MySwag.org The Off-road Camper Trailer Forum
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: SwissTraveler on February 21, 2013, 07:23:37 PM
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We plan a 6-month trip to WA and I'm allready looking through the guides... Can we drive with our trailer to the Mitchel Falls in the Kimberleys? Or is the road to rough as written in some guides? Was anybody there with his trailer?
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We took our off camper there with no problems. But, friends had what I would call a non off road camper and both springs broke. Caused heaps of dramas for them. So as long as your camper is capable for off road, you should be OK. The track is bad but what makes it worse are the other road users. The track in places is not very wide and you will get the odd oncoming traffic going way too fast and same behind you. They will try and push you along faster and there are limited places to pull over. But do not let that put you off. It is a brilliant place to camp at. Just take your time, enjoy the stops on the way and lower your tyre pressures.
Kevin
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X2
Didn't have a camper but some other road users were woeful.
Wayne
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G'day SwissTraveller,
We took our Australian Offroad Quantum to Mitchell Falls. It has an ATM of 2.2 tonne, and has independant suspension. It was fully loaded, as was our Landcruiser. We drove slowly to the conditions, with me describing the road as corrugated and my wife describing the same road as horribly corrugated. I think from memory we took about 3 hours or so to cover the 80km from the camp grounds on the King Edward River.
At the time both the camper and Landcruiser has passenger construction tyres, which I ran at 21 psi on the front, 25 psi in the rear, and either 21 or 23 psi in the camper trailer. I now have LT (Light Truck) construction tyres and would probably run higher tyre pressures but not much higher.
Our rig is built to travel off road, and I'd have no hesitation in making the trip again.
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Heading that in a couple of months, we will probably leave our C/T at the camp grounds at King Edward River and just do a day trip to the falls. Naturally it all depends on the conditions ;D
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It depends what kind of trailer you have. We took our offroad camper up that way but set up our base at the King Edward River campground (there are two options - we stayed the campground to the left, can't remember the name). It's much nicer than the Mitchell Falls campground and has a great waterfall and swimming area of it's own. It was one of our favourite camps in the whole of the Kimberley. There's lots of great Wandjina and Bradshaw rock art nearby too.
It took us just over an hour to get to the Mitchell Falls carpark from memory, but the road had only just been graded and opened up and was in fantastic condition. We also didn't come across much traffic and weren't towing. We did do a tyre on the 4wd on the way back from Mitchell Falls though. There are lots of large-ish rocks that line the edges of the road (where the grader pushes them), so just take it easy.
We did have a shock come loose on the Kalumburu Road (it had been punished though on the back road from Cape Leveque and throughout the rest of the Kimberley), but we just took it off and replaced it when we got back to Kununurra... no dramas. Drysdale Station can fix it if need be.
If you're worried about your trailer and you have a tent with you, leave the trailer in the Drysdale Station campground.
One other thing to be aware of...we filled up at Drysdale before heading up to the falls for a few days and had planned to fill up again on the way back down, but when we came back to Drysdale to re-fuel, the fuel truck had broken down on the Gibb River Road so Drysdale were rationing fuel...30L/car :o We luckily had a jerry can and topped up enough to literally roll into Home Valley on fumes.
The Mitchell Falls are absolutely spectacular. Breathtaking even. I can't wait to go back ;D
It's a magic place over there. Enjoy your travels :)
Karen
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We are also heading there in June and are planning on leaving the camper trailers at the King Edward River campground (depending on time of year I gather the two camping areas can be full) and heading out to the falls for a long day trip. From all I've heard the road out to the falls can be rough and narrow with the oncoming traffic the major obstacle.
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We had planned to stay at Mitchell Falls last year, but the Kulumbaru road was the death of the shocks on the trailer (and the death of several trailers on the way up), so decided to stay at King Edward campground and drove up for the day. In the end, we're pretty happy with the way it turned out, King Edward Campground is pretty nice, with a good swimming spot and we spent 3 nights there. I wouldn't have a problem taking the trailer up to Mitchell Falls, but next time I'd still stay at King Edward. As for road conditions, you'll just have to judge it at the time, as they change over the course of the season depending on traffic and grading times.
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Mrs T wanted to leave the trailer @ King Edward Rvr too BUT she didn't want to get into the chopper for the 6 minute flight from the Falls car park to the top of Mitchell Falls. One can walk but best to allow a couple of hours each way to walk. So a day trip driving from King Edward Rvr to the falls, plus a walk to and from, plus some time to look around, and it becomes a BIG day.
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Our daughter was 5 and did the walk standing on her head. It was an extra treat to fly back in and the pilot gave us about 15 mins instead of 6 or 7.
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we did it back in 2005 and loved it. the heli ride was fantastic we did the 30 min flight back wow. as to the road in and out coooorrrrriiiigggaaaattttiiioooonnnnsssss we drove to the conditions and didn't have a problem. will probably do it again next year when we are back in the kimberleys
hope you get to enjoy Mitchell falls the walk to it is spectacular to say the least and the swim at the end is very welcomed.
Patt
p.s. look out for the firewood collection signs
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Really, if you can make it to the camp ground it is worth it. We spent a few days there and loved it. We did the helicopter ride to the falls and walked back. We took our time, stopped at Little Mertens Falls and had a good swim, just a brilliant walk and then just fantastic to relax back at camp. Kevin
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Really, if you can make it to the camp ground it is worth it. We spent a few days there and loved it. We did the helicopter ride to the falls and walked back. We took our time, stopped at Little Mertens Falls and had a good swim, just a brilliant walk and then just fantastic to relax back at camp. Kevin
+1. ;D :cheers:
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thanks für sharing your experiences! We will definitely go to the Mitchell Falls and spend some time there!
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I'll be taking my camprite up there as the wife wants to spend some time there taking pics. Hopefully the road's in good condition.
Regards Adam
Sent from my GT-I9305T using Tapatalk 2
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What time of the year are you planning for - we plan to take our Camprite up there May/June between School Holidays
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What time of the year are you planning for - we plan to take our Camprite up there May/June between School Holidays
Howdy pattyann
Were leaving Adelaide Mid June then up through Alice to Wolfe Creek, Bungle Bungles, Kununarra then down through the Gibb towards Cape Leveque, Broome then back home via the Tanami again, 7 weeks in total. Would love longer but better 7 than none.
Regards Adam
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Yeah i know its an old thread, but i flew in and walked home all by my self. Noone else was on the track.
Wish i flew over the horizontal water fall too. Biggest regret..
Towed the camper all the way in, passed the grader so track was smoothe..
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Good to hear it was nice and smooth. We'll be there in a couple of weeks. Currently in the Bungle Bungles next off to Kununurra then down the Gibb.
Regards Adam
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Howdy pattyann
Were leaving Adelaide Mid June then up through Alice to Wolfe Creek, Bungle Bungles, Kununarra then down through the Gibb towards Cape Leveque, Broome then back home via the Tanami again, 7 weeks in total. Would love longer but better 7 than none.
Regards Adam
Hi Adam
I live at Mulan Community, about 75 km's off the Tanami. At the moment the Tanami has become very currugated, and with the amount of wind around that will increase, so please allow for such conditions. One of my sons has just come back from Yuendemu, and he reckons that the road is in really rough condition over there at the moment, with a lot of deep soft sand patches, which you will no see until you hit them, just lettin you know.
Regards
Tjupurula
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We are now in Broome on our way home - have done the Gibb (second year in a row) including up to the Mitchell Falls - road conditions were fabulous as the grader had just been ahead of us - the most corrugated section on the Gibb (as usual) was the section between El Questro turnoff and HV8
The Kalumburu Rd up to the Falls road turnoff and the road into the falls was excellent (this was nearly four weeks ago) as the grader had just finished this section also ( the only grading the Kalumburu Rd gets for the season) the greatest hazard as the Falls Rd narrows is the oncoming traffic
Loved it up there on the Mitchell Plateau.....cheers enjoy
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Really, if you can make it to the camp ground it is worth it. We spent a few days there and loved it. We did the helicopter ride to the falls and walked back. We took our time, stopped at Little Mertens Falls and had a good swim, just a brilliant walk and then just fantastic to relax back at camp. Kevin
Same....
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We camped two nights at the king Edward River Camp and four nights at the Falls Campsite so was able to spend a lot of time exploring the Falls area - we did a helicopter flight over the Falls (well worth it) and lots of hiking and swimming - we also drove to Surveyors Pool and Port Warrender Lookout