Which way to go???

G'day Barrie,

Mid-May is a good time to start in the Kimberly's and NT because wll the waterfalls are running, By mid June Jim-Jim falls in Kakado would probably be dried up. By July Gunlom Falls are probably dry. There is only a small window in the Jim Jim Falls season. They don't open the road until the water over the falls has dropped significantly since the wet and then there's only about 2 or three weeks before it stops altogether. Gunlom Falls is much better anyway, the swimming pools at the top of the falls are spectacular. The camping area is good too. Some of the Falls in Litchfield will also dry up. Try to get to Surprise Creek Falls - the road in from the south is unsuitable for BT but if you camp at Daly River (Mango Farm is best) it's easy to make a day trip to Surprise Ck.

If you do Plan 2 you will strike some cold weather, particularly in Adelaide Hills, Grampians, Great Ocean Road, and of course, Melbourne, and the Victrorian/NSW Alpine regions. It can be frosty cold inland from the Murray, through the tablelands to across the Qld border around Stanthorpe.

I reckon Sept-Oct is too late for the Gulf, NT and Kimberly.

Regards..........Rob

G'day Barrie,

Agree with Tellem re timing as we did the lap last year anti-clockwise from Gympie and found we should have stayed up the top in the latter part of the trip.
We had to wait in Townsville area for 3 weeks in April before it looked like a possibility to get to our target area of the Roper river. Finally got in early May but only from the Mataranka end, Savannah way from Borooloola was still closed.
We have plans to go to Eyre Penninsular in March then up the centre as soon as our spy at Pine creek advises roads open to Roper as we want to load up on Barra again. Hopefully the Savannah way will open by the time we are sick of the Roper then we will follow the gulf track back to Qld. We have done the section between Borooloola and Burketown before and found no problems with sandflies till you get to around Normanton but that's par for the course.
Safe travels, may see you up there.

graham

Just my two cents worth. I visited Jim Jim Falls 4th. July last. The walking track was closed to the falls pool. However I "missed seeing the sign". The walking track was very hard going over large boulders but worth the effort indeed. The last section of road from the good looking camp ground was "4x4" through a few creeks with approx 20 cm water. Easy really. Gunlom visited 19th. July as previously stated a beautiful place. Ranger is proficient and his park is very good. The road in is one of the worst encountered if one is unlucy enough to be before the grader. Apparently according to the grader driver the road in is a Govt controlled and the last bit a N.P. responsibility. The top of the falls is a "must see". My daughter seemed to classify it as a near to a religious experience. I was at Adels Grove in late May and departed there south to Camooweel due to roads impassable north. The message is really. Check locally as close to your travel timing as weather is the key. My trip in 2006 was greatly affected by the late cyclones right across the north of Aus. Rainfall was e.g. on Mitchell Plataeu WA 150% over a good year. The Gulf got records too. The Victoria River had some record. A cyclone went through Arnhem Land 25th April. Hope this is of some use. cheers, Neil.

Hi Barrie,
Last year we had a very late Wet, and in particular the super storm/cyclone named Monica had a huge effect on parts of the NT not normally touched by cyclones.
We have arrived home in the Top End just tonight and have never seen it as wet down the middle as it is now. Th Stuart Highway is cut north of A.S. and was only reopened this evening to 4x4s only.
It is worth checking closer to your departure date and having an alternate plan in case, it may be that we get loads of water now and none (well, less) for the next 3 months or it may be that this year is a super Wet where rain continues into almost early June.
Prue