Fleeing a Melbourne winter for a four-month caravanning trip to northern Western Australia — including the iconic Gibb River Road — involved some planning and preparation. Deputy editor Allison Watt shares some of her top things to consider before hitting the open road.
United States Founding Father Benjamin Franklin apparently said that by failing to prepare you are preparing to fail.
I’m a planner, so tackling one of the most epic road trips to the Kimberley Region, WA, from Melbourne, Vic, was always going to involve some preparation, but I get that others like to be fluid and just hitch up and take off.
Here’s some of my tips and hints - based on personal experience - for planning a big caravanning trip to remote and warmer climes.
Prepare your car and caravan
Cars and caravans can break over long distances on rough outback roads and sometimes they do. We saw a few on the Gibb River Road and it’s heartbreaking — and no doubt expensive — for those involved.
It’s a no-brainer to get both your tow vehicle and your van serviced before you leave home. Suspension failure is common on rough and corrugated roads. It’s a safe bet that if your shock absorbers and springs are stock standard they won’t make the distance.
(For some expert advice on how rough road travel can impact your vehicle and caravan suspension, and how you can get your setup ready, check out these interviews with Cruisemaster and Tough Dog 4WD Suspension.)
Get your car and van serviced before you leave
If you don’t have the following modifications and/or accessories on your vehicle, you may want to consider these to give your tug the best possible chance of surviving the conditions:
- Bullbar — may save the radiator if you collide with wildlife or wandering stock
- Dual battery system — essential if you’re running a fridge
- Winch (hand operated) — if travelling alone
- Tow rope — and D-shackles if required, to suit recovery points
- Cargo barrier — keeps the cargo in the back where it belongs and allows better use of the cargo area
- Spare tyres — carry two and make sure the vehicle/van tyres are interchangeable
- Tyre gauge and compressor to deflate/inflate your tyres to drive on gravel
- Puncture-repair kit, tyre levers and so on
- Recovery boards to get out of sticky/sandy situations if you get bogged
- Workshop manual
- Basic tool kit
- Radiator hoses
- Fan belts
- Assorted fuses, nuts and bolts to suit your vehicle and trailer
- Oil for the engine, gearbox and diffs
- Oil filter, air filter and fuel filter
- Wheel bearings — for the car and the trailer
- Tie wire — 10g and cable ties
- WD-40 or similar
- Jumper leads
- Insulating tape
Get your caravan serviced before you leave, paying attention to the tyres and suspension which will wear the brunt of offroad travel. Check the gas connections to the stove and fridge. Test out all your electrics to ensure they work effectively. Get up on the roof and give your solar panels are clean so they work efficiently.
Carry a compressor so you can deflate/inflate your tyres
Tighten screws on cupboards and doors — these are the first things to come loose on endless corrugations and rough road conditions. And clear out any unnecessary stuff that you have never used, nor are likely to use. The less weight you are hauling around, the safer you’ll be on the road.
Finally, check everything before you leave, preferably on a weekend bush trip.
Essential communication and navigation gear
You hear horror stories about folks who have followed Google Maps or Apple Maps in remote outback areas and have been taken way off course and become lost. It does happen, unfortunately, and in many cases it can be downright dangerous for those involved, particularly if they are ill prepared.
So, make sure you have a good, reliable and reputable navigation system on board such as the Hema Navigator.
We also travel with hard copy Hema Maps books — the Kimberley Atlas and Guide and the Australia Road and 4WD Atlas — because I like hard copy maps, and they can give you a perspective of the region in which you’re travelling that you can’t get from a small screen.
A two-way radio is essential for communicating with other drivers on the road, especially on dirt roads where the dust created by passing or overtaking vehicles can reduce visibility significantly.
Most towns will have phone signal and some stations along the Gibb River Road have both phone signal and wi-fi. Check before you arrive. Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite communications is becoming increasingly popular among travellers, especially for those like me who work on the road. It’s not uncommon to pull into a remote campsite and see rows of satellite dishes pointing in the direction of the southern sky.
Starlink is an increasingly popular way to stay connected in remote areas
Phone apps such as WikiCamps Australia are great to not just find locations to camp, but to read reviews from others about the facilities available and other information.
Camping equipment
Take what you would normally take on a camping trip in the way of equipment, but the following items are good things to consider:
- Composting toilet — we installed a Cuddy in our van before we left home, and it was a game changer. There are no dump points along the Gibb River Road, which means carrying at least one extra cassette
- Jerry cans with extra fuel and water. Plan your mileage and fuel stops along the way and be aware that not all places selling fuel are open 24/7
- Extra screens for shade — we use one to keep the sun off the fridge side of the van
- First aid kit including a snake bit kit
- It’s a good idea to carry some cash in case EFTPOS/credit card facilities go down
- Laundry detergent or lightweight laundry sheets and a good supply of gold coins for washing machines which vary between $4 and $7 per load. A lot of people will travel with a little washing machine in their van/hybrid however for big loads of towels and sheets you will need to use the commercial sized washers
- Torches
- Long-handled shovel — for getting out of bogs; useful in the campfire kitchen
Carry some extra water and fuel in jerry cans and at least one spare wheel that’s interchangeable with the tow vehicle
Book ahead
The Kimberley and Western Australia coast are very, very popular places during the tourist dry season and for good reason - it's the best time to visit. Beachside camps, caravan and holiday parks, national parks, station stays - even free camps and rest areas - can book out very quickly so be prepared to make some reservations in advance, especially if you are travelling with pooches.
Broome was a good example. Without having booked in advance we could not get into any of the five or six caravan parks, but during the busy tourist months two overflow camps are permitted to open — one at the Broome Pistol Club and the other in the grounds of the Seventh Day Adventist Church. You can’t book ahead but we were lucky enough to secure a powered site at the latter ($45 per night) which included water hook up and access to very clean amenities.
If you’re planning to visit any of Western Australia’s stunning national parks — and I recommend that you do — an investment in an annual WA National Parks Pass ($80 concession) is a good one, otherwise you’ll be paying up to $17 per person every time you enter a national park.
Camels on Cable Beach, Broome
Clothing and personal items
The Kimberley during winter is hot so pack warm weather clothing for during the day but some warmer layers for nighttime as the temps can drop to below 10 degrees.
Lightweight, outdoor specific clothing is best for this climate — they wash well in little caravan washing machines and dry really quickly.
Good hiking shoes are essential for getting into all the gorges. Thongs, Crocs, swimmy shoes, even runners can be slippery on the rocks, so you need some grip and some protection for your feet from stubbing toes on rocks and also bites from critters.
Swim shoes are great to protect your feet from sharp rocks and hot sand when you are swimming in the gorges/waterholes and rivers.
Lightweight outdoor/hiking specific gear packed in a storage cube
A wide-brimmed hat, sunscreen, sunglasses and long sleeve shirts with a collar are best for keeping the sun off your arms/neck. Pack a flynet for your hat and take plenty of insect repellent as the mozzies can carry Ross River virus.
A CamelBak or similar is great for carrying your water on walks/hikes and is far less cumbersome than carrying multiple drink bottles. Some gorges on the Gibb require you to swim with your gear, so pack some Ziploc or dry bags to protect your phone and other valuables from getting wet.
Stock up on medications in main towns as well so you are not caught short when in the middle of nowhere.
Food planning and preparation
Bigger cities and regional centres, where there is a choice of supermarkets, butchers and grocery stores, are the best places to stock up on fresh supplies. Most small country towns will have one supermarket, if that. The further away you get from major centres, the less likely you are to have a choice.
In really remote areas such as the Gibb River Road or Cape York where there are vast distances between towns, fresh fruit and vegetables are virtually non-existent. You might find a shelf or two of sad-looking, cling-wrapped produce in a roadhouse fridge, but there’s no way to know how long it’s been there. Stock up on the fresh stuff before you head off and pack some frozen fruit and vegies, and some tins to last you the journey.
Be prepared to pay more for the basics than you do at home. The choice will be very limited, and the prices will be eye watering. Freight has a long way to travel, and you might not always be able to get the variety you are accustomed to at home.
How much food you take will depend on the available storage in your rig. I try to take the basic staples with me — tins of fruit and vegetables, packets of rice and noodles, sugar, flour, condiments and the like.
Some form of refrigeration is essential to keep food fresh. Whether it’s a big fridge/freezer combination in your caravan, a smaller slide-out fridge or a cooler with ice, you will need something to keep the basics cold. The size of your fridge will also dictate how much food you can take with you.
Plan your meals so that you eat the freshest food first. Salad vegetables such as lettuce and tomatoes will go off very quickly whereas carrot and cabbage will last longer in the fridge.
My vacuum sealing machine got a workout in the lead up to our trip. I pre-cooked, vacuum packed and froze a lot of food before our trip to use in the remote areas where I knew there wouldn’t be options to shop.
Think Bolognese sauce, curries and casseroles that simply need defrosting and reheating. Cook some rice, noodles or pasta and dinner is ready to go. The great thing about vacuum sealed meals is that you can reheat them in the bag in boiling water, so there’s less mess and washing up compared to emptying the contents into a saucepan. These meals were very handy after long days on the road or hiking into gorges.
Vacuum sealed packs of raw diced chicken, onion and capsicum were great for stir-fries or as fajitas in some wraps.
Wraps are a good alternative to bread and keep fresh longer. Tins of tuna are a great alternative to ham or other sandwich meats.
And take advantage of your location — catch a fish, buy some local beef from one of the stations, shop at farm gates and roadside stalls. Be aware that in some remote communities there are bans and restrictions on alcohol purchases so do some research and plan accordingly.
Amalia Gorge, WA
Our final advice for a road trip to WA
Take your time and be prepared to change your plans. A couple of days of rain can make some roads impassable which means you will have to sit tight until they dry out. Be prepared for all contingencies. Make sure you’ve got the supplies to last the distance.
Don’t drive at night — there are too many critters on the road, particularly wandering stock.
Always let someone know where you are and where you are heading.
And have fun — it’s an adventure and stuff will happen that you didn’t plan.
THE NEXT STEP
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