Roebuck Roadhouse; fuel up and rest your head
Roebuck plains roadhouse is a service station, tavern, restaurant, truck stop, caravan park and also offers motel style accommodation.
After changing our travel plans, we decided to push onwards to Roebuck for the night, rather than stay at a free quarry site earlier on the Great Northern Highway. We weren’t expecting much, but left the following day feeling pleasantly surprised.
Where is Roebuck Plains Roadhouse?
On your way to Broome, you will go right past Roebuck Plains roadhouse. Its right on the corner of Broome Road and the Great Northern Highway.
This is a main stop for many truck drivers, and it saves them the extra 30km drive into Broome, just to get fuel. They simple fill up, grab a good feed of food if required and keep heading south, or north.
Camping at Roebuck Plains
Roebuck is only a small caravan park, but it has a number of sites available. They are all powered, and $45 per night (for 2 adults). The sites are either grassy or plain gravel/dirt, depending on what your requirements are. They all have drinking water and a decent power source.
There isn’t a huge amount of room at Roebuck Roadhouse and Caravan Park, but its easily enough for a stop over.
Why do people choose this over Broome?
It was only due to a number of reviews online that we decided to stay at Roebuck. It has a great reputation, and there are a few other things that make people stay there instead of going to Broome:
Dog friendly
A lot of people at Roebuck plains had dogs. Unfortunately, many of the caravan parks in Broome are not pet friendly, and as a result people have to choose where they stay to suit their pets.
These days, there are many people who choose to travel with their dogs, and they are prepared to change where they stay in order to do so.
Big rig friendly
Another thing Broome is not well known for is looking after those with big rigs – 5th wheelers, buses and trucks. Whilst some caravan parks in Broome demand extremely costly camping fees for big rigs, Roebuck accepts them with nothing more than a smile.
Minimal hustle and bustle
Broome’s population is about 20,000 people for majority of the year. However, when the dry season hits, that number can triple (or this year, probably 5 or 6 x). If you love the touristy hustle and bustle then you can head straight to Broome.
However, many people don’t enjoy this atmosphere, and would rather be somewhere a bit quieter! Roebuck offers this; a lot of the people staying are grey nomads who are after a bit of peace and quiet. It isn’t dead, its just a bit quieter!
What’s at Roebuck Roadhouse?
Roebuck Roadhouse has a restaurant, bar, pool, grassy areas, decent showers and toilets, washing machines and a clothes dryer. It is not very big, but just the right size for a nights rest.
What’s the restaurant like?
We gave in to the smell coming from the restaurant/bar and headed over for an evening meal. It also meant we didn’t have to unload the 4WD either; we could just pack the tent up in the morning and head off. I had the roast of the day (beef, with a number of vegetable sides) and Sarah had the Barramundi.
The restaurant actually has fantastic reviews, and we were quite happy with the meals too.
Any negatives?
The only thing that a few people complain about is the noise from the road. Some campers are literally 15 meters away from the road, and anyone travelling the main highway during the night goes right past your bed. The trucks also come in until about 10PM, refuelling and making a bit of noise.
Realistically, its not too bad, but it is worth a mention. If you are a shallow sleeper, see if you can get a site further away from the road!
Overall
This is a great spot to stop for the night. The staff were friendly, the pricing is OK, their amenities are more than ample (with a lovely pool) and the atmosphere was pleasant. If for one reason or another you want to avoid Broome, this is a great place to stay, or you can head up to Cape Leveque.
If you just need somewhere to rest your head for a night, then its also a great spot to stop. The fuel was a reasonable price too, and it saves you the time and fuel getting into Broome, only to have to drive back out again if you are continuing on!
