Western Australia Trip 2009 Deserts and Wildflowers

Troopy and the trailer are packed, and the last items on the "to do" list are being ticked off. Our house sitters have arrived and are settling in. There is snow on the Brindabellas and its bitingly cold outside - our first frost of the year will be white on the ground tomorrow morning.

So its time to leave, head north for the winter and have some adventures along the way. Come Sunday morning, 14th June we will do just that. Our route will take us west from Canberra on the bitumen to Port Augusta, then north via Woomera and Roxby Downs to William Creek where we have a flight booked over Lake Eyre and the Painted Hills.

From there we will take back tracks up to Alice Springs where we will restock before heading up the Tanami Track. After a look at Wolfe Creek Crater we will head down the Canning Stock Route as far as the Calvert Ranges. Then we head west via the Rudall River National Park, Carawine Gorge, Nullagine, Marble Bar and Port Hedland where we will restock and do some washing.

From there we will aim to follow the wildflowers all the way to the south of WA, zigg zagging from the coast, inland for a couple of hundred kilometers or so, stopping off at other special places like Mt. Augustus and the Coral Coast, Kalbarri etc.

Every so often as time and email access permits we will update this blog and share our adventures.

To first chapter - Canberra to William Creek


Postscript - added after the trip:

As opportunity allowed, extra sections were added to this report as we progressed. The above link leads to the first which leads to the second which leads to the third....... you get the idea!

The successive chapters may also be reached by clicking the following links:

Canberra to William Creek


Lake Eyre and the Painted Hills


William Creek to Alice Springs


Alice Springs to Billiluna


The Canning Stock Route


Georgia Bore to Carawine Gorge and on to Port Hedland


Port Hedland to Carnarvon


Carnarvon to Mullewa


Mullewa to Northam


Northam to Albany

Albany to Fitzgerald River NP


Fitzgerald River NP to Canberra