To me there are 3 main types of lighting needs you need to consider:

General Camp Lighting

That’s the ambient lighting around the camp site. In Australia camp lighting has a big problem- it attracts the insects like you wouldn’t believe! You may want to think about that before you set up your camp! Keep the lighting a reasonable distance from tents and the cooking area. Although some swear by the old-fashioned gas mantle lights I find them annoyingly fiddly to set up and damage prone. I prefer the new low power LED lights which run on batteries or power and are cool to run, have low power requirements and don’t attract the insects as much

Tent Camp Lighting

Inside a tent I found that you only needed a small tent light- which run on batteries and clip onto the roof using its own magnetic strip. Not enough to read by good enough to find your shoes.

Personal Lighting

This is where LED camping lights come into their own.  I prefer a headline style torch – which keeps the hands free and works well for both reading in bed and cooking. I also found for a computer you can get LED lights which power of the computer’s USB port – though of course  this will drain your battery a bit.

Photo Credit

I am planning on updating the store regularly so please check back frequently!

Have been meaning to put a post on this since we returned from our three week journey along the Gibb River Road and then back along the Great Northern Highway. We started our journey in Broome. As we couldn’t get into the Cable Beach Resort we went to another one just down the road. I think in hindsight I would have preferred to have been in the town itself and gone out to Cable Beach for the superb sunsets and that cold glass of wine. We only had two days in Broome but would have perhaps liked four.

Anyway, we hired a Land Cruiser and left Broome early for breakfast in Derby, a nice easy drive on sealed road of I think around 200 ks or a bit more. It was interesting that our travel insurance specified we would not be covered on unsealed roads – why would you otherwise hire a Four Wheel Drive ?

The bitumen ended once you turned off onto the Gibb River Road, about 63 kms in. It was 56 kms on unsealed road to the turn off into Windjana Gorge (20 kms in).We viewed that and had a walk around, beautiful and lots of crocs, from there we drove to Tunnel Creek another 40 kms of very, very rough road. We then back-tracked over the ground covered to Gibb River Road once again. It would have been possible to travel at this point along the Great Northern Highway and go into Tunnel Creek from there and onto Windjana Gorge and out onto Gibb River Road, but sometimes that road is closed.

Windjama Gorge, WA

From there we travelled another 100 kms or so onto Imintji Safari Camp run by ATP which is used by its tours but also anyone can stay there but is inaccessible during the wet season. These Safari Camps are scattered along the road and offer good value for those who are not set up to camp. They are actually called Wilderness Camps The tents have wooden floors, two single beds with sheets and proper bedding. There is a toilet block and shower block separate. They offer dinner, bed and breakfast. The breakfast was great as was the evening meal. We enjoyed the company of our fellow travellers around an open fire – there wasn’t a tour bus in that night. We stayed two nights as by the time we got there we were pretty tired.

The distances are vast. You can really only travel at about 60 km/hour or less depending on the state of the road. The next day we enjoyed our walk into Bell Gorge, again a couple of hours drive to get there. Our next stop was Mornington Wildlife Sanctuary. We left Imitiji (where there is a roadhouse and a fuel stop) and drove an easy 25 kms to the turn off to Mornington. A mere 80 kms. in but it took us two and three quarter hours to drive in.

Bell Gorge, WA

There is camping here and again permanent very plush safari tents. These are set up high and overlook Annie Creek where the kangaroos and other wildlife abound. The meals here are in an open style restaurant and were delicious. Again this is dinner, bed and breakfast and lunch comes in a small fridge lunch box. There are two gorges here, Diamond Gorge and Sir John Gorge. You can also hire canoes, no crowds and just so peaceful.
We spent four days here and loved every minute of it. It takes a couple of hours to drive to each Gorge but you can swim in each of them and they are beautiful. Back on the Gibb Road, we refuelled at Mount Barnett Roadhouse. Another 90 kms on (a couple of hours) we took the turn off to Mt. Elizabeth Station - a working cattle station – 30 kms. of very, very rough road. The only disappointment of the whole trip for me. They advertise as staying in the ‘homestead’ rooms tacked onto the side of the house, and ‘eating with the owners’ all a bit misleading – I know you are out in the never, never but it was very expensive and the meal was ghastly. In fact, being Australian it was embarrassing with Italians, Swiss, Germans etc. eating this absolute ’s t’ food.

There were lots of staff running around so really so excuse. If you were camping there it was $100 a double for dinner and I wouldn’t feed it to my worst enemy. Anyway enough of that. Our next stop was 150 kms down the road to Ellenbrae. Different story here. You can stop in for a Devonshire tea and be welcomed by two very nice people who seemed to manage dinner that night beautifully.

Sure it wasn’t the Ritz but it was a very nice meal with some produce from their garden. This is a permanent mud style tent set up. Very comfortable with double beds, nice clean sheets and a beautiful setting and alot more reasonable than the aforementioned. Ellenbrae 08 9161 4326. Only accept cash, won’t deal with travel agents, no deposit required.

From here we drove towards Kununurra, however we by-passed Home Valley but had good feedback from others on the road about it. Also can’t talk about El Questro as we couldn’t get accommodation there.

We spent five days in Kununurra. It was nice to have a break. We flew over the Argyle Diamond Mine and the Bungle Bungles and did a river cruise of Lake Argyle. Hidden Valley National Park in Kununurra is well worth going to and so accessible.

Bungle Bungles

We left Kununurra early in the morning and travelled 650 kms the next day to Fitzroy Crossing. I was dreading this journey but really it was a breeze.

The vegetation changes so many times and I enjoyed travelling through remote places that I have heard of since I was a child. Such vastness can only be appreciated when you travel them. There are plenty of places to stop and chill out along the road and quite a few free, of course unpowered, camping spots. We stayed at the Fitzroy Crossing Lodge but again in ‘tented’ accommodation.

The next morning we caught the early morning tour of Geikie Gorge run by an aboriginal group and it was beautiful. That night we spent in Derby before embarking on a sea safari of the Buccaneer Archipelago. This was for four days, three nights. A sea plane dropped us off near Horizontal Falls and after a quick ride on a small boat through the Falls we ventured off on our next adventure, four days of fishing, looking for oysters, swimming, mudcrabbing and generally having a great time. They have different tours, some four days, some more. Our’s cost approximately $1950 for four days.

We slept on the beach in mozzie dome tents and had huge fires on the beach at night. It was basic and only ten people aboard and three crew. The owner is a local fisherman and knows all the spots.

So we came to the end of our journey. We didn’t have any mishaps with our vehicle although we saw lots who did. Apparently its important to have low tyre pressure when travelling on these rough unforgiving roads (worth finding out about). Someone mentioned mozzies in a post, but no, we were prepared with products that could kill us before a mosquito did, but we didn’t get bitten.

No-one tells you anything and there isn’t any information in the vehicles. I felt sorry for overseas visitors who haven’t been advised of 1) tyre pressure and 2) speed. When you come from countries that travel a lot faster than us it must seem crazy to have to go slow, but you have to unless you want trouble. Look into it, talk to people, find out what your tyre pressure should be and what speed you should do. The commaradie on the road is fantastic, everyone waves to on coming cars and people help one another. It was an amazing trip and one I’m proud I have done. It’s pure Australia and I loved it. I hope this is of some help. I found it hard to find information and it would be great if others could post their experiences. We also hired a gas car fridge in Broome which was essential for that cold beer at the end of the day.

On the beach front I have a high standards so when we saw the local Shire’s tag line: “the best beaches in Australia” I was cynical to say the least.

A great beach means not only gorgeous to look at but also warm enough to swim, somewhat safe, well not immediately life threatening (rips, sharks, crocodiles, stingers). Also not covered with a few thousand people! To be honest the much hyped Queensland beaches have some serious drawbacks (crocodiles, stingers, people, too shallow to swim), but I am starting to get very impressed with the Western Australian entries into the best beach scene!

However on arrival at Cape le Grand I was, to be honest, pretty blown away! The sea is a really ridiculous shade of blue and aquamarine which will guarantee that your friends will accuse you of enhancing your photos (no I didn’t)! The sand is so white and fine that the sand literally squeaks when you walk on it. Arriving on a weekday we found the beach deserted except for a single surfer, a seal, with only a handful of campers at the adjacent campsite.

Cape le Grand National Park is an easy 50km drive from Esperance on sealed roads. It’s fair to say though that the port of Esperance, is a long way from anywhere, 750km SE from Perth, 400km south of Kalgoorlie.

Lucky Bay, Cape le Grand NP

The southern ocean only allows year round swimming for the wet suit equipped, but over the summer months its a pleasant temperature and there are some excellent surf breaks, but seek local advice before you venture in.

Cape le Grand has sealed roads to its many beaches and other beauty spots, including Lucky Bay and Frenchman’s Peak’s carpark for the energetic 3hr walk to the top A 4WD will allow you to drive on the beaches, which is permitted in the park. Even the un-sealed roads are well maintained and accessible by 2WD.

Make sure you detour off the Cape le Grand access road to find the unlikely-located lavender farm which includes a local artists’ gallery and excellent cake and coffee!

Standard day entry for a vehicle is $10 to the park plus $7.50 per person if you intend to camp at one of the several campgrounds next to beautiful white sand beaches. More details on WA park passes here.

Esperance

Is a busy port town of about 13,000, which is both a port for a the local grain industry and the mining industry. The port has a queue of container ships lined for loading, but around the next corner there are beaches with surf breaks, and more beaches with sheltered swimming. There appears to be a whole new suburb of new brick 3+2 bungalows going up so presumably it is doing well on the resource boom like the rest of Western Australia.

The centre of town includes the usual tourist amenities, including a museum with bits of Skylab, it fell to earth nearby, Look a little further and you will see lots of businesses supporting the agriculture industry, including engineering, farm machinery and other bits and pieces you didn’t know you needed. That said there is plenty of tourist shopping and some excellent restaurants featuring the local seafood.

Esperance has one of the most temperate climates in WA, it can actually get cold in the winter! The best time to visit: November – March

Come to see: the brave claim “the best beaches in Australia” by Esperance Shire may just be true!

Beach, Cape le Grande

]]> http://www.budget4wdtravel.com/2007/11/esperance-cape-le-grand-national-park/feed 5 http://www.budget4wdtravel.com/2007/11/think-like-a-buyer-to-sell-a-vehicle-in-a-hurry http://www.budget4wdtravel.com/2007/11/think-like-a-buyer-to-sell-a-vehicle-in-a-hurry#comments Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:54:46 +0000 Camping Girl http://www.budget4wdtravel.com/2007/11/think-like-a-buyer-to-sell-a-vehicle-in-a-hurry/ I intend in the future to do into the details of buying and selling paperwork in the various states of Australia, but today I found Dave’s post where he’s just sold his car in the States.Its always stressful when you are need to sell an expensive asset in a limited time frame. You might need to sell a car or a house before you leave home, or sell a car and other gear after you have finished touring a country. The key to success, I believe, is to think like the buyer. They don’t care what you paid for it, or how much you have spend fixing it or that you are emotionally attached to it and want it to go to a non-smoking, Christian family! So when you come to sell your baby car / 4WD make sure you:

1. Know the current market price in the place you are selling it. If your price is not reasonable compared to what else is in the market you won’t sell.
2. Know the checks on ownership the buyer may want to make and facilitate this if possible.
3. Try to advertise late in the week, most people only have time to look on the weekend.
4. Avoid major holidays and long weekends where your buyers may be out of town or otherwise too busy to shop.
5. Check which day in local buy/sell newspaper comes out at aim to be advertise online the day before.
6. Run off some flyers and distribute them to hostels, and internet cafes if you think you will sell to a traveler.
7. If you want to sell to a local consider placing an ad in the local buy/sell ads newspaper.
8. If you are selling to another traveler know which time of the year most tourists arrive in town. Be prepared to accept foreign currency as a point of difference from other sellers.

Cameron Corner, Qlds/NSW/SA

The Big Lap Route

Can start anywhere and go in either clockwise or anti-clockwise (check the weather prior make a final decision) but assuming you are in Sydney and traveling clockwise.

Sydney, Princess Highway south along the coast to Melbourne, following the coast, along the famous Great Ocean Road and then north to Adelaide. Follow Highway 1 west all the way to Perth via Port Augusta, Ceduna, Nullabor Plain and Esperance, bringing you up the Western Australia coast to Perth. Heading north its a long way to the Coral Coast and Broome. The sealed road then cuts inland and northeast to the Northern Territory and east to Katherine. Following the tarmac further east involves heading south to the prosaically named Three Ways roadhouse and then all the way east via Mt Isa to eventually see the sea again at Cairns. Now its all the way south to Sydney via the Great Barrier reef and some of the world’s most famous beachse, including the Gold Coast.

Advantages of the Big Lap route

Flexible – can start anywhere!

You’re see as much of the coast as is easy to do and take in all the major cities of Australia, the world famous Great Barrier Reef, wonderful, beaches, spectacular rainforest and other National Parks, remote outback towns and the true never-never country.

Disadvantages of the Big Lap route

You miss out a couple of big international destinations: Alice Springs, West Macdonalds, Kings Canyon and Uluru (Ayers Rock) are nowhere near the coast. Adelaide is the closest major town point at 1290km (800 miles) from Uluru.

You also need to dogleg north from Katherine to hit Darwin and the top end attractions of Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks – but you can loop through these 2 minimising the amount of backtracking.

Its a long way – if you have less than a year to complete it – consider only tackling a portion of the whole trip.

Advantages of a 4WD on the Big Lap

Add Cape York by heading north from Cairns

Take the dirt road of the Gulf Savannah from Normanton through to Mataranka.

Explore the Kimberleys via the Gibb River Road.

Accommodation

Caravan Parks $20 – $35 Typically $24 for 2 people for a powered site.

Although we have a tent we prefer a powered site so that we can easily charge the electronic gizmos and the camping lights. We found that the Council owned parks in smaller centers although often well-situated next to a beach or a river tend to be poor value as they only provide an amenities block. Private caravan parks particularly in popular areas tend to include well provisioned kitchens, BBQ’s, games rooms, laundries (extra cost), swimming pools, wireless internet and children’s play areas. The best deal is to joining one or more of the main groups of private parks : Family Parks of Australia, Big 4, or Top Tourist Parks. For example Big 4 costs $40 for 2 year’s membership – giving you 10% off their rates – staying only on powered sites you save $2.50 to $3.00 per a night after two weeks you’ve paid for it. However as larger cabins can cost over $100 you can in fact pay back your membership in a few days if staying in these! You don’t need to join in advance or even when you check-in – just during your first stay at a park and they will give you the discount retrospectively!

However as we have a tent we have found as the temperatures got lower in the Snowy Mountains and Tasmania we often stayed in cabins at the parks. A cabin costs $40 – $80 depending on whether it had an en suite (usually $65) or not (usually$50). (Prices include the 10% discount from being a member of the association if applicable) All include some sort of cooking facility at a minimum a fridge, hot plate, toaster and hot water jug, and often including a microwave, bench top oven and electric fry pan. Usually linen was included though sometimes we had to supply our own sheets and towels (we could have hired if necessary).

Hostels and other accommodation.

In cities I prefer to not stay in a caravan park which may be 20km from the CBD. Instead you can pick up accommodation closer in which still provides secure parking for your vehicle. Typically this wont be actually CBD but maybe 5km out on a public transport route. For example in Melbourne we found St Kilda to perfect as their are numerous trams to the city and it is also close to the departure point for the ferry to Tasmania. Its generally the newer hostels in St Kilda that will provide secure parking for little or no extra charge. We enjoyed the Cooee Hostel ($75 / double en suite with flat screen TV and internet access) . Hostelworld is a good place to start for hostels and cheaper hotels. I also have found good self-catering apartments using consolidator sites such as RatesToGo especially if booking within a few weeks or days of arrival.

Food

Which includes – as far as we are concerned anyway a reasonable amount of beer and wine. We eat well when we self-cater, I enjoy ethnic food and tend to buy the various prepared sauces which work quite well with minimum effort. We tend to eat out in the big cities where there are great options at reasonable prices (less than $20 for a main course) but otherwise will self-cater with the odd relapse into take out pizza or fish and chips. We drink cheaper bottles of wine – a reasonable local red can be had for less than $10 in a bottle store and a 6 pack of premium beer will cost $12 to $15. Down the east coast we were averaging $200/week for groceries (including booze) and the same again for restaurants – but I think this will tip in the favor of self-catering as we get more remote. The budget of $50/day for food seems to be about right. Lunch in a coffee shop can easily cost $30/2

Fuel

Diesel has varied between $1.21 to $1.80- cheaper in Queensland than other states, cheaper to big cities than the bushWe are only getting about 14 to 16 litre’s / 100km with an older Landcruiser, which is, unusally in Australia an automatic. Also a diesel needs an oil change every 5000km so we have paid $180 – $190 for those.

Miscellaneous

I would budget $40/2 a day for this one – but for the month we were on the east coast we were nearly double that. In Tasmania we were close to budget. This is the hardest thing to budget – a day pass on the trams over $6 per person. An attraction entry anywhere between $5 or $20 per person. Showing our youth hostel cards got us a surprising number of discounts on museums and attractions. A National Parks pass for Tasmania – $80 for the vehicle for 2 months. Movies – $15 per person. Internet access varies from $4 – $10 / hour. Taking the vehicle to Tasmania cost $79 each way – but passengers (and you need at least one with the vehicle!) cost at least $110 each, each way.

I thought I would do an occasional series of book reviews of books, maps and other gear that is of interest to those wanting to get off-road.
Explore Australia by 4WD by Craig Lewis and Cathy Savage describes over 25,000 kilometers of remote tracks with detailed route directions and GPS readings. .It doesn’t include the main sealed road routes at all. However if you are interested in exploring more remote corners of Australia such as the Tanami Desert , Canning Stock Route, Gibb River Road or the Cape York Peninsular then this guide is very useful. Along with the well know tracks, the 18 tracks detailed include the less-well known such as the Connie Sue Highway west from Coober Pedy, and the Holland Track in Western Australia.

This emphasis on the remote, and invariably unsealed roads, means that most tracks fall within Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory. This book will be of no use to you if you are looking for a route from Sydney to Brisbane or Cairns, or even the sealed road across the Nullabor from Perth to Adelaide. Queensland is only covered by the Cape York Peninsular and part of the Gulf Savannah track. Victoria’ only mention isa single track in the Victorian High Country, and New South Wales’s single mention is in the very far NW of the state north of Broken Hill. Tasmania misses out entirely. Therefore overseas visitors are probably not going to be able to use this book as their only guide in Australia.

. For each of the 18 tracks described they provide:

• An introduction including the general description of the track a suggested time to complete and longest distance without fuel.

• Route directions are given in a milestone format which is easy regardless of the direction you are driving and in addition there is a nice strip map indicating key points of interest, camp spots, towns (if any), and services.

• Advice and warnings including any permits required an phone numbers for relevant National Parks and other services.

• Campsites are listed included whether a fee is charged, suitability for off-road trailer, off-road caravan, whether fires are allowed, whether activities such as swimming fishing, bush walking are advisable.

There is also a summary section at the back with good general advice for preparing for your trip, gear, and vehicle equipment.

The book is large format (11 x 8.7 inches) and at 3 pounds quite heavy. Our copy has covered over 30,000km of road, usually on the front seat, and is still in one piece though a little dusty. Its a very well bound book.

Available widely in Australia if you don’t want to bring it with you – though in Australia the retail price is usually around US$45, it may be cheaper to buy it before arriving. Highly recommended.

]]> http://www.budget4wdtravel.com/2007/10/explore-australia-by-4wd/feed 3 http://www.budget4wdtravel.com/2007/10/dont-put-petrol-in-a-diesel http://www.budget4wdtravel.com/2007/10/dont-put-petrol-in-a-diesel#comments Sun, 21 Oct 2007 10:24:22 +0000 Camping Girl http://www.budget4wdtravel.com/2007/10/dont-put-petrol-in-a-diesel/
You’ve had the diesel 4WD for about 3 weeks. You pull up to a gas station for a fill and automatically start filling the tank – unfortunately with petrol rather than diesel! There are two useful tips I can offer in this situation:

• do not start the vehicle, if its blocking traffic, don’t start the vehicle, if it can’t be pushed out of the way, leave it there don’t start the engine!

• call the tow truck they will tow it to a mechanic who will drain the tank and refill it enough to get you back to the station.

Cost for the mechanic about A$100. Cost for the tow truck – free because we were members of an overseas motoring organization. Membership of organizations such as the AAA or the British AA will give you reciprocal rights for towing and breakdown services (but only around town check the details of your scheme), discounts on retail, normally motoring related products, and a great selection of free maps and guides. Alternatively you could join an Australian organisation but that may be tricky if you don’t have a residential address.

And what happens if you put diesel in a petrol engine?

We were assured the same thing happens to Landcruisers too – the engine burns out, nasty and a lot more expensive than the tow fee! BTW we pressed the mechanic and the towie because both asked us how much fuel had we put in? We’ve put over 20litres but apparently if you just start and put only a few liters in and then stop – you may be OK if you then fill the tank to the top (with diesel!). Diesel burns hotter than petrol so it will blow the cylinders.

Keeping Food Cool

Its not optional given Australia’s weather – you need to have some type of cooling either a fridge set up (which will probably require a second battery to be fitted to the vehicle) or an ice box, a cooler or esky as it’s known locally. We found a 65litre cooler was about right for 2 of us and we bought a plastic box with lid to fit inside to keep delicate stuff like cheese and vegetables from getting wet or crushed. The mid-range Coleman rated to 5 days (in practice about 3 days) worked well at can be bought for less than A$100 on sale.

Stove

Something to cook on gives you a lot of options even if you aren’t camping every night. The main options is either a 2 or 3 burner gas stove running off a standard LPG cylinder or a butane stove running off butane cartridges (1 burner only). A LPG cylinder can either be swapped at a petrol station or re-filled at a caravan park or camping store. The butane cylinders need to be purchased from a camping store and are not refillable. The 2 burner gas stove proved robust and the wind shield is useful for increasing heating efficiency. I like to have at least 2 burners for cooking. The cheapest 2 burners start at around A$40 but the more expensive models $80 have a stainless steel bottom which reflects a lot of heat and makes cooker faster, and cleaning easier!

Cooking Gear

Minimum list would be

• a frypan – with good sides so that food doesn’t go everywhere;

• a billy with a spot, boils water a lot quicker and can be had for A$10;

• a small pot to cook vegetables, pasta, rice etc in

• A BBQ slice, tongs, miscellaneous cutlery and some plates, cups and (plastic) glasses.

• a decent sharp knife, can opener, bottle opener

• a basin to wash dishes in tea towels, pot scrubber, sponges, paper towels

• a couple of stubby holders

Power

If you don’t have a second battery in your vehicle than you have some other options for power. An inverter in the vehicle will power gear such as laptops while you are driving. Another option solar panels originally designed as RV solar panels there are now variations of this product which will suit the camper to.

Water

You can buy 10 or 15 liter water containers at the supermarket for $5 or $7. They can be re-filled and are a good size to lift when full, I find the 20 litre one a bit heavy to lift when full. More smaller containers are easier to back and are less likely to all break and leave you without water.

Bedding

In cooler areas, and particularly in the desert in the winter, you will need all the warm sleeping gear you can get – I would recommend a good sleeping bag and a 4WD camping mat which has both insulation and inflation to make it a bit more comfortable. In warmer climates we used a fitted sheet and a light duvet or sheet on top. You can get blow-up pillows but I prefer the real ones which can be bought for about $10 each and left behind when you leave. Even if you are staying in cabins rather than camping you will often have to provide your own bedding or pay extra so its a good thing to either bring some old stuff from home, expecting to dump it at the end of the trip, or buy something cheap at Big W or Target

Lighting and Electrical

If you are going to stay in commercial campgrounds then buy a portable light used by mechanics when working on cars (cheaper at car maintenances stores such as SupaCheapAuto) which come with a cable and sometimes a battery (though watch the re-charge time) for around A$20. These give excellent light and can be hooked up inside or out.

Gas lights run off the same LPG cylinders as stoves (and you can get an attachment to run both at the same time) but can be fiddly to light. We also each had a torch which ran on re-chargeable batteries, and tent light which attached to the roof by magnet and ran on re-chargeable. Which meant of course that we needed to bring a battery charger, extension cord, and a power box for when we needed to recharge the cell phones, computer or digital camera.

Tent

In fact you don’t necessarily need a tent, traditionally a single traveller in Australia used a swag, which these days are sophisticated bags which include a waterproof outer, a mosquito net over the head and are waterproof.. If you are only going to warm or hot dry areas you may only need a mosquito net and you can get self-supporting mosquito domes which are very light to carry. If you are going to cooler, wetter areas you will need a tent and again you pay anything from $50 to $1000, but a middle of the line tent with not too many poles to put together should do for most people.

Furniture

A couple of fold up camping chairs can cost A$5 (and they lasted the trip – not undamaged but usable) or A$100 – personal choice – but make sure they fold easily. You need a decent size table which again there are numerous versions.

Personal Gear

Obviously personally clothing and toiletries, towels. Make sure you have strong sun screen, insect repellent up north and a sun hat. If you don’t have gear appropriate for the climate you will be able to buy it easily enough along the way.

Then we need to ad maps, guidebooks and vehicle gear but that’s another post! What have a missed out, what do you take camping?