Do we need down sleeping bags for Kimberley in June

We are leaving Sydney in few days time, but will be in the Kimberley in about 2 weeks. We will visit most places. We are staying till 20 of June and sleeping in the car/tent. Can you please advise us if we should take down sleeping bags/down vests for the cold nights? According to the statistics it shouldn't be too cold but a lot of people say it may be freezing.
Regards, Margaret

Comments for Do we need down sleeping bags for Kimberley in June

Click here to add your own comments

May 14, 2008
 It may be freezing
by: Birgit

Hi Margaret,

You will definitely need long pants and a couple of warm jumpers, and maybe also a jacket against the breeze. A down vest seems a bit over the top. But then again, if you are someone who feels the cold badly... It's hard to advise.

Occasionally we do get wicked cold snaps and I don't know what sleeping bags you have and if you have a good insulating matress pad etc.

The coldest place will be the Bungles. It can drop below zero in the Bungles, but it's rare. The Mitchell Plateau will be the next coldest place. It has seen days as cold as 1.5°C. Again, that's not the norm. But people are correct when they say that it can happen.

Whether you will see one of those days, or if it will be the normal 10 - 15°C at night, ... Nobody knows!

How cold does it get at night where you are right now? Could you spend a test night in the tent to see if the sleeping bags cope? :-)

How much hassle would it be if you took the warmer sleeping bags? Do you have room for them?

What's worse? Taking warm stuff and finding out you don't need it? Or leaving it behind and finding out you would need it?

That are the questions I would look at when deciding. If I had plenty of room, I would take warm stuff, just in case. (But I start wearing layers when the temperature drop below 25°C...)
May 14, 2008
 Thank you!
by: Margaret

Dear Birgit, thank you again, I can't believe you put so much in helping people.

Well, we are a bit cold sleepers, we have few good sleeping bags, but you have helped because we decided we will take only one medium down sleeping bag for both of us (yes we are restricted). We are pretty well prepared but we do not want to be cold or carry too much.

Regards. Margaret

Click here to add your own comments

Return to Kimberley Travel Questions (Archive).

Travelling to the Kimberley?


The FREE Kimberley Pocket Guide
A great introduction to travel in the Kimberley region and along the Gibb. This free resource will answer all the questions you might have in the early stages of planning a trip.


Destination Kimberley
The full Kimberley travel guide shows you how to make the most of your adventure at Australia's last frontier. Destination Kimberley includes the most detailed and most current guide to the Gibb River Road available anywhere. Also called "The Bible" by its readers.


Travelling to the Northern Territory?


Destination Top End offers the same comprehensive, detailed insider information for the tropical regions of the Northern Territory. Be the best informed traveller in the Kakadu, Litchfield and Katherine Gorge national parks and beyond!

A must have if you travel to or from Darwin.


NEW! Destination Red Centre is the latest addition in this popular series. Monica Coleman takes you through Australia's red Outback heart, offering all the detail and insider tips that you have come to know and love about our guides. With special emphasis on Aboriginal communities and culture.

A must have if you travel to or from Alice Springs/Uluru.




Return to top

Return to home page