WILD WEST: Let's go!

It’s that time of year again…

Around September each year it’s a case of ‘itchy RV feet’ for this caravancampingsales editor and his trusty family crew, and this time around we’re heading on a three-week trip out west.

After previous September/October sojourns to Darwin/Kakadu, the Kimberley, north Queensland, Flinders Ranges and the Red Centre, it’s time to see what all the fuss is about West Australia’s Coral Coastline.

To save time the plan is to fly from Melbourne to Perth (avoiding the Nullabor 'short-cut') and pick up a latest Wayfinder camper trailer from New Age Perth. We'll be towing it with one of our favourite tow vehicles, a Ford Everest, as far as Exmouth – about 1250km without side-trips – before turning around and heading back to the West Australian capital.

'Our' Everest is a leather-lined 4WD Titanium with twin-turbo 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine and 3100kg tow rating, so should have little trouble hauling the top-spec, 1800kg-odd Wayfinder WT12F, which has all the fruit including optional under-seat air-conditioner and Adventurer off-road package – perfect if we decide to head down a soft sandy track to one of those legendary Ningaloo Reef beachside camp spots.

We hope to take a fairly conventional 'grey nomad' route up the bitumen coastal highway, stopping at a few spots and caravan parks along the way, including Jurien Bay, Geraldton, Monkey Mia, Carnarvon, and Coral Bay before hitting Exmouth for a few days of sun and snorkeling.

The family will then fly back to Melbourne, while I drive the rig back to Perth solo, stopping at a few places missed on the way up, including a quick stopover at the Margaret River wine (and craft beer!) region.

We're calling our latest travel blog 'Wild West' for a number of reasons: the wildflowers are currently in full bloom, the winds are starting to whip up along the rugged red cliff-lined surfbreaks, and we have teenagers on board!

While we gave New Age's wind-up camper a quick once over not long after it was launched, the three week trip will allow us to really get to grips with the strengths and weaknesses of this Walkinshaw-designed, four-berth family camper.

We’ve just spent time familiarising ourselves with the Wayfinder at the tidy BIG4 Perth Midland Tourist Park, and are looking forward to some sandboarding and a drive through the Pinnacles along the way to our second overnighter at Jurien Bay.

Watch out for regular updates, and say g’day if you see us out there...