Lynda

Karijini is a very accessible, beautiful Park with a wide variety of walks, waterholes and lookouts. While there is a slightly tough dirt section from the Visitor Centre to the Eco Lodge, it is possible to avoid that and stay mainly on bitumen by accessing the two main areas separately via the highway. All nomads should experience Karijini NP.

Although not our first trip on the Gibb River Road, it was a new experience towing our off road 18.6 Sunland van and traveling with our small dog Max.

The track was quite hard with shallow water crossings after a very minimal wet season. While most of the track had been graded at some point, the eastern section, especially from Home Valley to Ellenbrae was very rough and treacherous. We were delighted with the way our rig handled the journey. Our only issue was one flat tyre, obviously caused by a very sharp rock in the tread and easily resolved. A few things needed tightening along the way, so regular thorough checks were an important part of the journey.

With only a few hours to spare, we left our beloved Max with the staff at Bungle Bungle Caravan Park and headed in. While there were a few gnarly spots on the track, the grader was at work. The main hazard we encountered was fast moving hired 4WD coming the other way, it is a very busy track so caution is required. Only single axle trailers are permitted.

We took the main road to Wyndham and returned via Parry Creek Road. The highlight is Ivanhoe Crossing, with the dirt road all well maintained.

Despite unseasonal rain over recent days, the loop was open. With further rain forecast we decided to hustle out of Kings Canyoning order to enjoy this very scenic drive. We encountered 3 sections of water over the road. All were quite hard through the middle but the edges were soft, a trap for the unwary.
The rain had created a carpet of green, with some wild flowers, making the drive even more scenic than usual. We continued through the the West MacDonnell Ranges to Alice Springs after spending a couple of nights at Glen Helen Homestead.

With rain threatening again, we took advice from the Pink Roadhouse owners at Oodnadatta and opted for a day trip in and out of the Painted Desert without the van. Most of the trip is on good dirt road, however there is a lengthy section of creek bed and some slippery stretches that would be more challenging after rain. I think this would be easy with a decent camper trailer but not really designed for even off road vans.

As this 50km track is not as well used or maintained as the major tracks we opted for a day visit in the Ranger, leaving the van at William Creek. It was obvious from the outset that this track had recently been abused when it really should have been closed. The land is flat, therefore bypass tracks have been created for much of the distance. It is advisable to take your time and assess the options as many of the bypasses are in better condition than the main track, but not all! There are definitely traps for the unwary. It would be easy to damage a diff or bend a chassis if driven in haste. At our pace there were no problems at all, just a few bumps and a bit of mud to show for the trip. If you are this close, it surely must be worth driving to the edge of Lake Eyre, even if the water is way in the distance(as it is now) or indeed not there at all. Towards the lake it is treacherous anywhere except on the track. Halligan Bay Campground is 10km further on.

After waiting for the tracks to open after heavy rain we set off from Marree uncertain of what to expect. Although we changed our plans to suit the track is more a dirt road most of the way. There were some sticky patches and pooled water as well as soft stretches. Some areas were gouged or corrugated. As the track runs through very flat terrain for the most part, deviations have been created around the worst spots.

After 3 days of heavy rain and damaging winds we were delighted to find we could take a drive to Arkaroola. As we were already behind schedule and the road was still soft we opted for a day trip minus the van. The road had recently been graded so again it was more like a country drive than a 4WD trrek. The scenery was amazing and we only wished we had time to explore Arkaroola as well. We visited Iga Warta Cultural Centre I the way back and realized we would love to spend time camping there as well.

We decided to take advantage of a 2 night stay at Lake Wallace by heading out in the Ranger unhitched. Having heard that the Glen Alice/Glen Davis area was a favorite of artists we thought we would investigate. While the drive was without doubt very scenic we were disappointed to find the tracks around Glen David no longer open. This made the trip more of a Sunday drive than any sort of challenge. Still worthwhile for the views!