Has anyone done The Lap?

[Eera]

Hey all.

So next year our mortgage is paid off and we've decided to rent the house out for a year, take off with the kids while they're old enough to appreciate it and young enough to not actually be teenagers and see the country for a year - it'll be early-ish 2023 after wet season as we plan to go anti-clockwise starting in North QLD and the Top End.

We've got the physical gear we need after many years of camping and upgrading from tent to camper trailer to hybrid caravan so there's no real outlay we have to make, maybe airbags in the ute suspension and fit a compressor.   

It's the logistics I'm interested in from people who have done it; bearing in mind we'd be travelling at the same time as everyone else to beat the heat: how far in advance did you have to book accommodation or did you have to free camp a fair bit? Did you bother taking bulk spares for your vehicle? wheel bearings and filters I'd take but one guidebook I downloaded basically said to take the entire contents of Supercheap - necessary or overkill bearing in mind we aren't exactly going to be trailblazing through unexplored areas or anything.  Kids will be first year of high school and last year of primary respectively - did you effectively homeschool or subscribe to one of the school of the air services?

Got a year and a half to plan it so tell me your stories!

[Bobj]

Many times I have driven Mackay to Kununurra and all free camping...

!st night, the longest drive to Richmond, camp at the fossil sites immediately after the 2nd grid (LHS). Not supposed to...Kronosaurus Korner is good for the kids.

Richmond to Rosebud, an old mine (LHS) 4km off the hwy, or the Fountain Springs Tourist before Mary Kathleen mine and townsite.

Rosebud to the Ranken T/O (LHS) an old Main Roads camp.

Ranken to Threeways, there are a few overnight campsites on the Barkley Hwy. All signposted.

Threeways to The Katherine, the Attack Ck bridge has a campsite and drop toilets.

After Attack Ck  Banka Banka Stn has hot showers and camping (LHS) $$, but I preferred to camp at an old Main Roads gravel pit, some 15 km north of Renner Springs,  on the (LHS)

Renner Springs has a motel.

There are a few free campsites all along the Stuart Hwy, but usually full of grey nomads after 4pm.

A (short) cut if you want, the old Murranjai track (LHS) to Top Springs is dirt... 7km north of Dunmarra, which has a motel...of sorts. 1 km north of the Murranjai (Buchanan Hw) is a big gravel pit on the (RHS).

North of Dunmarra is the old Daly Waters PUB (LHS) off road about 2 km.

Next is Elliott...Nah!

Mattarankah area is worth a squiz, the original Elsey Stn homestead is there. Before Mattarankah is the Old Elsey Cemetary, (RHS) 8 km off the road.

The Katherine is well worth an hour, or so, a modern town, with supermarket, banks and the real beaut Katherine River. A must see is the Gorge (NITMILUK) and the Lower Crossing.

Caught barramundi there in 1964. If you want a campsite and barra fishing, the King River is good, About 1 km south of the bridge (30 km south of Katherine) is a truckbay (RHS) not supposed to, but cross over and a track (the old road)turns left. go down there to just before the old crossing, the track is (LHS)1.6 km to my old camp and the river.Don't let anyone else know, hey?

After that, there are a few roadside campsites to Timber Creek. Same thing on the way to Kununurra.

If you need any more info, a pm is good.

Cheers, Bobj.

 

[Gothnet]

I did a circuit anti clockwise starting from Perth about 10 years ago, a mix of camping (in a tent), hostels and occasionally fancy hotels for a change when I felt like splashing out. I did it all in a  2002 Hyundai Santa Fe. Ended up sleeping in the back a couple of times, but mostly accomodation was pretty trivial to find. Just turn up at a campsite and grab a pitch.

Ended up needing a set of new tires and a service about half way round (Cairns), all I took with me at any one time was the spare tire, an emergency puncture repair kit and 40l of fuel because you never know when that planned fuel stop closed an hour before you pulled up.... So long as you stick to the main routes you're never *that* far from help if something goes wrong, and people are friendly on the roads if they see someone in trouble - I stopped to aid a car full of backpackers that spun off back then, and an 18 wheeler stopped to help out too. Just as well, as we didn't have a chain to haul them out of that ditch...

If you're feeling a little bit adventurous and your vehicle is up for it, the Bloomfield track from Cape Tribulation up to Cooktown is fun. If you're feeling more adventurous and your vehicle's up for it, the Gibb River road between Kununnura and Derby is beautiful and wild, stunning, with gorges to swim in and a load of campsites along the way. Absolutely great fun.

[Eera]

18 hours ago, Bobj said:

Many times I have driven Mackay to Kununurra and all free camping...

After that, there are a few roadside campsites to Timber Creek. Same thing on the way to Kununurra.

If you need any more info, a pm is good.

Cheers, Bobj.

 

I knew you'd have some words of wisdom!  Honestly some of your stories are so awesome.

Thanks for the offer matey, no doubt I'll be hitting you up for some spots and ideas.  And don't worry about the barra spots - one time husband said "I'm going fishing.  There's chicken in the fridge for dinner" which pretty much sums up what happens when he wets a line

[Eera]

1 hour ago, Gothnet said:

I did a circuit anti clockwise starting from Perth about 10 years ago, a mix of camping (in a tent), hostels and occasionally fancy hotels for a change when I felt like splashing out. I did it all in a  2002 Hyundai Santa Fe. Ended up sleeping in the back a couple of times, but mostly accomodation was pretty trivial to find. Just turn up at a campsite and grab a pitch.

Ended up needing a set of new tires and a service about half way round (Cairns), all I took with me at any one time was the spare tire, an emergency puncture repair kit and 40l of fuel because you never know when that planned fuel stop closed an hour before you pulled up.... So long as you stick to the main routes you're never *that* far from help if something goes wrong, and people are friendly on the roads if they see someone in trouble - I stopped to aid a car full of backpackers that spun off back then, and an 18 wheeler stopped to help out too. Just as well, as we didn't have a chain to haul them out of that ditch...

If you're feeling a little bit adventurous and your vehicle is up for it, the Bloomfield track from Cape Tribulation up to Cooktown is fun. If you're feeling more adventurous and your vehicle's up for it, the Gibb River road between Kununnura and Derby is beautiful and wild, stunning, with gorges to swim in and a load of campsites along the way. Absolutely great fun.

That all sounds fantastic.  Gibb River Road is very much on my radar - more I look into that part of the world the more I realise you could spend years there and not scratch the surface. 

Good to know about help being on hand, vehicle is a Colorado so should have readily available spares, husband is also a mechanic which helps if the facility and bits are available.  I once knew a bloke did a lot of off-roading who insisted that he'd only carry zip ties and duct tape because if it can't be fixed with those then you need to be carrying the spare part and he wasn't about to load his vehicle down just in case.  I admire his spirit, though I haven't seen him for years and there's a chance he's still waiting for RACQ to find him out Woopwoop.

[Bobj]

Only did the Gibb once from Kununurra and only half way twice from Derby. In my time, 1964 and 1967-1978, it was a rough road as the tourists had not yet realised its beauty and ruggedness. In those days, it was essentially a beef haulage road, similar to the Duncan road that straddles the WA/NT border from the Victoria Hwy near Newry Stn, to Halls Creek.

I was one of the first on the Duncan, as we had to detour, the old Duncan due to the building of the Ord main dam, Lake Argyle. It was just a series of survey pegs and a grader track. Which reminds me…There is a zebra rock mine, some 5 km down the Duncan and a beaut campsite another 9, or so km further south, right on Hicks Creek. Have put up a photo some time ago about that campsite. Quite possible to see freshwater crocs there. Quite possible for the kids to find native spear chippings and the odd hand axe on the south side, around the grid and fence line.

Cheers, Bobj.

[Eera]

Would you believe that my company has the contract for the shutdown and remediation of Argyle?  Full lifecycle between you and me hey.

Have you been along the Tanami track? I don't think it's as rugged as it used to be but they've been making noises about sealing it recently and would like to see it while it's still got a bit of mystique about it.

Just had a look at that zebra rock place, how intriguing!

Hahaha, the croc thing made me laugh - I work with a lady who's from a real old north QLD family; she goes bush a fair bit and has all these photos of her in various rockholes.  I asked her if there were crocs and she said "yeah, but only freshies, no salties".  They've all got big teeth, that's a nope from me.

 

[Bobj]

Just remembered a really beaut campsite before Sullivans rest area, on the Victoria Hwy. there is a truck bay with a sign post, “Jack Taylor”. 200 metres before the sign is a t/o (LHS) to an old mainroads camp along Sullivan ck  Camped there a few times and never saw any crocs, most likely because the creek has only a few pools after thr Wet.

Cheers, Bobj.