Tag Archives: winter

Top 4 winter road trips

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Sunset, Greg Snell/Tourism Australia

Sunset, Greg Snell/Tourism Australia

Sure, you could spend winter relaxing in front of an open fire, with a good red and a good book – or you could hop in your car and get out on roads that are best explored in winter.

Here are four winter road trips that will warm your car engine and your cockles.

Gibb River Road, Western Australia

Although you can only drive on Gibb River Road in the dry season (generally most of winter), the trip is anything but dry, with river crossings, spectacular waterfalls and gorges.

Gibb River Road starts in Derby and continues for over 600km through the Kimberley to Kununurra, which is the gateway to Bungle Bungles. It’s an epic journey, although maybe not as epic as you think (it’s certainly no Burke and Wills expedition), because some of the road is covered in bitumen and regular maintenance work is carried out in peak season to make sure it stays in good condition.

Having said that, it’s a (mainly) dirt road through one of the most remote areas in Australia, so you’ll earn your adventure badge after completing the drive. And once you get to Kununurra, you still have to work out how to get home.

Stuart Highway, South Australia and Northern Territory

Start in the cold and end in the warmth as you drive the Stuart Highway from Adelaide to Darwin. Unlike many other winter treks, the Stuart Highway is all-vehicle accessible, from a push bike up to the biggest road trains in the country. At over 3000km long, you’ll be glad of the good road conditions by the end of your drive.

So, what will you see if you travel this section of Highway 1? Be prepared for long stretches of similar landscape, spiced up by some of the best roadside attractions in the world, from Karlu Karlu (Devils Marbles) to the thermal springs at Mataranka, to the Red Centre itself (and its centre, Alice Springs).

The Savannah Way, Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia

The Bungle Bungles. Lake Argyle. Katherine Gorge. Bitter Springs. The Lost City. Lawn Hill Gorge. Undara Lava Tubes. Atherton Tablelands. These are only some of the attractions you’ll come across on the whopping 3700km Savannah Way. This is some of the most remote and wild country in Australia, with all the spectacular beauty you’d expect of a route passing through Arnhem Land and the Kimberley.

Connecting Cairns and Broome, the Savannah Way is a series of connecting highways and roads. It’s mainly 2WD-accessible, except for the stretch connecting Queensland to the Northern Territory which is a serious dirt road with river crossings – just what you need to spice up the trip.

Murray River, Victoria

Although not quite as dramatic as the rivers on the Savannah Way, the Murray is the steady brown heart line of the southern states. Starting in the alpine region, it meanders its way along the border of Victoria and New South Wales before crossing into South Australia.

Just like the Murray River, you should take your time enjoying this stretch of country. Start in the booming town of Wodonga or across the river in pretty Albury (the more famous of the twin towns), pass through Rutherglen and sample some famous port before heading portside in Echuca (make sure you take a ride on Echuca’s famous paddlesteamers). Continue your current alongside the river all the way to the major town of Mildura in the north-west of the Victoria.

For more information on road trips, take a look at our Complete Motoring Atlas.

     

Welcome to Marble Bar, the hottest town in Australia

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Chinaman's Pool, Marble Bar, Tourism Western Australia

Chinaman’s Pool, Marble Bar, Tourism Western Australia

If all the towns in Australia entered a ‘Hot or Not’ competition, Marble Bar would definitely be hot.

Its reputation for being the hottest town in Australia comes from early in the twentieth century, when Marble Bar recorded temperatures of over 38 degrees for 161 consecutive days. Things have cooled down a bit since then – while the town regularly reaches 45 degrees in summer, the locals normally have a day or two of relief in between.

Marble Bar is itself a relief, an oasis of modern amenities in the middle of a particularly sparse stretch of the Pilbara. It is, of course, a mining town. But it is nowhere near the scale of the major mining towns in this region like Port Hedland or Karratha, and is, quite frankly, charming, from its heritage-listed buildings to the native-tree nursery on the outskirts of town.

Iron Clad Hotel, Marble Bar, Tourism Western Australia

Iron Clad Hotel, Marble Bar, Tourism Western Australia

There’s even a heritage-listed pub, built during the gold rush. The Iron Clad Hotel is over 120 years old, although luckily the cool beverages it sells aren’t quite the same age. Unlike gold-rush-era buildings on the east coast of Australia, for instance the spectacular hotels in Ballarat and Bendigo, the Iron Clad Hotel is built on a smaller scale. Imagine an outback pub on a dusty outback road, whack a few corrugated iron panels on it and you’ll have something close to the Iron Clad Hotel.

But if a drink is not cutting it and you need full body immersion to escape the heat, Marble Bar has a few ridiculously scenic swimming holes. Marble Bar Pool and its neighbouring Chinaman’s Pool are only 4 kilometres from town. You’ll also find jasper bar at the Marble Bar Pool. The town was named after the bar, as the jasper was originally thought to be marble. Splash some water on the bar to bring out the colours, but don’t take any – the bar is protected.

Somewhere that wasn’t quite as protected as jasper bar was Comet Gold Mine, which operated from 1936 to 1955. It’s now a museum, and you can take underground tours daily. Another, less well-known historical site near Marble Bar is an old WW II airbase. It’s not operational anymore, so you can visit and wander around at your leisure.

If you do visit Marble Bar in winter, hoping to soak up some of those 45 degree days, you’ll probably be disappointed. The town has quite a mild winter.

You might not find marble when you visit Marble Bar, but you will feel like you’ve struck gold.

Winter is the best time to visit Western Australia’s hot and dusty Pilbara region. Find out more about visiting Marble Bar here. And if you’re visiting the region, don’t forget to visit one of the best national parks in Australia: Karijini National Park.

 

 

     

Chase the blues away at the best campsites in Queensland

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Lawn Hill Gorge camping area, Lyndon Sparrow

Lawn Hill Gorge camping area, Lyndon Sparrow

Planning your trip north into Queensland to follow the sun?

These campsites in Queensland are sure to chase away the cold weather blues with their views, facilities and activities. And, of course, their affordability, so you can budget to spend more time in the warmth.

Lawn Hill camping area, Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park

It’s hot, dusty – and incredibly beautiful. This is an oasis in the outback, with a gorge hiding a palm-fringed emerald river. Lawn Hill camping area is the best camping area in the national park and has 20 sites ranged next to a creek with good facilities.

Darlington Park camping area, Beaudesert

This family-friendly gem is in the Gold Coast hinterland. With plenty of space and facilities, Darlington Park camping area is a popular site.

Platypus Bush Camp, Finch Hatton Gorge

You might not catch a glimpse of Australia’s most elusive native creature (the platypus!) at this enchanting rainforest campground, but less elusive features here include hot showers with views, treehouses and a great camp kitchen.

Babinda Creek camping area, Babinda

Find water that you can swim in at Babinda Creek camping area, which is a family-friendly camping area with good facilities nestled next to a creek south of Cairns.

Maureen’s Cove camping area, Whitsundays National Park

It’s the holy grail of travel – good budget accommodation within an expensive tourist precinct. The campsites in Whitsundays National Park are one such accommodation option. Boat-access only Maureen’s Cove camping area is on the north coast of Hook Island with limited facilities, but swell snorkelling just offshore.

MV Sarawak camping area, Inskip Peninsula Recreation Area

Dog-friendly and suitable for large groups, these campsites with a view (looking onto Fraser Island) might have limited facilities but that has not limited their popularity. Well worth a visit.

Cameron Corner camping area

There’s not much to Cameron Corner camping area apart from knowing that you are camping at the point where Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales meet. There’s good facilities, a store and access to Sturt National Park.

Carnarvon Gorge camping area, Carnarvon National Park

Gorge yourself on the views at Carnarvon Gorge – and then head back to Carnarvon Gorge camping area for the night. Only open during certain school holidays, this campground has good facilities and good access to the main attraction in the park.

Punsand Bay Camping Resort, Cape York

It’s a long way to the top, but it’s worth it for views like these – and for the experience of being at the tip of Australia. Punsand Bay Camping Resort has the campsites closest to the top, and has tip-top facilities and activities.

 

 

     

Cooking Tennant Creek Irish Stew with the Caravan Chef

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Travelling during winter, you often need a hearty stew to warm you up after a day on the road. Eva Stovern, the Caravan Chef, shows us how to make a hearty Irish stew that’s easy to cook, whether you’re staying in a caravan, a camper trailer or a cabin.

For more recipes that you can cook on the road, check out Eva’s book, The Complete Caravan Chef.

     

Into the wild (well, just outside Noosa)

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Noosa North Shore Beach CampgroundNick Atkinson discovered the perfect camping area near Noosa.

Leaving the sanctuary of the Glass House Mountains, my fiancé and I decided to hotfoot it in our campervan up the Bruce Highway to Noosa. It had been 10 years since I last visited the sleeply little holiday town. It turns out that Noosa is not so sleepy anymore.

Noosa is now a vibrant, bustling and invigorated centre, with hipsters, surfies, backpackers, families and grey nomads all hanging out in the numerous cafes, bars and restaurants adorning the main drag.

After cruising the town, we started to hunt for a place to park our camper for a few days, and we decided to check out the various options before committing. The three caravan parks closest to the town were uninspiring, with each resident receiving a square of patchy grass and a slab of concrete, wedged tightly against your neighbour’s patch. This was not the Queensland camping dream we’d hoped for. Surely we could do better?

We did.

Checking our options on the sat nav (and Explore Australia), we saw Noosa North Shore Campground a mere six kilometres from the centre of town. With the instructions stating that we needed to put our camper on a barge to get there, things were already looking up.

As we crossed the water into the Great Sandy National Park, we started to get excited. We meandered through beautiful unspoilt bushland towards the coast and arrived at Noosa North Shore Campground, a charmingly simple place nestled just behind the sand dunes and mere meters from the beach. Space was in abundance, travellers were few and nature surrounded us. Kangaroos joined us for breakfast, goannas accompanied us on strolls to the camp facilities and there wasn’t a single mealtime where we weren’t surrounded by native birds (who mainly wanted to steal our lunch). Couple this stunning proximity to nature with good facilities, beautiful pastel sunrises and seemingly endless wilderness and this campground really is Noosa’s hidden gem.