sydney to perth driving

sydney to perth driving

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BigsimonY

Original Poster:

616 posts

124 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
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OK so for the wife's 30th she wants to visit her sister in Sydney, and drive to Perth. She is a road trip chick. Now my issue is 1. Is it not just down right dangerous 2. There is nothing to see! I'm interested if anyone has done it of knows anything about doing it?

Challo

10,043 posts

154 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
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Sydney to Melbourne is 12 hours so Perth must be a few days. A few things on the great Ocean road worth seeing. Not sure past Adelaide

Wacky Racer

38,099 posts

246 months

evo4a

737 posts

180 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
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I did it in 1989, had a wind screen go on the nullarbor plain, 3 days to get a replacement which was cracked on arrival, got them to fit it anyway.
I had a Mitsubishi Gallant, flat out all the way across. I then went up to darwin and down the birdsville track back to the place I was working at. Took 6 weeks altogether, the most boring part is the Nullarbor, certainly an experience.

Would I do it now, no way, I'd fly.

rallycross

12,747 posts

236 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
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1. It's not worth going to Perth
2. But If you have to go - get a cheap flight, at least you won't have to back again (having been there once you won't do it again !)

ViperDave

5,520 posts

252 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
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went the other way from Perth to Sydney, but we drove around the Nullarbor and overshot Sydney up the right coast to cairns. 10'000 miles Perth, Darwin, Alice, Adelaide, Melbourne, ACT, Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns and a lot of places in between. Dangerous, probably, take precautions (water), stick to major routes and you wont be alone for long, just hope its not a weirdo that stops to help. Couple of months after we went from Darwin to Alice that bloke was supposedly abducted from the highway and murdered.

Do it you will have a blast! took my 70yr old dad and 75 year old aunt from Darwin to broome on another trip along some of the Gibb river road, they survived just!

Edited by ViperDave on Thursday 27th November 22:36

iguana

7,025 posts

259 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
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I've done it & its a fair old slog across once great ocean road & Adelade area are past. Are far far more interesting parts of Oz to explore than that road, Perth & WA in general tho are well well worth a good explore.

Edited by iguana on Thursday 27th November 23:22

spitsfire

1,035 posts

134 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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I was chatting about this last night with a relative who's done the trip several times. I'm thinking about doing it early next year. He made the following observations;

- It takes about 6 days to do the drive comfortably.
- There's plenty of stuff to see, but there is also a lot of SFA. The drive is, after all, about 4,000km
- Wildlife is the biggest risk to motorists. For this reason, it's better not to drive at night.
- Proper preparation and planning are essential. Have all necessary supplies, kit, etc and know how to use them.

Here's a guide for part of the drive - http://www.nullarbornet.com.au/

I've driven from Sydney to Adelaide, and Sydney to Mackay. Both drives I found pretty tiring for the distances involved; the roads are all single carriageways, there is a lot of wildlife, and road trains are mahoosive; you've got to have your wits about you at all times. It's also worth noting that you can't really speed because the Aussie police use aeroplanes for speed trapping.

Do it, OP, but remember it's a proper adventure, rather than a fast run across Europe.




ViperDave

5,520 posts

252 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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Its an adventure for sure and precautions should be taken, but outback driving isn't what it was, We did our first trip back in 2000/1 (6 weeks over new year) and out west we would see a vehicle in the other direction about every 30 mins and only a handful in a day going our way, a couple of which would be road trains. Our second trip across the north about 5 years ago there was overtaking to be done in our direction and enough traffic coming the other way that we sometimes had to wait to pass.

Realistically if you take enough water for the trip, which i think we had 2L per person per day when we set off and as we drunk a days worth we refilled the bottles with tap water so we still had the same emergency fund. Rent a 4x4 with duel fuel tanks, run on the main tank and when its empty stop and re-fill so you always have the reserve for just that, on the first trip we had one occasion when we didn't stop when the first tank was low, the next fuel stop had no power and by the time we got into Katherine we were feathering the throttle to make what was left in the reserve get us to civilization where we filled up at the first gas station in town. Also get something with two spare tyres and check you have all the equipment to change the tyre. On our second trip we picked up a slow puncture in kakadu that fortunately didn't show up until we were heading out to breakfast the next day. PITA to change with no jack handle, but not too big a deal in town, PITA to get a new tyre, place on contract with rental company had none the right size, helpful other place in town talked rental co into a one off deal, even so it took us half a day to get it swapped and get a new jack handle, a day when we had a full day of driving still to do!

On our first trip we also rented an emergency kit which included a satellite distress beacon, second time we didn't bother, reality is unless your going proper bush walkabout, if you set one off at the side of the road because you had broken down, the rescue team that turns up will come with the fine for unnecessary activation.

As for the drive, its a double edge sword, everything south of Brisbane and east of Adelaide is a nightmare of crappy driving, nobody dares exceed the speed limit and as such they cant overtake anyone and all drive up each others chuff with no more than a cigarette paper between bumpers, on several occasions when a car at the front slowed to make a turn, about car number 5 was swerving onto the verge to avoid rear-ending the car in front! ok that was 15 years ago but by all accounts the speed policing has only got stricter in those subsequent years. By far the remote roads in NT and WA were the best ones to drive, but the reason there isn't a 5 car queue is because there is a lot of f'all, although its beautiful in itself, and do enough driving out there and you will see some truly amazing and weird things, Bugs the size of your hand that cover 50% of the windscreen with the splat. Swarms of butterfly's that choke up your windscreen wipers. Roads that suddenly get rather wide, then you realize your driving down the middle of a runway! the list goes on.

Yeah take it seriously, have a plan, know where your staying and have it booked, outback the next town can be a days drive, the next roadhouse or gas station a couple of hours. But if you like an adventure, can find the beauty of a landscape with on the face of it nothing you may be lucky and get some amazing experiences you relive on pistonheads in 2031. To this day i regret that on neither occasion could we work the nullarbor into our route and hope one day I will fill that gap in my aussie roads driven, i just hope its before the thing is one long strip mall.

Pommygranite

14,229 posts

215 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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Downright dangerous?

Don't fall asleep at the wheel and don't hit an animal and you'll be fine.


ViperDave

5,520 posts

252 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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Pommygranite said:
Downright dangerous?

Don't fall asleep at the wheel and don't hit an animal and you'll be fine.
on that note, plan to be off the road by dusk as that's when the roo's come out to eat the nice green grass that grows along the road gulley's, Whilst they look like they bounce along quite well, its best if they are doing it under their own terms, launching a big one with a car will likely see a damp red patch growing on both the roo and yourself. Although we did take out a small wallaby on xmas eve with no damage to the roo bars, but the bird that bounced of the windscreen added its own chip to the collection already on the windscreen.

Ps apparently not all roo's come with red stains and lie sunning themselves on the side of the road with their heads at funny angles, but we saw 100's like that and only a handful bouncing around looking alive. Fortunately we never saw a camel but the Gharn train we were on did take one out in the night apparently.

Jim Campbell

445 posts

221 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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My dad and i did it this year after his landcruiser had an engine change in perth. I am pleased to have ticked the cross country trip off the bucket list but it isn't that great, particularly if done in 4 days like we did. The most striking thing is crossing into NSW from SA and noticing the quality of the roads deteriorate. The speed camera sign right after the boarder is depressing as well.

Do heed the be off the road before dusk advice. Dodging cattle and goats on a pitch black night at 130kmh isn't pleasant.

I didn't pay for the plane ticket on the way over but having seen the price of diesel at some of the stops i'm quite sure the economic argument is won easily buy QANTAS or Virgin Australia.

Then again driving 90 mile straight is pretty cool.

Bibbs

3,733 posts

209 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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mikal83

5,340 posts

251 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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The GO Road is way way overrated. Far better roads on the North devon coast, north Cornish coast...

After Adelaide theres next to bugger all for 2 days of driving.

Fly or train.

AW111

9,455 posts

132 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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Some friends of mine did the trip in the 80's.

Drove across and enjoyed it, but came back (with the car) on the train.

Calza

1,980 posts

114 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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I have no idea why but this really appels to me!

I've never even been to Australia and have no doubt I'd get mega bored, but it does.

mikal83

5,340 posts

251 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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Calza said:
I have no idea why but this really appels to me!

I've never even been to Australia and have no doubt I'd get mega bored, but it does.
Dont. You will.

Dr Interceptor

7,745 posts

195 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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Nope... not for me. There will be snakes and spiders and st.

(Probably)

Hasbeen

2,073 posts

220 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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A mate of mine did it on a DKW bike. Of course he had his incredibly beautiful new girlfriend with him.

He told me it was an absolute ball.

They camped a lot, & I think she may have been a nymphomaniac. I suppose that would help.

lowdrag

12,869 posts

212 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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Did it the other way round, and the first advice I got was not to drive at dawn or dusk. On asking why, I was advised that in the desert it's hot by day and cold by night, so the condensation causes puddles alongside the tarmac. That brings the "big reds" out to drink, and a big red kangaroo at 400 lbs in the windscreen at 100mph is lethal.

I took a month to do the trip, stopping off at Adelaide, Melbourne for GP, then all over the place including Ballarat and Port McQuarie via the best driving road I've ever experienced, from Tamworth over the mountain. Go for it - take a good camera, and enjoy. You'll never forget it.