jrr

My husband and I will visit Australia the last week in Oct thru mid Nov. A few questions. Will the north (Broome) be too hot for a visit? Best beaches during these dates. best bet for perfect weather ( 80's) for camping and hiking. I know it's a huge country and we hope to spend one week in 3 separate areas, flying between regions. I'm thinking Broome/Ningaloo, Margaret river/ Esperance, snowy mountains...any suggestions for great adventure. jrr

Bushranger

You've selected three areas that all have something special about them and whilst it'll already be warm or getting so up Broome way, late October ought to still be pleasant enough.

I was over there a bit earlier last year and whilst Broome itself has limited attractions other than pearls and Cable Beach if you want camping and some activities like crabbing with a local aboriginal, head to http://www.kooljaman.com.au/ , there being a number of ways you can get there/back, cheapest by contacting the local postie, Coral I think is her name and $50-60 each way but I had lashed out with $400 for a light aircraft flight that takes you right up over King George Sound from where some great looking country starts [I'll post a couple of pics later if I can] to get you to what are called the horizontal falls [strange title] for essentially there is a very narrow channel and with huge tides further north, with right tidal timing you may be in luck to see more turbulent water than I did.
No real loss for the whole area of the Buccaneer Archipelago looks magical from the air.

Landing Strip at Kooljaman is dirt and if wind is a blowing it can make for an interesting approach but pilots up that way know what they're about with local conditions.
There's set up tents at Kooljaman, quite a pleasant little setting and a restaurant with reasonable pricing but you may have a couple of Crabs to cook!

I used Coral for the trip back to Broome - check site for her details, think it's there, not the most comfortable in back of a 4wd with mail but survivable and have camera ready for the mother of pearl inlay at the Beagle Bay community church as she makes just a quick stop.

October/November down south of Perth, the weather will be milder but pretty good I'd suspect for camping with many more options at commercial caravan park grounds or national parks where you generally have less ammenities but still sufficient for anybody used to camping/hiking and then likewise over in the Snowy, you have Kosciuszko NP where there were cabins when I last visited too many years ago and good chance they could still be there, commercial caravan park [camping also with all parks] at Jindabyne on lake edge and there's also a www.yha.com.au at Thredbo and there'll be more than a few other choices throughout the region.

You'll want a vehicle for best travelling about the SW and also Snowy and if weather turns a bit nasty when about the Snowy, head off down to the NSW south coast via Cooma as plenty of coastal NPs and caravan parks in great settings.

northie

depends on your definition of hot! Broome will be average temp high of 32 and 33 in Oct/Nov and low of 22 and 25 and it is the start of the wet season and as they say in the Kimberley stinking hot, intermittent thunderstorms and the presence of box jelly fish and irakandji make swimming difficult if not inadvisable. Can swim further north and places like Cape Le Veque and Lombardin would be ok and could still be visited including the beaches. Agree that Broome without its beach hasn't got much else to offer but is a good base for other adventures.

Bushranger

The beginning of the wet season is nominally either end of October or beginning of November depending on how fine a hair you want to split but most people with experience there and web sites will advise on rain not really being so prevalent until mid December.

Yep, you can sure get some real hot days if you strike them above the average but again you'll likely find those further into November than October, hence best to make Broome your first stop on itinerary if deciding to still head there.

http://www.kimberleyaustralia.com/broome-weather.html is one site that lists extreme temperature records and other info.

northie

BTW jrr , Kooljaman and Cape Leveque are the same place. Haven't stayed at Kooljaman/Cape Leveque but have been there as we stayed at Lombardin where there are lots of activities to do with the local indigenous community. Travelled there with my son by car 4WD of course with my son who lives in Broome.

Bushranger

Some Pics I said

http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f2...rent=NT211.jpg

Mud flats and amazing how far of King Sound which you can see the eastern inland extremity of in background but some of the country is so flat and with huge tides, that's the result.

http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f2...rent=NT217.jpg

The canyon effect, it goes and goes.

http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f29/gan1948/?
action=view&current=NT219.jpg


http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f2...rent=NT220.jpg

You really need to get the turn of the tide times to get the horizontal falls image which is created where you have the narrow channels and water level dropping or building on seaward side quicker than what it can on the inward side.

http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f2...nt=NT296-1.jpg

http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f2...rent=NT280.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f29/gan1948/NT277.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f29/gan1948/NT286.jpg

Safari tents not a bad set-up even if you get to know your neighbours and some beach sunset shots or shots of the beach in setting sun - even a face in the rock!

Think I referred to the Sound as King George in earlier post whereas it is only the King Sound - George kind of pops into the head for a king!

They do start dismantling the Safari tents prior to wet season onslaught, probably early November if not early and so that's something you ought to check which you can by email if interested in going there.

If you consider it may be getting a bit warm, you could find a mix of rugged country by after SW of WA flying to Adelaide and heading up to Flinders Ranges and/or across to the Grampians.
Would even be possible to hire a car for say Adelaide to Sydney depending on time you'll have and pick a variety of different national parks inland and/or coastal.

northie

great photos Bushranger

jrr

thanks for the replies. Haven't looked at pics yet, but talk to me about the jelly fish deal...I hadn't heard that they are a threat in the north west. jrr

Bushranger

Perhaps the issue of Box Jelly Fish or stingers as they and Irukandji can be generically referred to has never been publicised as much for the NW but they're certainly about.

General rule of thumb is to be aware in the sub tropical/tropical region, anywhere above the Tropic of Capricorn and below a bit depending on prevailing winds for the wet season, even as early as October right through to May depending on what web sites you reference and there's plenty as though peak time may be November through to April, there have been stings outside of that period and could be possibly because of fluctuations in water temperatures and winds/currents from year to year.

http://www.kimberleyaustralia.com/br...irukandji.html seems to be a site produced by one with quite some local knowledge and indicates Box Jelly Fish to be about all year round but swimming OK at Cape Leveque possibly because of currents.

Think I saw one site where it was stated that NW has in recent years had more stinger cases than rest of Australia, quite possibly many more people have gone there in recent years than before the start of this century.