Roadtrip Western Australia – the Maui 4×4 4WD Bushcamper (pop up version)

Back in late February and early March, I decided it’s time to visit Australia.  Everyone who has been raves on about it, and it seems far too many people migrate there.  So I had to go and check out that place down under.

I’m not big on touristy places or being around more than 2 other tourists in the same spot – so that means going in the off-peak season, and as I like the remote areas, Western Australia in March seems ideal.

The original route was from Darwin to Perth via Broome – over 4,000 km.  However, it is off-peak season for a good reason – major rain storms pound the Kimberleys from December to April and there’s only one sealed road connecting Darwin and Broome as far as I could see.  And this road do get under water for weeks at a time, especially near Fitzroy Crossing.  As I only have three weeks, that wasn’t a risk I was prepared to take!

After ooh’aahing and thinking about cyclones off the north-west coast, I finally settled on Perth to Broome via Monkey Mia – some 2,500 km if I remember rightly.

I hired a 4×4 Bushcamper from Maui.  (Backpacker, Britz and Maui are all the same company – they are different by the quality of the vehicles and kits you get, and is ultimately reflected in the price).  They also do unlimited miles and it was surprisingly hard to find a hire company that doesn’t have a km fee.

There’s scant little information on the internet about the 4WD bushcamper – all I can say is that if you’re not going off the beaten track, get a larger vehicle, as it is pretty cramped in the back for two people.  That said, there’s plenty room to sleep for two people – it’s the setting up after a drive that is a hassle and constant re-arranging stuff – eg, you can’t open the cupboards with the lower bed out – nor can you sit on the couch while the upper bed is out.  It does come with a very efficient freezer/fridge that runs for a while on its own battery if the engine is off.  No air condition makes it a hot place to be at night in the tropical and humid north.  Two fans were brought from a hardware shop to try and get some breeze in the back overnight!

The 4WD Maui Bushcamper

Don’t get me wrong, the Maui 4WD Bushcamper is an extremely capable and well designed vehicle – with a powerful V8 4.5 turbo diesel engine, full frontal protection, snokel, off-road recovery kit, good *road* tyres, and two long range fuel tanks holding a whopping 180 litres in total – enough to drive a good 400-800km depending on your driving style/terrain.  Personally I refilled every time the main tank is near empty and only used the reserve for the last leg of the trip before handing the car over.   The vehicle comes with a water tank, gas tank and rental company provides a full gas bottle for use.  A gas cooker/sink bench can be slided out the side of the car.

It is a noisy car on the highway – everything rattles – if it’s not the cultery drawer, it’s the pots and pans, if it’s not those it’s the dashboard, or the snorkel.   Off-the-road, any vehicle is going to rattle anyway.

Go for the pop-up if you choose a bushcamper – this means the car isn’t so high when driving, less wind resistance, better fuel economy, and it means getting under those trees a bit easier in the bush.   Finally, it does say in the contract that the vehicle is to be returned in a clean condition – but what they really mean is that don’t bring the vehicle back if it’s been through a mud pit without wiping off the EXCESS dirt.  It does not have to be spotless.

Perth CBD

The Pinnacles (1 day’s drive north of Perth)

Kalbarri sandstone coast:

Hamelyn’s Pool – near Monkey Mia – the stromatolites – our living ancestors, unevolved over three-thousand million years (3,000,000,000 years).

Monkey Mia – it’s a bloody long way to get there!  Even by these Australian standards.

Most of this part of the coast in north-west Australia are coral reefs.

Ningaloo Reef, at Coral Bay, south of Exemouth.

Eighty miles of beach at… wait for it, Eighty Mile Beach, a good half day’s drive south of Broome.  Not a German and his towel in sight!

And no, we couldn’t swim in the water – a recent storm has brought up all the stingers to the shore.

Crocs at Broome Croc Park…

Broome at Sunset, and good-bye to the Indian Ocean as we make our way to the Red Centre…

After a brief stay on Rottnest Island (yes, we went back to the Indian Ocean again), we head to Ayers Rock Resort.  This resort is all owned and operated by one company.  And it’s a bit disappointing that they are not keeping up with maintanance and happy to charge an absolute fortune for the accommodation – food/drinks prices are better priced – that is, more on par with typical hotel rates.

Thankfully nature can always be relied on to be… reliable.

The mandatory Ayers Rock snap…

Then off to the east coast to Sydney for a couple days…

The Opera House

I still like the US of A better if I’m totally honest!  But then again, I only sampled a tiny part of this vast continent – so will have to come back one day and check out the east coast, probably on the Great Savannah Highway route and chuck in both Melborne and Adelaide in too.  But not before I tried New Zealand.