Driving holiday WA-Vic-WA

[mckenzl]

My wife and I have just decided to take some of my long service leave at the end of the year and take another road trip, this time to Melbourne and back. 320,000km on the clock, what's another 12,000! 39 nights, 14 camper setups and take downs. If you have any absolute must go places please let me know.

Liam

[sharkcaver]

Mate, having driven across the nullarboring a few times now, venture off to the old eyre hwy either going there or coming back. I reckon you would have seen my return trip from the AB where I ventured down that and other routes.

The Eyre Peninsular is worthwhile too if you have some time to detour.

East/South of Adelaide, forget it. Stay on the West Coast

Give me a call if I can give you any detail on the above.

Oh, take plenty of water and fly nets. But coming from where you are located, you should know that already.



Lucky buzzard.....3 more years to go for my long service...and I'm outa here for 5 months. Dare I say it, but I might just end up on the East Coast for that

[Pwoffey]

The west coast of SA on the Eyre Peninsula is pretty special. It's a pity it's winter 'cos the Baird Bay swim with the sea lions might be closed. If you can ever get to do this, you will not regret it. Depending on how much time you have to mooch around and detour, Coffin Bay National Park is sensational for camping and 4WDing.

Sharkcaver obviously doesn't care overly much for parts south and east of Adelaide, but the Coonawarra and (getting into Victoria) the Glenelg National Park and the coast around and east of Nelson are well worth a look. You can then go on to Portland, Warnambool and the Great Ocean Road and on to Melbourne that way.

Of course, south of Adelaide is Kangaroo Island, which everybody (yes, you too Shane ) should see at least once in their lives.

If the weather isn't too hostile, you'll have a great time whichever route you take.

[pharb]

What is the best time of year to do this trip?

Had planned to do road trip to Perth from eastern Vic to visit son in 2015 but time constraints turned it into plane trip instead.

I think it's about time to revisit the road trip.

[Nab]

There's a great free camp just a couple of km from Minnipa in SA, if your in the area it's worth a stop.

[AJW52]

Road Trip

Hi Mckenzi
Did your planned trip and a bit more picking up a Kimberley Kamper from SE Queensland last October. Great drive.
Lots of good camping including Newman Rocks, Weowanie Rock, Koonalda Station and cave, Penong and Willow Springs in the Flinders Ranges. The areas around the Clare Valley and The Great Ocean Road are worth taking some time to explore too.
I'd be off back there again like a shot if I could and plan to head over east again next year.
Enjoy.

[sharkcaver]

Sharkcaver obviously doesn't care overly much for parts south and east of Adelaide, but the Coonawarra and (getting into Victoria) the Glenelg National Park and the coast around and east of Nelson are well worth a look. You can then go on to Portland, Warnambool and the Great Ocean Road and on to Melbourne that way.

Of course, south of Adelaide is Kangaroo Island, which everybody (yes, you too Shane ) should see at least once in their lives.

All good mate, It was a tongue in cheek reply - the smilie didn't have the desired effect. Having spent my first 26 years on the East Coast, I couldn't wait to see the back of it but I do miss my early camping days over there.

BTW, he is leaving at the end of the year, so winter isn't an issue. Great tip on the Great ocean road though. I was there last 2 weeks prior to London Bridge falling in....and leaving 2 people trapped in no mans land. 1987 IIRC. I bet its changed heaps now.

I've also been to KI and was quite unimpressed. Plenty of others rave over it, so I agree, you should see it at least once.

[Pwoffey]

Hey, we might even have bumped into each other at London Bridge that day. Took some (non-digital!) snaps of the bridge on a trip going across to the NSW south coast, and coming back a couple of weeks later, there it wasn't. Miracle no one was hurt when it happened; when I was there on the going over, there were lots of bods walking across the bridge, including my wife.

[sharkcaver]

Yep I did too. Lucky me. Also IIRC, it was a couple of days after the Newcastle earthquake when it came down. I was in Warnambool at the time, checking out the Dirty Angel . I wonder is she still exists

[Lost1]

I would travel in February. The consistent weather, campsites won't be so crowded and there will be less traffic on the highway.

[mckenzl]

I would travel in February. The consistent weather, campsites won't be so crowded and there will be less traffic on the highway.

I forgot to mention I have 3 kids in school! So has to be in school holidays.

[PaulBKal]

Driving holiday WA-Vic-WA

I forgot to mention I have 3 kids in school! So has to be in school holidays.

I certainly would not travel in February, when it's likely to be very hot. Every time you get out of the car all you want to do is get back into it for the airconditioning!

The spring holidays which are coming up in a few months are ideal - the weather is gorgeous and the country is absolutely at its best.

I you don't mind driving on well formed and maintained dirt roads here and there, I'd go via Hyden and look at Wave Rock, which is a pretty easy 3 or 4 hours from Perth to ease into the trip. It has a nice little caravan park & motel to stay in. Next day you head off to Norseman and after half an hour or so you run off the blacktop for 200-odd km til you get there. You get a great look at the Great Western Woodlands, the worlds biggest temperate forest at about 160,000 sq km, with it's majestic Salmon Guns and Gimlets in meadows of saltbush and eremophila.

About halfway on the right is The Breakaways with it's fabulous rock formations which is a great lunch or coffee stop. Or overnight campsite.

The Shires of Kondinin and Dundas have put together quite a good trail for travellers with interpretive signage and facilities. McDiarmid Rock is another spot worth having a look at along the way, and also has a rock wave formation.

Likewise there's a few things to look at in Norseman, which many people simply bypass thinking it's just a dying town with nothing to offer, but it does have a rich history that is quite well displayed.

100km east of Norseman on the Eyre Hwy is Fraser Range Station, which is a great place to stay, with a caravan park and motel. Some of the rooms were built from local stone by convicts in the 1860's.

There is a whole heap of things to do and see on the Eyre Hwy which are all included in a great 4 page fold-out brochure you can get from tourist bureax.

This is getting a bit long, but Eyre Peninsular and the lower Flinders Ranges are not far out of your way and are well worth seeing.

Enjoy your road trip.


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[pauld]

Given the time of year I'd be hugging the coast for weather but of course this means busy in many places including the Great Ocean Road....

West Coast of SA, Coffin Bay, Port Lincoln (Memory Cove), Robe are all great.