Trip to the NT April - May

[Tuckerman]

Hi all,
Just a note to see if there is much interest be it fellow travellers on the road or locals prepared to give helpfull hints to make a trip more successfull. Planning to travel from Bribane to the NT April - May 2005 for about four weeks looking at visiting Timber Creek, the Daly River, Kakadu, and Boroloola. We are a mid 20's couple in a Landrover Defender with a 5 metre Quintrex in tow. Any ideas,helpfull hints or contact from fellow travellers at that time appreciated and welcome.
Cheers

[devocean]

Id find the name of a trailer repair mob in NT or where you are going long way to tow a boat

[Wild_Side]

Mate the roads in the N.T are beuuuuuuuuuudifil.
If its fish'n your looking for ,maybe a stop in Gove would make your toes curl.

[dugong]

mate, long way towing a big tinnie, have you done a big trip like this towing the boat before?
i know its better to have your own boat but have you concidered renting a boat once up there, most places you go will have tinnie hire or pick one up in darwin and tow it around from there.
cheers

[Daintreeboy]

Hi all,
We are a mid 20's couple in a Landrover Defender with a 5 metre Quintrex in tow. Any ideas,helpfull hints or contact from fellow travellers at that time appreciated and welcome.
Cheers

Get a Nissan

[Tuckerman]

??? Hey Guys - sure appreciate your replies- however in some cases I guess they arent what I was expecting. Yes I have towed the boat a long way before in fact its been from Melb - Brisbane on four occassions. I have also towed a Stacer 474 Seamaster from Melbourne to Timber Creek NT behind a old XB Ford, (8500kms in 3 weeks with nothing but a blown tyre for my troubles).
I sort of thought the truck chassis on my defender would support the near new heavy duty dunbier trailer on bitumen pretty well, like it does have brand new 8 ply tyres and new bearings. I am no mathematitician however: Its like 2800km to Boroloola and thats no more than 7 return trips to Leslie Dam and back from my place - - gee I do leslie like all the time and I dont think there is a Great Diving Range to consistantly cross out west. Any hoo maybe I am wrong and maybe my 5m Quinny isnt what I should be heading out to the islands out from Boroloola, or fishing the "Vic" - the biggest river in the NT, or even a few trips out wide from Darwin Harbour!
I dunno but hey I do appreciate any ideas that may be more than you will never get there - - I guess having five weeks to play with and a who cares/can do attitude is something that should work for us - I guess we will see how we go - thanks again for your imput one and all!

[Daintreeboy]

seriously mate these guys are right. Your defender is fine (sorry bout the joke), just bloody dusty lol. As for the boat. It would be awesome where you are going. If I was heading that way, I'd love to have a boat like that to use. Problem is, can you get it there without destroying it? And the trailer will be worse. There are off road trailers for these conditions and I don't know if you have one. If not, you really need to get one or it'll be an expensive trip and take all your time up just fixing things.
Cheers, Mark.

[Tuckerman]

??? Ok cool - I appreciate where your coming from however I must ask is it not sealed road from Brisbane to Darwin? I know from the Three ways at Tennant Creek its like a runway to Timber Creek and Darwin. To me it looks like sealed road all the way to Boroloola?
Now I am starting to worry what do I do with my boat when the defence force post me to Darwin one day?

[Moffy]

haven't been there myself - but most of where you are talking is bitumen practically the whole way I thought - so don't see a problem myself - distance itself shouldn't be a problem provided your trailer is set up well and well maintained before you leave - just don't run with too much weight in the boat

any dirt roads once you get to where you have mentioned you are going can be travelled carefully - should be able to be managed ok with a bit of care and possibly maintenance between destinations.

go for it - wish i could get across there - 5 m quinnie sounds about right to me - especially to get out to the islands you've mentioned (we're going to do it in a 21 foot mini mothership once we get the 6 wheel drive isuzu and flat bed trailer for the rig up and running ($$&#36 - but a 5 m boat would go alright for mine.

Just noticed your last post tuckerman - most of the guides run bigger tinnies up there - so i don't think your boat is too big for the rivers etc - and at 5m would be more manageable -run with it i say - have a good trip.

[Tuckerman]

Thank You Moffy!

[Daintreeboy]

sorry tuckerman, I thought you would have had to cross a fair bit of unsealed road at Borooloola. Times have changed.

[slugo]

Lucky bugger Tuckerman

sorry can't help you never been there would not like to give the wrong advice on a big trip but there is a 4x4 site on google http://www.exploroz.com/Splash.asp
hope this helps you.

cheers
LEN

[dugong]

Good to see you have done a fair bit of towing mate, you should be ok then just take a few spares like wheel bearings, u bolts ect, you may be surprised how they can come loose or fail, it pays while traveling to check the trailer that none of the nuts have come loose, particularly after traveling a bad patch of road,ie any road in qld , the worst bit is from camoweel to the boarder, once you reach gods country ie the NT the sealed roads are just great wide and mostly smooth, the unseald roads tho can shake your teeth fillings loose so slow down the amount of grief ppl come to by driving to fast on the dirt is amazing.
cheers

[Wild_Side]

Tuckerman, I travel from Townsville to Katherine quite often(towing a 455polycraft),and never had any trouble. The roads are all great and theres no need for a heavy duty trailer. Just drive to the conditions.
What colour is your vehicle and boat? I'm stating work up that way at the end of april as a guide, if I see you around I'll pull up and say G'day.

[Tuckerman]

Wild Side,
Thanks for the info, certainly appreciated. We are planning to be on the road around 22 April till 22 May. Easy to identify duel cab Landrover defender 130 - white with a oversize tray, The boat is a white Quinny Sea Wasp - Yellow trims and named Shark Bait.
Question for you: Whats the 455 Poly craft like I have a buddy who is very intereste din picking one up and I am sure he would appreciate your thoughts on the rig.
Cheers