Big Desert National Park 4x4 Adventure Camping

Our Experience Camping at Big Desert/Wyperfield National Park Australia

Having never experienced camping in the so called deserts of Victoria, We were quiet unsure of what to expect. For those who don't know Victoria is not exactly what comes to mind when you think of the desert. Whist it is not central Australia and nor is it WA I have to say that you definitely get the taste of the real desert whilst conveniently not being too far away from town.

Just a Measly 3-4hours north west of Melbourne i would highly recommend everyone that wants to experience the desert go here.

For the full experience you must have a proper 4x4 though with low-range gearing. No crossovers, no Subaru's, no city Suv's you must have a proper 4x4 vehicle for this region if you intend to drive on the sand. It is extremely soft and quiet dangerous to get stranded here as the place can get very hot and the closest town is not a walk able distance away.

Stick to the Main roads and 2wd access camping grounds if you don't have the proper equipment and you will get there. However you will miss out on 99% of the experience in my opinion.

Challenges We Faced

 

SUZUKI STRUGGLES

 Our biggest issue here was fuel range as the little SUZUKI Sierra's 40l tank was not big enough. To make matters worse the engine was struggling in the sand and the whole way was basically 2nd gear low range. Talk about a slow journey.

The fuel tank took away valuable time due to the fact that we had to plan our route to include getting fuel, Which in most cases was a huge detour. 

OVER WEIGHT!!!

 We had too much weight on board in the SUZUKI Sierra which meant every bump in the sand resulted in Harsh bottoming out, Especially in wash-boarded sections.

Whilst not a huge issue as speed was hard to come by it felt damaging so we had to take it as slow as possible, Which is not so easy when driving on soft sand requires a whole heap of momentum.

Holden Colorado Woes 

Whilst Definitely the clear winner in terms of comfort and performance (Air conditioning & Power)
We did have and issue with the roof rack setup. A commercial grade rear rack mount system specifically designed for the car worked its way loose. Held on by 4 tiny screws it is quiet a bad design, with all of its heft by means of thick aluminum bars its weakness is vibrations and rocking motions.

A few ratchet straps later and we continued on with our adventure.

Camping

The camping experience was fantastic, Not a soul around. We had the entire region virtually to ourselves. It can be a bit creepy camping alone in the middle of nowhere but you get used to it after a while, The rustling in the bushes can be quiet unnerving. I'm just grateful we don't have any Lions or Tigers or Bears in Australia.

Note To Overseas Backpackers

I definitely recommend to anyone visiting Melbourne from overseas on short term to check out this region if time allows for it. As it gives you a taste of outback Australia at low cost.