Piscine75 Posted November 14, 2012 Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 Has anyone done this trip. 4 of us are thinking of doing it over the xmas period - have about 2 weeks in all. Any advise on where to stop along the way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil Posted November 14, 2012 Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 Seems like a long drive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesw Posted November 14, 2012 Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 Thats a very long way for 2 weeks, infact the return trip may take you more than 2 weeks, unless you drive for 10 hours a day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Druid Posted November 20, 2012 Report Share Posted November 20, 2012 Took me 2 weeks to drive to Broom with a couple of stops on the way, that was a bloody long way, think Darwin would be a stretch in 2 weeks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verystormy Posted December 10, 2012 Report Share Posted December 10, 2012 What vehicle are you planning on using and how much experience do you have of off road driving? There are several part of the route which are unsealed and while in winter, that's not an issue and even my little car could do it, in summer, several parts can be washed out or underwater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen_PFR Posted December 10, 2012 Report Share Posted December 10, 2012 The places to refuel are also extremely limited. I hope you have long range fuel tanks as you will need them. The best thing to do is leave a detailed plan of where you expect to be on a daily basis, with someone who is staying behind. Make sure you take a large red tarp, matches and mirrors. I would also take long range radio. Stuff like additional water etc goes without saying. If you do get stranded, whatever you do, don't leave the vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rossmoyne Posted February 15, 2013 Report Share Posted February 15, 2013 Not a journey to be undertaken lightly, and most certainly not over the summer/wet season. If you do decide to go, consider taking an Epurb as well as all the other things recommended by Jen_PFR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ethan Posted March 24, 2013 Report Share Posted March 24, 2013 BUMP Is the best/cheapes way from Perth to Darwin by plane?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greensinperth Posted March 25, 2013 Report Share Posted March 25, 2013 just drove back from Broome, and tbh i wouldn't do it ever again, i drove from Perth to Newman and then on to port headland and then Broome, there isn't much to look at, and there is a fuel stop every 200 kms or so. Not really the kind of places you want to stay though. we did try and get a room for the night in Newman, $315 per night, so we ended up driving another 200kms north to Munjina roadhouse and got a room for $195. me personally i would fly and enjoy more time in Darwin. there really is nothing to see on the way up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rossmoyne Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 BUMP Is the best/cheapes way from Perth to Darwin by plane?? Absolutely!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pommybob Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 It's a no brainer! Catch a plane and hire a car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest avsnsaz Posted May 6, 2013 Report Share Posted May 6, 2013 We did it in 6 days with 3 kids, towing a Bushtracker 3Tonne caravan. We were in a rush to start work in Darwin. All good. Its all to do with the vehicle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portlaunay Posted May 6, 2013 Report Share Posted May 6, 2013 The places to refuel are also extremely limited. I hope you have long range fuel tanks as you will need them.The best thing to do is leave a detailed plan of where you expect to be on a daily basis, with someone who is staying behind. Make sure you take a large red tarp, matches and mirrors. I would also take long range radio. Stuff like additional water etc goes without saying. If you do get stranded, whatever you do, don't leave the vehicle. Missed this thread the first time around and have nothing to offer really, no experience of driving any great distance here, just an observation really. I love that this country is so extreme. The cities are full of first world problems; too much air in my cappuccino foam, 4G in this street but not in that one, ATM's out of twenties etc but wander just a few clicks into the outback, break down and...DEATH! I'd love to explore the interior of this country but I see those massive 4x4's with jacks and jerry cans and shovels and short wave radio's and I just think, "I don't know how half that stuff works, I'll stay in and read about it." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levi Posted May 7, 2013 Report Share Posted May 7, 2013 EPIRB - even I heard of this. Thank you Discovery Channel ! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distress_radiobeacon (aka EPIRB) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bibbs Posted May 8, 2013 Report Share Posted May 8, 2013 EPIRB - even I heard of this. Thank you Discovery Channel !https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distress_radiobeacon (aka EPIRB) I've got one of those on me all the time (well, a ELT). Just for my commute to the CBD. (It's on my watch). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rossmoyne Posted May 8, 2013 Report Share Posted May 8, 2013 EPIRB - even I heard of this. Thank you Discovery Channel !https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distress_radiobeacon (aka EPIRB) An EPURB is a MUST if you are thinking of travelling in outback Australia. My Ex took my son (aged 17 and just got his license) on a trip from Perth to Alice and back to Perth in a 4WD campervan through the centre of Australia. They both laughed at me when I gave them the EPURB as a parting gift for their journey, but it actually saved their lives when their vehicle blew up on a really rough very unused road. If they hadnt had the EPURB for rescuers to find them, they would have died. So never underestimate the Australian outback or what you can do to protect yourself on a journey!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levi Posted May 9, 2013 Report Share Posted May 9, 2013 Blew up? I can't tell if you mean that literally. Please answer, I'm curious now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelchic Posted May 9, 2013 Report Share Posted May 9, 2013 Could be wrong but I reckon the engine blew up, not the whole car lol Debs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddking2003 Posted May 9, 2013 Report Share Posted May 9, 2013 Could be wrong but I reckon the engine blew up, not the whole car lol Debs Heh heh, never let the truth get in the way of a good story!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rossmoyne Posted May 11, 2013 Report Share Posted May 11, 2013 Blew up? I can't tell if you mean that literally. Please answer, I'm curious now. Sorry I didn't explain that very well did I? What I meant was the engine blew up... literally! When it went it took the bonnet off and that flew back into the windscreen and smashed it and then flew across the top of the vehicle and landed in the road behind.... can't find the pics, but as it was 10 years ago, quite possibly were not digital. It was scary though as they were out on the road that goes from Uluru through to Warburton - doesnt get much more remote than that road - think it is called the Grand Central Road. Thankfully they were in a 4WD motorcaravan and had plentiful food and water as well as the EPURB - was just the intense heat and no shade - and rescuers taking 9 hours to get to them. Also thankfully Ex was driving at the time and not newly licenced son. Ex is/well was at that time, an experienced Brit Police Driver. Every Mother's Nightmare to get the call advising me what had happened! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verystormy Posted May 11, 2013 Report Share Posted May 11, 2013 A few tips for people thinking about this. I have spent a lot of my working life bashing through the Oz outback. I am now in a remote part of Tanzania 1 Make sure you have a correct vehicle and know how to operate it 2 Make sure the vehicle has debogging kit such as a winch, shovels, sand mats 3 Make sure you have some basic spares 4 Take lots of water – 10 ltr per day per person just for drinking. Then allow cooking and washing and things. Then allow 10 ltr as emergency for the vehicle 5 Make sure the vehicle in in good order. Check all the fluids and things 6 Make sure you have long and shortwave radio – keep them both switched on as people like me with radio that I am crossing a dune. 7 An EPIRB is a must 8 Food. Make it simple stuff and if taking fresh, get an Engle fridge freezer 9 Take things to cook / prep food 10 Sleeping things – swag 11 Spare fuel – I normally have two long range tanks with 100 ltr in each 12 Take electrolyte – body salts can be an issue 13 Take fire making kit 14 A basic survival kit – signal mirror, water proof matches, a couple of firelighters and things 15 Maps 16 In the event of breakdown NEVER leave the vehicle – rescuers can spot a vehicle but not a person and it is amazing how quick you can die out there 17 Unless you have to, avoid summer as it is damned hot – the Pilbara can be in the high 40’s. And roads can be washed out or under water 18 Make sure you leave details of your plan with someone back home and agree a schedule when you will contact them 19 Do not try to handle snakes – might seem obvious but you would be surprised 20 Torch and whistle 21 Spare tyres and tyre repair – not just a jack and things, but also kit to repair a tyre as if off road you can get a LOT of punctures. My record is about 6 in a day. If you are going to use a high lift jack, make sure you know how to use it – they can be deadly in untrained hands 22 A good first aid kit and know how to use it. Also, include an epipen as scorpion bites can give a nasty reaction. 23 Follow directions from signs that people like me put up asking you to give a radio call in places – it is for both our safety as, they might be rough hand painted jobs, but it means there is something ahead such as a dune that means oncoming traffic is blind 24 Avoid dusk and dawn as the roos are about – you would be amazed at the damage a 2m roo will do to a car 25 If you aren’t sure don’t do it Oh and don’t forget the loo roll. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verystormy Posted May 11, 2013 Report Share Posted May 11, 2013 Oh and the obvious ones - maps and GPS and know how to use them (a handheld GPS doesnt give a nice route map, it will give you a set of co-ords and you need to know that they are in the correct projection - eg WGS84. You need to know your map and GPS are on the same projection.) I aso like a compass, but i am old fashioned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rossmoyne Posted May 11, 2013 Report Share Posted May 11, 2013 A few tips for people thinking about this. I have spent a lot of my working life bashing through the Oz outback. I am now in a remote part of Tanzania 1 Make sure you have a correct vehicle and know how to operate it 2 Make sure the vehicle has debogging kit such as a winch, shovels, sand mats 3 Make sure you have some basic spares 4 Take lots of water – 10 ltr per day per person just for drinking. Then allow cooking and washing and things. Then allow 10 ltr as emergency for the vehicle 5 Make sure the vehicle in in good order. Check all the fluids and things 6 Make sure you have long and shortwave radio – keep them both switched on as people like me with radio that I am crossing a dune. 7 An EPIRB is a must 8 Food. Make it simple stuff and if taking fresh, get an Engle fridge freezer 9 Take things to cook / prep food 10 Sleeping things – swag 11 Spare fuel – I normally have two long range tanks with 100 ltr in each 12 Take electrolyte – body salts can be an issue 13 Take fire making kit 14 A basic survival kit – signal mirror, water proof matches, a couple of firelighters and things 15 Maps 16 In the event of breakdown NEVER leave the vehicle – rescuers can spot a vehicle but not a person and it is amazing how quick you can die out there 17 Unless you have to, avoid summer as it is damned hot – the Pilbara can be in the high 40’s. And roads can be washed out or under water 18 Make sure you leave details of your plan with someone back home and agree a schedule when you will contact them 19 Do not try to handle snakes – might seem obvious but you would be surprised 20 Torch and whistle 21 Spare tyres and tyre repair – not just a jack and things, but also kit to repair a tyre as if off road you can get a LOT of punctures. My record is about 6 in a day. If you are going to use a high lift jack, make sure you know how to use it – they can be deadly in untrained hands 22 A good first aid kit and know how to use it. Also, include an epipen as scorpion bites can give a nasty reaction. 23 Follow directions from signs that people like me put up asking you to give a radio call in places – it is for both our safety as, they might be rough hand painted jobs, but it means there is something ahead such as a dune that means oncoming traffic is blind 24 Avoid dusk and dawn as the roos are about – you would be amazed at the damage a 2m roo will do to a car 25 If you aren’t sure don’t do it Oh and don’t forget the loo roll. As always Verystormy, that was a brilliant post and I hope that anyone thinking about going "outback" will use your list. Maybe the Mods/Admin might like to make it a ":Sticky"!!!! Thankfully my son and his father followed all these rules - but if they hadn't, they more than likely would now be a statistic of "those lost in the outback". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richiec Posted July 27, 2013 Report Share Posted July 27, 2013 Well I've just done Perth to Darwin and back in 13 days I stayed in Darwin 3 nights and the trip was awesome. You can do the full trip on tarmac roads in a normal car with a normal fuel tank if you wish. The furthest distance between fuel stops is about 350km. It does make senses to have a reliable car a few spares and plenty water but if you stick to the highways and you break down you'll be fine you may wait an hour of 2 but a roadtrain or fellow traveller will pass. All in I did just shy of 9000km in the 13 days I did it in a 1995 petrol landcruiser with a fuel tank range of 450km. While up north I decided to tackle the Gibb river road and that's a road that demands respect its gravel/dust/mud/dirt/corrugations, its just shy 700km of tyre shredding hot dusty fun 100k in I stopped to help and old fella change his tire 50k down the road I popped my first tire no biggie swapped it for the spare 20k more completely shredded the 2nd tire so instead of fixing the first one in camp had to do it roadside discovered my compressor was asthmatic noob mistake should've tested before I set off lesson learned limped 150k to roadhouse while having another 2 punctures to find they didn't do repairs or sell beer another lesson learned do not believe your guide book in camp I changed a tire for 2 sheilas in a rental 4x4 got a beer as a reward which after my day was epic haha. Next day day drove 350k to Derby at 40kph max 2 more punctures 10 hour plus had to buy 2 new tires at a scary price 1 to replace the shredded tire and 1 to replace the tire that had been punctured 4 times as I just couldn't trust it. I wasn't running cheap tires either coopers good off road tires Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portlaunay Posted July 27, 2013 Report Share Posted July 27, 2013 A few tips for people thinking about this. I have spent a lot of my working life bashing through the Oz outback. I am now in a remote part of Tanzania 1 Make sure you have a correct vehicle and know how to operate it 2 Make sure the vehicle has debogging kit such as a winch, shovels, sand mats 3 Make sure you have some basic spares 4 Take lots of water – 10 ltr per day per person just for drinking. Then allow cooking and washing and things. Then allow 10 ltr as emergency for the vehicle 5 Make sure the vehicle in in good order. Check all the fluids and things 6 Make sure you have long and shortwave radio – keep them both switched on as people like me with radio that I am crossing a dune. 7 An EPIRB is a must 8 Food. Make it simple stuff and if taking fresh, get an Engle fridge freezer 9 Take things to cook / prep food 10 Sleeping things – swag 11 Spare fuel – I normally have two long range tanks with 100 ltr in each 12 Take electrolyte – body salts can be an issue 13 Take fire making kit 14 A basic survival kit – signal mirror, water proof matches, a couple of firelighters and things 15 Maps 16 In the event of breakdown NEVER leave the vehicle – rescuers can spot a vehicle but not a person and it is amazing how quick you can die out there 17 Unless you have to, avoid summer as it is damned hot – the Pilbara can be in the high 40’s. And roads can be washed out or under water 18 Make sure you leave details of your plan with someone back home and agree a schedule when you will contact them 19 Do not try to handle snakes – might seem obvious but you would be surprised 20 Torch and whistle 21 Spare tyres and tyre repair – not just a jack and things, but also kit to repair a tyre as if off road you can get a LOT of punctures. My record is about 6 in a day. If you are going to use a high lift jack, make sure you know how to use it – they can be deadly in untrained hands 22 A good first aid kit and know how to use it. Also, include an epipen as scorpion bites can give a nasty reaction. 23 Follow directions from signs that people like me put up asking you to give a radio call in places – it is for both our safety as, they might be rough hand painted jobs, but it means there is something ahead such as a dune that means oncoming traffic is blind 24 Avoid dusk and dawn as the roos are about – you would be amazed at the damage a 2m roo will do to a car 25 If you aren’t sure don’t do it Oh and don’t forget the loo roll. I didn't see this the first time around. Great post with some great advice, makes me wanna do it now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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