Preamble to the long weekend road trip

---

During the planning of our Northern Australia trip, it became apparent that we could not hope to see all of the Kimberley without a 4WD. In fact, without a 4WD, we wouldn't be able to scratch the surface of the Kimberley. The main highway skirts around the majority of the Kimberley with minimal access to just one or two gorges. A detour around the area we most wanted to see wasn't in our plan.

Access to the Kimberley is pretty much via the Gibb River Road (GRR), a beef stock route that was developed in the 1950's. All of the things that you want to see in the Kimberley are basically on (or off) the GRR.

So we thought how could we travel down this road (that is completely impassable in the five or so months of the wet season) with the bus. We thought about motorbikes (on a trailer behind the bus all the way up there) or buying motorbikes when we got there or hiring a 4WD camper. We concluded that the 4WD camper was the best option but at $1,000 per week to rent (and wanting to travel this area for at least six to eight weeks) it was quite expensive. More research and we decided that the best solution was to buy a second-hand 4WD camper. And so, we started to search for suitable vehicles. Preferably, in the area, reasonably priced and in a good condition so that would not have to do too much work on it.

After a few weeks searching, we came across a suitable vehicle. Perfectly placed (in Kununurra) and reasonably priced, although being an ex-Britz Hitop Camper it had done a lot of travelling (just over 500,000 kilometres in fact). Now, diesel engines last a long time but would it carry us for another 5,000 kilometres? We talked to Miranda and Mike and we liked the idea, and we liked them so we started to think about how we could buy the 'Cruiser (short for Toyota Landcruiser, the weapon of choice in the outback) or the Troopie (short for Toyota Landcruiser Troopcarrier, a wagon variant of the Landcruiser designed to carry 10-12 people (or troops) in minimal comfort for short distances. After some discussions (and lots of emails) the parties agreed on a plan that was acceptable to everyone. In short, we paid some money, Mike and Miranda left the Troopie with their friend Jake in Kununurra and we would finalise the deal when we arrived in Kununurra (in April).

---

Photos

A Britz Hitop Camper
In its element

Another Hitop Camper
Note the snorkel (for fording rivers)

Inside the Camper
And we plan to live in this for two months!
Should be great!

Hitop Camper travelling through GRR river crossing
Hitop Camper travelling through GRR river crossing