We have never travelled through northern outback Queensland together before, we have not seen any of the Gulf of Carpentaria nor have we seen much of the coast between Cairns and Bundaberg, so it seems a good idea to spend a month covering this area as an easier style of long roadtrip. 

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Using Google maps as a guide, we have nutted out a rough route starting from Sydney and heading northwest up through outback Qld and on to Karumba on the Gulf of Carpentaria, then east along the Savannah Way to Cairns and up to Cooktown before heading down the coast back to Sydney.

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The only time to do this part of the country is during the winter months. July/August works well as the temperatures up north are a manageable 20-30C and is well before the monsoonal wet season hits and the risk of cyclonic weather.

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There are an enormous amount of things to see and do on this route and given that we have only allowed 45 days (originally in 2021 it was only one month) for the return trip, we will unfortunately only see a small percentage. However, we plan to make the most of it and experience what we can. We don't even know if we will be able to live in a box (our caravan) for that long without going stir crazy... but we will find out!

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Our proposed route appears above, but where we will specifically get to is yet to be decided. We will need to do our research over the next week or so and then look at setting aside the dates for the trip.

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We did expect to do the trip sometime around July 2021, but due to COVID lockdowns it has been postponed until June 2022.

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Before we undertake such a trip, we will need to do some prep work, as we will:

1. Be living in the van for a month

2. Be free-camping at times and need to ensure self sufficiency

3. Sometimes be travelling on dirt/gravel roads

4. Doing the occassional creek crossing

5. Be in remote locations.

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We will have to work out what is going to be needed for this trip, make a list and ensure all is covered in it.

Some immediate things that come to mind include:

• Carrying two jerry cans of extra fuel.

• Upgrading the first-aid kit

• Upgrading the tool kit and spares to include

  • Belts. Oils. Grease. Coolant. Type-puncture kit. WD-40. Cold weld adhesive. Cable ties. Electrical tape and wire. Funnel. Old rags. Voltmeter. Gaffer Tape, Windscreen repair kit

• Purchasing Rock Tamers.

• Getting spares such as water filter and one-way mains water valve

• Spare awning pull strap

• Butane gas cans

• Hand-held radio

• Consider security of items inside the van when travelling on rough roads so things do not fly around the inside.

• Air compressor

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