Another ‘Big Lap’ is on the Jones’s agenda
While many veteran grey nomads find hitting the Outback’s iconic dirt tracks an exciting part of the Big Lap adventure, Rob and Joy Jones are certainly not among them.
And, having been around Australia three times, the couple know what they like … and what they don’t.
“I hate the corrugations shaking your gear to bits, only the younger people with too much money don’t mind wrecking vehicles,” said Rob. “And dust … they reckon you eat a peck of dirt in your lifetime, but I reckon I’ve already eaten a square mouth shovel full!”
Despite their dislike of the gravel, the Jones’s have tackled their fair share of rough roads and Rob still shudders at some of the memories, like the time he crossed the Nullarbor back in 1968.
“The dirt was from Madura to Ceduna and the highway went north of the present highway to a roadhouse called Ivy tanks, east of Nullarbor Roadhouse,” he recalls. “What a shocking trip, terribly corrugated and – on approaching every grid – you had to slow down to a crawl as the dirt each side of the grid was about two feet lower than the grid!”
These days, Rob (71) and Joy (67) from Busselton in Western Australia travel in a 2018 GX 200 series LandCruiser towing a 2012 Jayco Sterling.
While they are still planning another ‘big one’ in the next few years, they currently just go away for a couple of days once a fortnight, as well as normally spending three months of every winter in Broome. This year though, they are leaving the van at home as they save up for a 46-day Indian Ocean cruise.
While the Jones’s keep an eye out for good deals on cruises, their first love will always be the open road … especially if it is bitumen.
“I’m not saying seal every road in Australia but, if the road from Leigh Creek to Marree to Birdsville to Windorah was sealed, imagine the added tourism to all that country,” said Rob. “Councils love dirt roads, they put up a road closed sign as soon as 5mls is registered, and they run a grader over them once in a blue moon.”
Rob, who grew up on a farm in the eastern wheat belt of Western Australia, would be delighted to see key routes like the Plenty Highway, the Tanami and the Great Central fully sealed.
And he has little time for the dirt road adventurers who mourn the arrival of bitumen.
“Dinkum, it’s only the urban cowboys who like getting the bejesus shaken out of them and playing in mud puddles and wearing the mud like a badge around the city saying ‘look at me, look at me’,” said Rob.
YES, most definitely
We have done the big lap and more.
I’m a Carer of my husband who has Dementia And usually the sole driver.
#adventurewithdementiaherewegoagain
I would love to be able to drive to Cape York etc.
There are so many things and places to see but I truly dislike the gravel road driving.
We did park the van and drive the 200ks return just to see wolf crater.
It was horrible and so slow.
Let’s make it so we can all see the wonders of this great land not just the ones that are able to navigate the rough gravel roads.
This is just my opinion.
I am with you Rob. Paid to much money for my equipment to take out and destroy. And you are 100% correct about the urban cowboys. Love it
We are 67 and 69. Just completed the lap. Leave the dirt where it is. There are plenty of cities to drive around if you like bitumen.
I’d rather the seal roads too I’m from the bush so been there and done that , but everybody to there own I say
Some of the back roads are the best
I agree, that road from Leigh Creek, turned us off the dirt, heaps of damage, and red dust to a brand new van.
Yes please !!!! We loved the travel on the big lap, but we are still cleaning out red dust from every little nook and cranny in the van and vehicle months later!! The money generated by the nomads would help every little town that is only accessible by dirt roads, if it was tarsealed.
Lay bitumen and we will follow.
While more sealed roads would be good.
Having just done a return trip to Darwin the highways are far below what is expected of a National Highway and the Tablelands Higwsy is nothing more than a Goat Track destroying vehicles
Roads should be bitumen for trucks and not grids .gravel or anything that doesn’t shudder through your whole body for days on end wrecking your vehicles or back and skeleton Why should people suffer for a holiday and end in pain for the rest of their lives just because they can’t go to Europe or America or ask a or Africa or want to stay home in Australia government should come back to its own back yard yet again and think of their own country and help make this country a great place everywhere .or suffer the consequences through tourism and accidents .
It’s a small part of Australia suffering like aboriginal outback communities and livelihoods of many and homelessness of thousands who cares anymore not many or too few whom can do anything
We have just spent 10 weeks travelling to and from Cape York. A great trip but like Rob we are well and truly over corrugated dirt roads.
There are many more parts of Australia to see and bitumising some of the roads suggested by Rob would spread the “grey nomad dollar” to many more isolated areas of Australia
I am just starting out and only have my Sube outback. but cant wait to get on the road again. I have been living in Busso for a while now. so hope to meet you on the road somewhere.
Be good to meet you Linda. We live at the Village out near the old drive-in
Each to their own, The only serious corrugation we experienced was the full length of the Gibb river Rd, on our first round Oz trip, drove to conditions with Tyre pressures on both vehicle and caravan to suit and absolutely loved it, our Ranger and JB Scorpion caravan was still in perfect condition at the end, yes dust is an issue even with all attempts to minimize it but comes with the adventure.