wA Camping over Easter

[Top.ender]

calling all West Aussies.... what are the chances of getting a camping spot at Dwellingup over easter when I haven't booked

[Darren253]

IMO... Somewhere between none and never!

After two Easters in a row of disastrous bush camping (packed, bogans, drunk quads dune driving, beach raves) we vowed never to go away for Easter ever, ever again.

The wife will only go away to a CP on popular long weekends and I frankly don't hold it against her.

We started calling CP's in Feb for Easter bookings and everywhere was full.
We are CP'ing on Anzac weekend for 3 nights and we had the choice of pretty much anywhere we wanted.

Easter is now a DIY or trailer mod weekend and I will happily sacrifice two days of annual leave, do the same trip, without the crowds or the traffic a few weeks earlier or later.

Thankfully, most of our camping gang have come to the same conclusion!

[Aaron Schubert]

If you get down there early you might get one at Nanga.

Otherwise, try the Captain Fawcett Track!

Aaron

[Woodsie]

Thats why we are headed north east to Mt Elvire

[Stozz]

I don't think you can book at Dwellingup.  Lane Poole and Nanga Mill are big areas but fill up quickly and there isn't too much space between you and others.

We are headed to D'Entrecasteaux in search of salmon.

[fishfinder]

not a chance - every one heads south for easter - i tend to head to kalbarri on that weekend

[GraemeL]

Why not spend a few days exploring different camping spots north of Perth?

Ellendale Pool is quit nice, it's 24 k's NE of  Greenough.

http://www.exploroz.com/Places/75115/WA/Ellendale_Pool.aspx#rqc_tabs=1

[Diver]

If you want Murray river area south of Perth and Dwellingup is full then head to the Harvey- Quindanning rd and drive east until you see the Murray river alongside the road.  There are old pine plantations out there and lots of free camping areas along the river.  Alternative spot is Hoffmans mill east of Logue Brook dam.

[envee]

Alternative spot is Hoffmans mill east of Logue Brook dam.

Camped at Hoffmans Mill the weekend before Xmas a couple of years ago and had the place to ourselves. The Ranger told us that it is never full at Easter, so might be worth a try.

Cheers

envee

[mike and tracy davis]

Head for the Goldfields, Holland track, Woodlines or Cavehill and even Dunns track between Ravensthorpe and Lake Johnson is worth a go. Definitely Bogan/Yobbo free and you may well not bump into anyone at all. I will be on the Holland somewhere!
Cheers Mike

[Stozz]

We know of a convoy of eight 4wds doing the holland track.  Have fun out there! Beautiful area.

[Diver]

my son and family are doing southern cross to bullfinch, koolyanobbing, helena and aurora ranges, back to coolgardie, cave hill, burra rocks, holland track to hyden.  watch for a 150 prado with red custom built camper.

they left perth this morning

[Aaron Schubert]

Some great suggestions here. Every site at dwellingup is able to be booked except for nanga

Aaron

[itchvet]

From my own experience at Dwellingup Gnanga capsites, unless you get there BEFORE the public holiday, you've got buckleys chances of an UNBOOKED site.
You can book sites there, especially at the new (OLD Baden Powell site ) Stringers, Chudich are all booking sites, but like they say, yu gotta get in early, by that I mean REAL EARLY, like 6 months early.
However, just for the record, We avoid going up there during public holiday weekends, far to much mayhem and people for us.

[cetacean]

I'm on-call and working over Easter, clocking up some extra TOIL for when there's not so many people around 

[Top.ender]

Some great suggestions here. Every site at dwellingup is able to be booked except for nanga

Aaron

went down Wed night and Nanga was closed for repairs until after Easter.... typical useless DEC..

[doc evil]

Was at Murchison House Station just outta Kalbarri................Whole section of river to ourselves and I mean the nearest campers that we saw were about 5km away..............

[axle]

We also went up to Kalbarri, stayed at Lucky Bay. We knew it would be busy so went the week before (first week of the school holidays) and it was awesome. It was starting to get very busy on Thursday and we left Friday. In the 10 minutes it took to re-pressure our tyres at the entrance around 20-30 vehicles drove in.

Great place, will definitely visit again, just glad we went the first week.

[GraemeL]

Was at Murchison House Station just outta Kalbarri................Whole section of river to ourselves and I mean the nearest campers that we saw were about 5km away..............

Can you tell me a bit more about it? We are looking at going there for a week and I would appreciate some more info if you don't mind.

We ended up just going to Oak Park for Easter, nothing there but a bucket load of flies. It was nice to get away though, gave me a chance to work out a few more things for the camper, something I can't do at home because there isn't enough room to open it up properly.

[Stozz]

We spent the weekend at D'Entrecasteaux fishing off Yeagerup, Malimup and Warren Beaches.

I have never seen so many 4WD's in one place before - even more than I have seen on the Lancelin-Wedge stretch.  DPaW reckon 250 per day, I'd say it was easily that.  Most seem well-behaved although there are always bogans doing donuts in utes with dogs on the beaches in National Parks.

The access tracks over Calcup and Yeagerup got pretty chopped up by the end of the weekend and it was entertaining watching cars going up and down the hills.

Amazing array of roof top tents, swags, trailers, gazebos, wind breaks - quite the spectacle.

There was huge swell making the ocean pretty rough although there were plenty of salmon being caught.

Great spot.  Will write up a trip report later.

[Aaron Schubert]

Shame about Nanga. I wonder what repairs were so urgent they couldn't delay it until after easter? They would have lost a lot of money from campers unable to camp there.

Yeagarup is incredible - awesome place. It is always packed at Easter, and it seems to get busier and busier every year. Last year the ranger told us it was the biggest turnout she had ever seen, and it sounds like it may have been even bigger this year.

I will get to Murchison house station one day; looks unreal. I believe Murchison offroad has similar camp grounds

[itchvet]

Shame about Nanga. I wonder what repairs were so urgent they couldn't delay it until after easter? They would have lost a lot of money from campers unable to camp there.

Yeagarup is incredible - awesome place. It is always packed at Easter, and it seems to get busier and busier every year. Last year the ranger told us it was the biggest turnout she had ever seen, and it sounds like it may have been even bigger this year.

I will get to Murchison house station one day; looks unreal. I believe Murchison offroad has similar camp grounds

Do you "REALLY" want to know about "repairs" at Nanga ?  Actually, they are NOT REPAIRS, in fact they are REMODELLING, the whole pine forrest section just down from the rear entry has been BULLDOZED and cleared. The story is they are going to put in CARAVAN PARKING BAYS, there's a sign there with the planned design painted on it and shows no less then THREE bitumentised roads where the pines were, and gravel bays leading off the bitumen roads. So far they haven't said anything about reservations, but knowing how these people work, I'd be suss about that issue.
It's a funny thing really, cause just last year they installed fancy new deep drop toilets which were a big improvement on the old ones, these were left standing, but appear to be out of place with the new design.
I had a friend stay up there recently at the New camp area, (reconditioned old area) and he did not tell us of any closures due to repairs, though they did tewll us the road was in the best shape they've ever seen it.

[doc evil]

Can you tell me a bit more about it? We are looking at going there for a week and I would appreciate some more info if you don't mind.

What do you need to know?

[Top.ender]

forgot to mention that the Dec also extended the ban on open fires until after Easter... so after one night camped on our block  at Two Rocks and had a ball for the rest of the break...

[Aaron Schubert]

Wow, that's unreal. Shame really. Not something the DEC does on a regular basis; it will be interesting to see what happens.

I prefer the more private campsites on Captain Fawcett Track anyway

Aaron

Do you "REALLY" want to know about "repairs" at Nanga ?  Actually, they are NOT REPAIRS, in fact they are REMODELLING, the whole pine forrest section just down from the rear entry has been BULLDOZED and cleared. The story is they are going to put in CARAVAN PARKING BAYS, there's a sign there with the planned design painted on it and shows no less then THREE bitumentised roads where the pines were, and gravel bays leading off the bitumen roads. So far they haven't said anything about reservations, but knowing how these people work, I'd be suss about that issue.
It's a funny thing really, cause just last year they installed fancy new deep drop toilets which were a big improvement on the old ones, these were left standing, but appear to be out of place with the new design.
I had a friend stay up there recently at the New camp area, (reconditioned old area) and he did not tell us of any closures due to repairs, though they did tewll us the road was in the best shape they've ever seen it.