Meal Ideas

Meal Ideas and tips when traveling on the Gibb River Road

It can be overwhelming to plan a trip, especially for the whole family! So here are our Crikey tips for meal ideas. When traveling to remote areas, it is important to carefully plan so that you do not run out. This is especially true for the Northern part of Australia and the centre of Australia.

What kind of food?

• Dehydrated meals. They don’t take much room and only need water.
• Cryovac the meat when possible at the butcher. It’s always recommended to leave the meat out of the pack for 10-15 min before starting cooking it.
• Bag of rice
• Pasta
• Potatoes
• Veg and fruits, salad bags
• Canned vegetables
• Tinned biscuits/ muesli bars/ nuts
• Bread (freeze or buy and vary with oats)
• Oil
• Condiments (salt, pepper, flour, sauce)
• Cheese for sandwiches/ dried Parmesan
• Salami/ ham
• Bottles of water for everyone (easy to refill at the back of the camper trailer!)
• Long life milk
• Pancake mix
• Long life noodles
• Golden syrup

How to pack?

• As tight as possible. Make sure containers are tight as heavy corrugation can open containers.
• You can run your fridge as a freezer and take food out as needed and let it defrost in time.
• Always pack more than needed in the unlikely event of a breakdown when you are traveling in a remote area.

Recipes

Bread

• Toast bread
• Indian flatbread
• Bread rolls

Breakfast

• Scrambled eggs
• Oats for breakfast
• Baked beans on toast
• Premix pancakes

Lunch/ Dinner

• Quiche
• Barbecue chicken foil pack
• Macaroni and cheese
• Spaghetti bolognese
• Steak and fries
• Omelette
• Chicken pasta
• Beef stir fry
• Chicken/ beef Curry
• Sausage sizzle
• Steak sandwiches
• Broccoli pesto and gnocchi
• Beef casserole
• No oven pizza

Weekly meal planning

There are hundreds of meal planners on the internet. Good examples include:

Microsoft Office template

Family meal plan

Family meal plan

Where to buy?

Couples dining at the Dusty Bar & Grill, Home Valley Station

Food gets harder to buy in remote areas of Australia, notably the Kimberley region. If you are planning to travel on the Gibb River Road, don’t panic! Organization is key (especially for a large family) but there is also bread and milk available from roadhouses (subject to availability). There are also restaurants available at some stations. Remember, the more remote, the more expensive food will be.

Broome

Woolworth, Coles and butcher (The Butcher and his Knife)

Derby

Woolworth, IGA and butcher (Sampey Meats)

Imintji Roadhouse

Basic supplies available (Take Away, Coffee, Ice Cream’s, Cold Drinks, Grocery Items). Find out more on their website.

Mt Barnett Roadhouse

Coffee (they do have an espresso machine!), ice coffee, milkshakes, smoothies and juices. Takeaway menu available from 8am – 3pm which includes bacon and egg rolls, fish and chips, homemade beef burgers, hot chips and freshly made sandwiches and wraps. They also offer a wide variety of groceries such as fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, dry stores and nibbles such as cheese and dips. You can find out more on their Facebook page.

Drysdale Station

They offer a small general store, fuel, accommodation, camping, licensed dinning room with evening meals and breakfast, a licensed bar and beer garden. You can find out more on their website.

Kalumburu

The Kalumburu Mission Store sells a range of take-away and grocery items as well as fuel. The perfect place to stop for an ice-cream or milkshake on a hot day! Find out more on the Derby Tourism website and the Kalumburu Mission’s website.

El Questro

Essential groceries, cold drinks and snacks as well as a good range of essential groceries such as breakfast items, fruit & veg, frozen meats and gourmet deli items. There is also a coffeeshop with a large selection of cakes. They also sell postcards, maps and atlases, stamps, sun screen, insect repellent, toiletries, batteries and other necessities you may need away from home. El Questro also offers three restaurants. You can find out more on their website.

Home Valley Station

Dine at the famous Dusty Bar & Grill or shop at their small station store.

Wyndham

There is a supermarket and a butcher. You can find out more here.

Kununurra

There is a Coles supermarket.

Quarantine when entering WA

Specific quarantine rules apply when entering Western Australia. Essentially no fresh veg or fruits, or honey. Please visit: https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/importing-animals/quarantine-wa-border-checkpoints?nopaging=1