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It Pays to Be Prepared – Our Karijini Easter Adventure
We hadn’t even hit the highway before our first hiccup. On Thursday -while juggling the usual full-time working chaos- we went to borrow my dad’s Landcruiser like we usually do for trips like this, only to discover it wouldn’t start.
Honestly, we were lucky it happened on Thursday and NOT Good Friday—because Jolly Good Autos was still open. One new battery later, we were good to go and hit the road Friday morning, thinking surely that was our one drama for the trip.
Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.
As we hit the highway we realised the UHF wasn’t working in the car. Lucky we always keep a couple of handheld UHF in the van for around the campsite-worked out perfectly. The Oricom DTX600 has a standing battery life of up to 30 hours and a range of 6-10km (on 5 watt) which is perfect for on the road & around the campsite.
My “She’ll be right” attitude went a little far when I decided not to top up the fuel tank before leaving town, resulting in us doing 85km/h for about 200k, conserving enough fuel to manage to roll into Auski roadhouse with 12km range left in the tank. Nothing like a little anxiety to pass the time.
Apon our much welcome arrival to camp we spent our first afternoon doing a lap of the campsite and checking out the views over Fortescue Falls, ready for the hike the next day. Back at camp, we started setting up for dinner and realised we were nearly out of gas in the van (you’d think the owner of a camping store would check more). Lucky, we had the Auscrown Outdoor Cooker, which was a new product we got this year with that I’m obsessed with. Plus the trusty Jetboil, which usually serves as our coffee water heater, who know you could cook Chicken rice in it?! So easy, and it wiped clean!
Then came the big one: we turned on the water pump, and the power dropped out completely. Lights gone. A bit of investigating showed that our power situation for the next three nights was going to be rough- little to no charge, especially overnight. We sacrificed the drinks fridge, switched off all lights and fans, and let the van focus on keeping the fridge cold.
Luckily, we’d packed well:
- Companion Fridge Thermometer- helped us keep an eye on the temp of the fridge without opening it.
- Luci Lights – solar-powered, great atmosphere, and give off a warm glow that doesn’t bring in the bugs.
- Companion Rover Lite – kept the phones, ipads, go pros, and non-solar lights charged and running. Recharge the battery pack during the day by the sun, a bargain at $99.99.
- Techni Ice Dry Ice Sheets – these were a lifesaver for the fridge situation. You simply soak them in warm water to activate, and they freeze down to -25 degrees Celsius over several days (depends on what your freezer is set to). We had them at the top of the fridge (as cool falls) had our most perishable food at the bottom back of the fridge.
- Frozen water bottles- End of cyclone season, we always keep frozen water in the freezer over summer, so we took them camping. LUCKY! We drink them as they defrost.
- Frozen meat- we always freeze what isn’t going to be eaten on the first day. It’s a top travel tip and saved our food this time round.
Day Two
We focused on eating through all the food that needed to stay cold (hello bacon and eggs for brekki), then packed up the pool noodles and set off to explore Fortescue Falls and Fern Pool. We’ve swum at Fortescue before, but after tackling the 288 steps down and scoping things out, we decided it wasn’t the best spot this time around. With three kids—including one very active toddler—and only two adults, the slippery rocks in the water felt like a bit much.
So, we pushed on to Fern Pool, which ended up being the perfect call. The platform there made getting in and out with the kids so much easier and safer. Everyone still got their swim in, and we avoided any unexpected slips-or stress.
We wrapped the day with an ice cream from the Karijini Visitors Centre. Back at camp, we leaned into the no-power situation and introduced family plate meals: one big plate, five sporks. Honestly, with a fifth of the dishes to wash, I’m sold.
We’d been to Karijini in July before and nearly froze- April, though, was spot on. Around 30°C during the day and 20°C at night, which made the lack of fans bearable. I packed my fly net hat, but nobody else seemed quite as bothered by the few flys that were around.
Day Three- Easter Sunday
The Easter Bunny had found us! They were smart enough to leave activities and cookies, and marshmallows for the kids, so no sad melted chocolate there! We had hot cross buns for breakfast, then decided to check out Tom Price. None of us had been, and it turned out to be a vibrant little town with seriously impressive public toilets (a random highlight, but a good one! IYKYK). We FaceTimed family, grabbed coffee and some fruit from Coles, popped into the visitors centre, and picked up a DVD for the car from the RFDS donation stand. The kids had a quick play on the playground before we headed back to camp.
One last swim at Fern Pool that afternoon, then it was time to cook dinner and pack down. Everything in the fridge was still cold-a huge win considering the power drama.
Heading Home
We hit the road home early, with a quick stop at Auski Roadhouse for breakfast and coffee (and yes fill the fuel tank to the brim) before the drive back to Karratha. Note a 200 series can tow a caravan against a headwind all the way from Auski to Karratha no drama if you remember to fill up before you leave!
Even with the power dramas, it was a bit sad to watch the Karijini landscape disappear in the rearview mirror. It’s such a stunning place, and we seem to discover something new every time we go. There are plenty of walking trails and proper hikes, and while we played it safe this trip—sticking to Tom Price and Fern Pool with the toddler—we’ll definitely be back to take on Mt Bruce again (like we did pre-toddler).
Having a caravan over the past few years has definitely made me a bit of a camping princess, and I reckon plenty of people would’ve turned back in our situation. But we love an adventure- and honestly, some of the best ones are the ones that don’t go to plan.
Key takeaway? If your van’s more than five years old-check the batteries before you go. Being prepared made all the difference.
Karijini
No Power? No Problem!
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