Towing a caravan on the Gibb River Road

by Steve
(Perth)

We are planning a trip from Darwin to Perth in July 2009 and have been told we could tow our 20ft full van with our Prado on the Gibb River Road. We would love some feedback from people to let us know if it is possible or just stay clear. We don't have the option of leaving the van somewhere either.

--
Related Reader Pages:
Off-Road Caravans on the Gibb River Road
Standard caravans on the Gibb River Road
Caravans On The Gibb River Road (Storage)
Our trip with a caravan down the Gibb (trip report)

Comments for
Towing a caravan on the Gibb River Road

Click here to add your own comments

Aug 10, 2008

Nothing is impossible, but...
by: Birgit

Hi Steve,

I don't know of any first hand experiences that I could share. Maybe others will chime in.

The general recommendation for the Gibb River Road is clear: no caravans.

I personally would also stay clear. (But then again, I wouldn't want to drag one of them around anywhere...)

Reponsible drivers do get tough off-road vans across without problems. Tough as in real, dedicated off-roaders. (Not every van called "off-road" is really meant for that sort of terrain.)

You don't say how sturdy your van is, if it is a dedicated off-road van or not (if it isn't don't take it), and you don't say where you want to go, so it's hard to say just how big the risk is. Is it possible? My motto in life is that nothing is impossible, but...

Do you like your caravan? Can it handle being knocked about? Does it matter to you if the fridge in it works or not? How good is the suspension? The overall workmanship? Your bush mechanic skills?

Your caravan may make it to the other end if the road has just been graded, but it may just as well fall apart on you. Depends on the van, the state of the road at the time (can't be predicted), and more than anything else on the speed. The bone jarring corrugations present the biggest challenge for most trailers and vans.

Keep in mind that "the Gibb River Road" is not the whole story. Most people talking about the Gibb River Road actually mean a trip to all the attractions along the Gibb River Road, and that includes hundreds of kilometres on narrow side tracks... Some of those will be more risky for a van than others (dips or creek crossings), and again the actual state at the time can't be predicted.

Also be wary of people telling you they've "done" the Gibb River Road and it would not be a problem for a van. The road may have been fine at the time. That is no guarantee that it will be fine when you get there.

Rather than asking if it is possible you need to assess what exactly your particular van and set up can handle, how well you could deal with things going wrong and if the resulting risk and hassle is worth it.

If you do take the van, drop your tyres and take it easy!

Aug 30, 2008

Dont do it
by: Anonymous

Hi, just back from the Gibb. It was destroying 4x4s (incl Prados) suspension in particular. Towing anything on it is difficult, esp for the thing being towed, agree with the moderators comments, how much do you value your van? I can guarantee it won't be the same after the Gibb and will at least be up for a heap of repairs. I met people who left vans at Fitzroy Crossing or Kununurra and tented the Gibb, that's a better option than destroying your mobile home. I did see one van/road trailer that was being rattled to death, doors flapping about, not a pretty thing.

Nov 26, 2008

Drive slower enjoy
by: chris

Been there, done that. My van is a Kimberley Karavan took 5 weeks. Really had fun. Did it SLOW, had no damage to car, van or wheels. Did not do any shockys. It's speed over rough road that kills shockys. People, drive slow, take your time. If you're a do it in 20 days man then take spare shockys for your car and don't take a trailer or van. The faster you drive, the more you shake. The shakes are faster and tend to do MORE DAMAGE. Drive slower, shake slower, and stop to let shockys cool down.

AND HAVE FUN!

Nov 26, 2008

Campertrailer & Gibb River Road
by: Bob & Bub

Fully agree with going slow (60 km/hr average, 80 km/hr absolute maximum on the good sections). Tyre pressures 26 psi front, 28 psi rear on the Prado (Yokohama Geolanders) with 26 psi in the campertrailer (Bridgestone Dueller H/Ts) gave us a most enjoyable 9 nights on the Gibb River Road.

I still think there is an element of "luck" involved though. We had Iron Man shockys, an airbag under the back and carried 2x spare wheels. Have a look at Nev's pile of shredded tyres in his yard behind the Imintji store.

We had 9 weeks on the road ex Brisbane and certainly will be heading back to the Kimberly to spend a longer period next time. After the Australia movie is seen I am sure many others will do the same. Especially as a $ is worth a $ out there.

Nov 30, 2008

Caravans on Gibb River Road
by: Ros & Darryl

My husband is a retired caravan builder & repairer & has been reading of people going on the Gibb River Road towing vans.

Aluminum framed & sheeted caravans are pop riveted together & even though the van LOOKS like it travels fine on the corrugated roads, pop rivets will shear off & allow the frame & sheeting to be separated - this won't show up until later in the vans life.

Jan 14, 2009

Travelling the Gibb River Road
by: Chris

Hubby and I are planning to see Kimberleys and WA from July to September Leaving Brisbane and heading to Kimberleys first.
1. Are there places to leave caravan at Kununurra for week or so 2. What accommodation on Gibb River Road? Thinking of sleeping in back of Pathfinder and eating at Stations is this OK?
3. How much extras do we carry diesel, tyres etc
4. cash or credit cards 5. mossies and bug repellent
6. clothes? 7. is CB recommend or next G phone 8. will the pathfinder 2008 TI 4x4 be suitable

Jan 14, 2009

Please stick to questions about caravans on the Gibb
by: Birgit

Hi Chris,
Your barrage of questions is mostly off topic, the conversation here is about towing caravans on the Gibb. Sorry, I'm not usually that short in my answers, but this needs to stay on topic or it becomes too difficult for people to find information on the site. See my comments below the list.

1. Yes, some caravan parks in Kununurra offer storage.
2. Look under accommodation in the GRR section
3. Look under need to know in the GRR section, also covered in the free guide and the full guide
4. See free guide
5. See full guide and existing questions
6. See full guide and existing questions
7. See full guide and existing questions
8. Depends what exactly you want to do. Most likely more than sufficient.

Have a look through the existing information on the website (the site search helps you dig up what you need) and download and read the free Kimberley guide. If you then have specific questions left, feel free to add them to a relevant existing question or to ask them here. I'll answer best as I can or direct you to existing answers.

Jul 04, 2009

We made it
by: Pam and JD

We have just completed the Gibb River Rd. with a Toyota Prado and a brand new Lotus Trooper caravan, both went like a dream. We lowered the tyre pressure in all tyres and drove to the conditions. I'm so glad we did it, I have experiences that will stay with me forever, the scenery, the peace, the gorges and most of all the people we met along the way, travellers, workers and locals were all friendly and more than helpful with information and advice. Our lives have been changed by this trip...

Aug 12, 2009

Message to Pam and JD
by: Ron Millard

After reading the comments below I would like to talk to Pam and JD about their Lotus Trooper caravan.
If anyone knows them or Pam and JD read this comment, could you please contact me at rbmillard@telstra.com
Regards,
Ron Millard

Aug 26, 2009

Gibb River Road
by: Gerard

Completed the Gibb River Road with a Eco Tourer, only damage was done to the electric brakes and the microwave, everything else was OK. Loved it and will recommend it to anyone. Just make sure your van is a tough off roader.

Nov 19, 2009

Gibb
by: Geoff

Just finished the Gibb. Lots of people take their caravans - the main part of the road is OK. I personally wouldn't take a caravan as there are too many "side" trips to do. If you stay at Parry's Farm Caravan Park you can "store" your van there for FREE. (I stayed there for a few days but left my van in Kunnunurra - storage $5 per day)

Nov 19, 2009

Standard vs. off-road vans
by: Birgit

Hi Geoff,
You don't mean to say that people are routinely taking standard vans, are you?
Because that's not happening and those vans would just fall apart.

The vans you see on the Gibb are off-roaders.
I assume that's what you meant. I just want to make sure that any readers who don't know this site or the Kimberley are not mislead into believing they could tow any old van along the Gibb.

Dec 08, 2009

Pam and JD
by: Geoff

I met up with Pam and JD at Parry's Farm Caravan Park near Wyndham.
They had just completed the Gibb with their new Lotus off road van. They had NO trouble really. (they said)
I had just ordered the same Lotus Van so it was good to hear - the van is still being built and still coming??????
Just for interest you can leave your vans at Parry's Farm for nix if you stay there beforehand.
It is also a very quiet place to stay close to Parry's Laggon, Diggers Rest (of Australia movie fame)and Wyndham.
If you read this Pam and JD.... I have lost your email address....Geoff

Jan 26, 2010

Phoenix Caravan on the Gibb
by: Marie and Wally

We are planning to drive the Gibb River Road from Kununurra commencing middle of May 2010 and would like to know if anyone has done the drive towing a Phoenix Nomad caravan. If so how did it perform?

Feb 06, 2010

Doing the Gibb in July 2010
by: Greg

My wife and I are doing the Gibb in July 2010 in a Triton ute towing a Jayco Penguin Off-Roader, has anyone got any suggestions, or has done the Gibb in similar? Thanks

Mar 03, 2010

Jayco on the GRR
by: GB

Hi I travelled the Gibb River Road in 08 with an 04 OB Eagle. You will need to do some prep at home prior to leaving to minimise the damage but it will handle the conditions. Lower tyre pressure and don't drive fast. Mine went to Mitchell Falls and all the detours, Bungles, Cape Leveque etc. Enjoy the Kimberley, it is truly an amazing part of the world.
P.S.: Take some good walking shoes and get out and walk, you will be rewarded with a fantastic rock pool/gorge at the end to swim in!

Apr 01, 2010

Jayco Swan on Gibb River Road
by: phil and jane

In 1988 we drove the Gibb River road with our 3 and 5 year old children towing a Jayco Swan camper trailer behind a Pajero. We had no problems whatsoever and drove to the conditions which were often quite corrugated. Stopped and camped at varios spots eg Bell Gorge. Much to the kids disgust we met the grader about five kilometres from the end of the journey. We have just ordered a Lotus Trooper which we get later this year and we will have no hesitation in doing the Gibb River Road again.

Jul 18, 2010

Lotus Trooper
by: brian

Just finished the Gibb River Road with my new Lotus Trooper, towed behind my Cruiser ute. The whole outfit traveled well and I agree with Pam, the memories are going to stay forever.
The van has no damage or any other problems after the trip, we also took it down the Great Central Road where it performed admirably, considering this road is approx 3000 km of sand and corrugations, the last time I travelled this road from Lenora in WA was with a campervan and the shacks were trashed as was mast of the van. The Trooper did very well and the simplicity suspension worked well, total weight was around 2950 kg to 3000 kg plus what was on the truck.

I have had no problems with the Trooper and nothing has broken. Prior to undertaking this trip I spent time sealing the under body of the Trooper with sealers and repositioning and tying off any cables under neath that I thought may create a problem. I also resealed the water tanks and the area around the shower outlets as this was not done from the factory. All of this helped.
The reason I did all of this was lessons learnt from my last trip with the pop top which did suffer badly and it was supposed to be a tough purpose built off roader. Hmm.

Jul 19, 2010

Lotus Trooper
by: Pam and JD

Well done Brian, glad you had a great trip without any mishaps...

Sep 12, 2010

You can do it
by: Anonymous

We have just completed (July/August 2010)the Gibb River road in a 2001 T/D Prado (chipped) towing a 19 foot Lotus Trooper.
We spent 2 weeks on the road and visited every gorge possible incl Windjana and Tunnel Creek.The road was bone -shaking in places but these extreme corrugations only lasted for hundreds of metres while the rest could usually be travelled at 60 - 80 kph.
On the prado we nearly lost a pin that holds the front disc brakes together but quick reactions to strange noises prevented any damage before it could occur.
On the van (which has simplicity suspension) all went well except for one flat tyre.
We let all the tyres down to 30psi and this definitely helped travelling over the corrugations.
We didn't do the Mitchell Plateau as travellers we met reported the corrugations as extreme BUT lasting for kilometres. A common problem to do with the very bad corrugations was U Beaut UHF aerials snapping in half. Good luck but take it easy.

Nov 19, 2010

Kimberley Tour 2008
by: Chris, Kylie and Boys

We did not find the Gibb River Road that notorious at the time we were on it.
It comes down to preperation and deffinatley speed that you travel on the Gibb River Road.

We were pulling a Kimberley Kamper Trailer with Tyre pressures lowered on both Toyota Landcruiser 100 series and trailer.
I was averaging speeds between 70-80kms and never had a problem.

We did not have to change any tyres and had no shockey problems at all.

We went for 3 months and also did the Buchannan Highway N.T. and also a trip up to Cape Leveque and One Arm Point in W.A.

We absolutley loved it that much that we are in the process of tracking out another trip.

We would recommend it to anyone travelling, especially with children, our boys were aged 8 and 10 at the time of our trip and they learnt so much more on the road then they ever would have sitting in a classroom.

Still to this day we talk about the great experiences we have had during our excellent Family Holiday together, and all the different people we met along the way.

We Highly Reccomend this trip to anyone planning a family holiday.

Thanks and Have heaps of FUN.

Mar 25, 2011

Billabong!!!
by: John

I too intend to travel the Gibb River road around May/July 2012. Tow vehicle is a Navara 3ltr TD pulling a Billabong 21'06" "Broome Time" with Simplicity suspension.

As I will be retired, time is not an issue. I'm no stranger to dirt roads and bull dust etc.

Any comments please.

Apr 09, 2011

Caravan and "Some" of the Gibb River Rd
by: Kylie

We're planning to 'do' the Gibb August next year (2012). Though in reading the responses, I think we will abandon doing the whole road, favoring the top end around El Questro and Home Valley Station, driving back around via Bungles and Fitzor Crossing, and then joining it again around Windjana Gorge/Tunnell Creek before heading onto Derby.

I think driving the whole Gibb River Road with our Prado and rough road van will be too risky.

Apr 11, 2011

Bush Tracker
by: David

We are taking delivery of a new 20ft Bush Tracker in August and are planning at doing the Gibb in September.

We would like some advise on whether it would be advisable to take the trip with this type of van and will the road condition be right at that time around?

Jun 08, 2011

Up the GIBB
by: Rod Barrett

My wife and I did the Gibb some time ago in a Jackaroo diesel riding on BFGs with air bags to the rear, towing a Jayco Swan Off road pop top.

We drove to the conditions but the road was like a bloody goat track, but what we saw made up for the discomfort. We made no extra arrangements to either vehicle or van and had no problems.

The only flat was to the front wheel of the vehicle caused by a 6" nail picked up on a bend. Very bloody scary as we found ourselves pulling to the right, luckily I managed to correct this and just made it back to the left when a vehicle coming the other way at a great rate of knots, just missed us. This was on a left hand bend on a small crest. The idiot who missed us was going just to bloody fast. So please, beware and slow down on bends and crests.

We intend doing the trip again and this time hopefully in a Lotus Trooper as they seem pretty tough.

Jul 31, 2011

Gibb River Road ** Caution **
by: paul

Hi,

I have traveled the Gibb several times, the last trip with a jeep commander towing a conqueror commander/uev490 off road van. I would caution anyone thinking of towing a normal caravan and taking any advise from people in this blog or at van parks as this road can change from one week to the next or from day to day depending on the weather. When we traveled last, the road was a shocker and every second person we came across was having issues with broken suspension, punctures etc and we were one of very few vans making the trip due to the state of the road.

We were amazed that just a week before we had met several people who said the road was well graded and the trip would be easy. We encountered huge potholes, and the whole trip was full of very nasty corrugations and big rocks on the road, and not a grader in sight. This road will destroy your vehicle and van very quickly and you will be up for a huge repair/tow bill if you are disabled.

You must have the vehicle and van prepared for a worst case scenario or do not attempt this trip with a van or substandard 4x4 as the conditions can and do change rapidly. As for speed if you have to travel at 10km/hr do not attempt this trip as you will annoy well prepared, experienced travelers and will be a danger to yourself and others using this road.leave the Gibb for a future trip when you can get prepared properly.

We had to constantly stop and help silly people running out of fuel, broken windscreens front and rear,busted sumps,and most of these people had no tools,provisions or know how to fix an issue themselves,highly irresponsible. I know that some times of the year after grading the road may be suitable but its a big and maybe expensive gamble if you don't have the right setup. We traveled at an average of 70-80km/hr with no issues at all and no tyre damage but you will not be able to do this safely without proper preparation of both vehicles and a true OFF ROAD van.

There are also river crossings that can be deep so if your van is not watertight don't attempt them.if you don't have a well sealed van or internal pressurized fan such as the system on the conqueror vans then take a shovel so you can get the dust out when you stop.

And one last note; Pull over if you see someone coming behind you, just because they are going faster doesn't make them irresponsible ,they are more likely vastly more experienced and better equipped than yourself, so slow down, pull over to settle the dust and allow them to past safely
As for the Gibb, simply stunning, but any doubt on your abilities and vehicle set up, stay off it.

Cheers

Click here to add your own comments

Travelling to the Kimberley?

The free Kimberley Pocket Guide
is a great introduction to travel in the region.

The full Kimberley Travel Guide
shows you how to make the most of your adventure at Australia's last frontier.

Travelling to the Northern Territory?

NEW! Destination Top End offers the same comprehensive, detailed insider information for the tropical regions of the Northern Territory.

A must have if you travel to or from Darwin.

Return to top

Return to Kimberley Travel Guide home page