[Nik]

Could also be wise with a pile of people running the same cars (i.e. Gen 4s) as it means we can possibly cut down slightly on spare parts between us all, in addition to maybe 1 stove per 2 cars and various things like that. Pity you have a Gen 3 Nik ... :-P

I don't need to worry about that Maximage, Gen 3's never break down Oh oh ... I feel like I'm tempting fate!

Good point on the gear, I think we can definitely economise on camp facilities and recovery gear rather than doubling up on stuff.

[Maximage]

Obviously some gear you don't wanna cut down on too much like spare tyres etc, however not sure if some stuff like a spare set of shocks per car is quite necessary given all being the same, and gas bottles etc etc.

No idea if I am totally dreaming abounding it with 2 year old, however we did cross country and full laps around the country at about that age.

[old Jack]

Obviously some gear you don't wanna cut down on too much like spare tyres etc, however not sure if some stuff like a spare set of shocks per car is quite necessary given all being the same, and gas bottles etc etc.

No idea if I am totally dreaming abounding it with 2 year old, however we did cross country and full laps around the country at about that age.

Hi Ash,

Biggest problem with toddler is if they get sick or hurt themselves then it is out of chopper range for a large section in the middle so you need to head to a station with an airstrip for RFDS to land, not a 30 min drive. There are no easy bug out points along the way.

Our kids have always camped and travelled from babies but we did not do remote trips until they were at least 7 years old and were seasoned campers and aware of dangers such as snakes, spiders, scorpions and campfires.

When we did take them on remote trips, we carried broad spectrum antibiotics, as the most they were at most risk from ear infections from swimming in waterholes. Obviously full first aid kit and senior first aid qualifications.

As with any group trip like this into very remote areas, both vehicles and participants need to be well prepared and self/vehicle preservation paramount in all actions, every thing must be done to ensure the health and safety of all participants. I would not suggest anyone with an ill prepared 4wd or with a known health problem tackling this sort of trip. Everyone's safe and happy trip is dependent on everyone else's preparation and conduct.

One in All in.

cheers, old Jack.

[Maximage]

Yes, definitely not something that will be a light consideration. Would def have to keep an eagle eyein him for that very reason. That said, if the olds came it would certainly ease a lot of the concern on keeping a look out on him, the very last thing I would want to do is become a drain in anyone else. Especially on such a long trip. Extra points in favour of having the olds with us is the old man is ex-SAS and a recently retired paramedic - 2 qualities that can come very much in handy when remote. :-)

[stevemc181]

Obviously some gear you don't wanna cut down on too much like spare tyres etc, however not sure if some stuff like a spare set of shocks per car is quite necessary given all being the same, and gas bottles etc etc.

No idea if I am totally dreaming abounding it with 2 year old, however we did cross country and full laps around the country at about that age.

Yep, we can certainly share the load regarding spares/tools recovery gear etc. Not sure how you'll go with a 2 yr old onboard, they are pretty active at that age

WA also has school holidays from 2nd-17th July, so we may have to work around that and perhaps make it a late July-Early August thing. If we start from the Northern end, I'll probably leave a week or so earlier to have a bit of a squiz at the Kimberley etc and I'd prefer not to do that in School Holiday times.

Yep, North to South would be better regarding driving into the sun at that time of year. Not sure how many we will end up with, but if we have more than say 7 vehicles, it might be wise to split into two groups for travel, maybe on alternate days one group leaves an hour or so earlier etc.

Larger convoys tend to result in lots of delays and frustration. I have found in the past that 6 vehicles is a good size, at a scrape 7, anymore than that and it becomes difficult. I'm open to suggestions on group size, generally though there will always be some who drop out of the trip for a variety of reasons, spots will open and close over the next 18 months or so while we get this all planned.

[old Jack]

Hi Steve,

Kimberley starts to get busy by July and fully packed out in August!
May and June are best times if you have a flexible itinerary and are not towing.

On desert trips we always spilt up into groups of 3 to 5 vehicles, and split leaving times by 1 hour. This way we stay about 20km between groups and maintain radio coms, doing this you get a better feeling of the remoteness with the security of a large group. Also you end up with several group leaders that can handle most issues that will occur along the track.
So far there are a number of experienced solo outback travellers that met group leader experience.


cheers, old Jack.

[Nik]

That sounds like a good plan Steve. As you said, given the nature of this trip there's bound to be some that will drop out, and if it ends up being more than 7 then we split into two groups and stagger the departures.

[stevemc181]

Good point OJ, I can do the Kimberley another time as a separate trip and include some of the harder to get to spots in our North West. I hate nothing more than a crowded campground, which is why I generally do my trips at less than desirable times of the year, either very early or very late in the season. This can present it's own unique set of problems though. Particularly in a Cyclone prone Northern Australia.

[old Jack]

For anyone not from Perth that want to head east via the scenic route, we could take the Gunbarrel Hwy or the Anne Beadell Hwy, subject to vehicle conditions and group dynamics. Alternatively drop south to Leonora, Kalgoorlie, then head east back across the Nullarbor on the black top.

cheers, old Jack.

[Maximage]

Just doing some quick Googling and found some info on distances. This is working in reverse, but helps.

Wiluna to Capricorn fuel dump 671km
Capricorn to Kunawarritji 271km
Kunawarritji to Bililuna 642km
Bililuna to halls creek 170km

So in terms of fuel, could leave Halls Creek full, and there is the ability to top up at Bililuna only 170kms down the track. Then a further 642km to Kunawarritji where you can fill up, albeit at $3.40 per litre. Another 271 to Capricorn where we could organise a few barrels to be dropped and shared amongst us to top up again, then the final 671 run to Wiluna. At a rough guess I reckon you could safely do it with fair safety margin on a full tank and a couple of jerry cans, as long as you filled at each point. Still tempted to get a long range tank, just not sure how often it would get utilised after that.

Mrs was making noises tonight that there is no way I am taking the little fella with me, so may have to look at other options ... like giving her a holiday in Broome ...

[dimmo]

I'll be watching this thread with interest. I'd love to go - maybe, put me down on the "reserves list".

[stevemc181]

Just doing some quick Googling and found some info on distances. This is working in reverse, but helps.

Wiluna to Capricorn fuel dump 671km
Capricorn to Kunawarritji 271km
Kunawarritji to Bililuna 642km
Bililuna to halls creek 170km

So in terms of fuel, could leave Halls Creek full, and there is the ability to top up at Bililuna only 170kms down the track. Then a further 642km to Kunawarritji where you can fill up, albeit at $3.40 per litre. Another 271 to Capricorn where we could organise a few barrels to be dropped and shared amongst us to top up again, then the final 671 run to Wiluna. At a rough guess I reckon you could safely do it with fair safety margin on a full tank and a couple of jerry cans, as long as you filled at each point. Still tempted to get a long range tank, just not sure how often it would get utilised after that.

Mrs was making noises tonight that there is no way I am taking the little fella with me, so may have to look at other options ... like giving her a holiday in Broome ...

I am going to work on using the same as my Simmo crossing as a worst case scenario regarding fuel use, this was 21 LPH, I carry about 150 litres with the Aux and will also take 40 litres in 2 x Jerry's. I am always concerned at the amount of times the Aux tank has taken a battering and the chances that one of the hits may cause a leak at some stage. The Jerry's are my backup in this case. There may be a few side trips along the way, so we need to account for that in our fuel and time figures. Once we get a better idea of where to go and what to see we can look at fine tuning the trip.

To be honest I think it is probably unwise to take your 2yr old also and think a holiday in Broome for the missus is a much better alternative Would also be glad to have your parents along, as an ex paramedic is certainly a handy addition to any trip!

I'll be watching this thread with interest. I'd love to go - maybe, put me down on the "reserves list".

No problem dimmo, I've added you into the TBC list, so long as you have a well equipped vehicle and some offroad experience you are welcome to join in. The biggest thing we will all need on this trip is suitable LT rated tyres/good suspension and a reliable vehicle. As mentioned earlier in the thread, if the numbers are up we will stagger our departure times each day

[old Jack]

Agree with toddler comment, no offence Ash.

Can vouch for Dimmo, SA lad with well setup PB Challenger, seen him drive in the super soft sand at Peake so no problems, do not know how much remote experience he has but best way to get it is a trip like this. Top Bloke.

cheers, old Jack.

[j3st3r]

Sounds like a great trip, just wondering what time frame you are allowing for this trip