We hired a 4WD Toyota Hi Lux with trayon camper from Perth to Broome 4/10/23 via the coast up to Exmouth, then in to Karijini, back the coast from Port Hedland north. Brendan and Tracey were wonderful as already stated in these reviews.
The Hi Lux could have taken us anywhere. It did 110 km/hour on the sealed roads with no problems, about 11-14 L/100 km and felt equally at home on sand and corrugations around Karijini. In the camper the fridge and stove worked beautifully and the battery, powered by solar panels and the alternator, would have sustained us for 2-3 days easily. The little gas stove was a special treat, using very little of the cylinder of gas provided. It warmed us nicely when we cooked dinner inside in the cold coastal winds, and the rechargeable fan was wonderful at Cheela Plains where the temperature at sundown was 42 degrees. Bed was very comfortable and the canvas cooled down quickly after sunset with fantastic windows and screens. The shower with plastic skirts for privacy was a wonderful luxury and used very little of our water supply at the few places we stayed without water. This was our first trip camping or staying at caravan parks and we booked everywhere in advance as two of the three weeks were WA school holidays. In retrospect we didn't need to as this camper would have sustained us in roadside free camping areas for days at a time. The standard of cleanliness in every place we stayed was great, and the reception we got everywhere was wonderful. Fellow travellers were mostly our age (70s) although we met some lovely younger families as well.
Brendan answered immediately when I forgot his instructions on how to tie down the fold out section whose gas struts were pushing it back up on our first night setting up in the dark in Geraldton. I forgot a lot of his detailed advice about setting up and packing camp so reinvented the wheel as we went: we should have taken a video when he was showing us the set up in Perth. I found that when folding up the top, using some cord to tie it down about 30 cm from fully closed, stopped the gas struts from opening it again, which would have allowed folds of canvas to obstruct closure. Instead it allowed me to go around tucking in the canvas top before clipping the top down.
There are 24 hour credit card bowsers about 10 km south of Exmouth on the way back to the northern highway, about 15 c/L cheaper. Diesel cost us $2.25 at a BP workshop in Port Hedland up to > $2.70 at Sandfire Roadhouse. We made the mistake of topping up there for > $100 then finding the caravan park at Port Smith had a diesel bowser then costing $2.61.
We did not think to ask for: coffee plunger, beach towels, tarp or other mat to spread on the ground around the stairs under our fold out bed section to stop importing the red dust at many of the campgrounds and caravan parks. I am sure Brendan would have provided something like this if we had thought to ask. Our can of Rid came in handy for Mr McGowan's welcoming committee for NSW people, of bush flies that otherwise crawled into ears, eyes and mouth every time the tyres need deflating or inflating. A baseball bat would have helped for the March flies in Port Smith. On the other side of the coin, the beach at Gordons Bay just north of there, only be accessible by 4WD, was spectacular and deserted. Brendan's advice to let the tyres down to 15 psi on sand came in handy there, and on our trip from Quobba past Red Bluff, Gnaraloo, Warroora and a day or so later on the trip from Coral Bay up to Exmouth via Ningaloo and Yardie Creek. We crossed the sand in the Yardie creek bed and nearby beach with no problems and a 4WD immediately got bogged going the other way.
It cost us a bit over $20 to get the red dust off the car at the car wash they recommended in Broome.
Overall it was a magnificent holiday made possible by the camper and wonderful service provided by the people in the Perth and Broome offices of Broome & Beyond.