Planning A Trip

[grahama]

Hi, I am also new here in that this is my first entry in the forum.

We, the wife and I, called into the Kedron stand at the Brisbane show last weekend and got to talking to Bob who was helping out at the show and I would like to thank him for happy nature and assistance with my queries with the van and encouragement to participate in the KOG.

My wife and I had purchased a second hand ATV, our first ever caravan, over a year ago and I have been browsing the forums for some time but had never been one for creating an entry. To date we have only completed one medium trip and a few short trips so are keen to gain some experience on a longer run. As with most other members we have progressed from tent to offroad camper trailer and now to a van.

So, we are planning a trip in October and were looking at the Kimberleys (I realise it will be warm but only month available due to work commitments) and I was wondering, as we are still fairly new to the caravan scene if any of the more experienced KOG members could recommend places of interest, good over night stops and maybe some sound practical advice for towing the caravan especially when it comes to the dirt roads. The van is a single axle poptop ATV.

We would be travelling from Brisbane to Kununurra most likely on the bitumen, then was planning to tackle the Gibb River road over to Derby, Broome and come back the bitumen via Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek. Someone from Kununurra is trying to confirm for us what will be available along the Gibb as for example, it was indicated that Drysdale Station is not an option after September but I am yet to confirm that.

All the recommendations so far from the tourist centres, is to not take the van over the Gibb (even though I did tell them it was Kedron) and I was wondering if anyone had experienced that part of Australia at that time of year and could give us an insight into what we maybe up against.

Also purchased a generator at the show and was wondering if it would be okay to store in the front storage locker of the van while travelling, if I drained all the fuel when not in use, or not recommended.

Can anyone recommend someone to service/repair the airconditioner? I realise that there is Caravan Services at Underwood as a Dometic repairer but I was wondering if there was someone mobile that would be able to come to the van.

Apologies if this has been too long winded but any advice or constructive criticism would be appreciated.

Thanks

Graham and Marg

[Chris]

How wonderful to hear from you on the site, guys.

I am sure you will be deluged with information, but I am more than happy to give you our experiences.

We have an (internal) 18' ATV, now four years old. Normally we live in Darwin, but have been trvelling with the van for the past three years. At present however, we are at a remote Aboriginal community in the NT (Peppimenarti) until the end of the year.

We did the Gibb River Road (GRR) in June 2006, with the van, and had not a single problem with it. Apart from a vicious little jar of chutney which shed its lid and contents all over the pantry...

We did pack the van for the trip - wedged foam between DVD and cupboard, foam between microwave and cupboard; lined fridge shelves with thin foam before putting contents back in door shelves, foam on top of cutlery drawer etc.

There were no problems with the trip whatsoever. Of course, we didn't go up to the Mitchell Falls...that would be suicidal!

I am presently interstate for a couple of weeks and using a travel computer, so I don't have a copy of my trip report for the GRR. But if you email me privately I will send it on to you in a few days time.

I am also more than happy to talk to you about other spots on the trip that you might call into (eg Gregory NP and Flora Reserve, on the Victoria Highway out from Katherine. Once you email me I will respond with my contact details.

Chris

[dazmit]

Hi Graham & Marg

Can't answer all your questions , however plenty of Offroad vans travel the Gibb, some careful packing, correct tyre pressures for the dirt and driving to the conditions will see you through with minimal if any problems.

Handy hint - screw lids unscrew on corrugations, that includes, olive oil, garlic paste, jam etc. Rubber bands around the bottles over the lids or stubbie coolers over them stops this happening.

When you end up in Halls Creek you may as well take the short cut back via the Tanami & Plenty Hwy - we did last year and they were corrugated as expected but OK and a great experience. Fueling up in Halls Creek was enough time for us to spend in that place. The free camp along the Tanami was much nicer.

Gemtree at the start of the plenty NT end is a nice spot to stopover.

I carry the genny in the front boot of our van , no fuel in it and never had any probs. I had another one of Kedron's battery trays fitted and it sits on top of that and I strap it down to some eye bolts mounted to the battery tray.

Enjoy :thumbsup:

Cheers

Darryl

[John and Jo]

hi graham and marg,

We travelled on the GRD last July and would recomend it to any Kedron owner.A road with lots of beutifull rolling hills, river crossings and great camp sites . The only major problem we encouterd was the two copper pipes from the fridge which rubbed together on the sometimes bumpy roads i would recomend you to check before your trip. Just make sure that the pipes are not rubbing togeger , we got ours repaired in derby by the local refrigeeration mob They fixed the leak and placed some pading between.We also had one flat on the van at Bells Gourge which wasn't to bad considering we also traveled the Great Gentral Road Laverton WA to the Olgas

As i said we travelled in July not sure what the road conditions will be like in October but i'm sure you will have fun :thumbsup:

John Albany wa

[grahama]

Guys,

Thanks for your responses and tips.

The planning and preparation is under way.

Graham