We arrived home to Toowoomba to 37 degrees and high humidity having travelled 23,740kms in 14 weeks and taken around 6,500 photos; travelled about 6,500kms of unsealed roads and tracks; camped on dust, mud and grass and every other imaginable surface; seen wild camels, goats, wedged tailed eagles, echidnas, emus, wild horses and donkeys, kangaroos and wallabies; massive road trains; huge caravans and trucks; tiny communities and big cities. Oh ... and 6.5 litres of gin.
To put it into some context – to do a lap of Australia on Highway 1 taking in the mainland capital cities is apparently about 15,000kms. We did much more than that and still have much more to see.
Australia is a vast continent. There is so much to see and there are very long distances in between. The weather can change as you travel as does connectivity; availability of services (fuel, food, water etc); road conditions, wildlife and terrain. Not all towns are the same and some cater well for travellers (esp those with vans) and others not so well. The history and pride of every single community is staggering.
Some learnings
Guiding Principles
#1 We adopted the notion that everything that comes with us must have a dual purpose – if it doesn’t - then it stays home. This makes you think a little clearer about what you actually need to carry. Especially, in the kitchen area. Do you need an apple corer when a knife can do the same? Do you need a kettle when a saucepan can boil water just as effectively? You get the picture.
#2 Wind is better than rain. Dust is better than mud.
Clothes maketh the man
What clothes do I take? This is a tough one – quite simply - we took too many ... probably by about a third. We largely lived in shorts and t-shirts with a couple of easy-care shirts/blouses for a special occasion. Maybe a couple of items for warmth. We needed enough to allow us off grid for 8-12 days. Underwear – for comfort and peace of mind – take as much as you want. Coats and jackets – do you really need all those different coats? Shoes and boots – same same. Think in terms of layers – what can I add to this layer to make me warmer? Towels are big and bulky items – we use Egyptian cotton towels – they are absorbent, dry quickly and pack down. Puffer jackets and vests – pack down into themselves. We used dissolvable washing sheets for clothing and dishes – small packet – no container to break.
Holding stuff in
A glass or plastic container looks great – neat and tidy and all in a row ... except they take up the same space whether they are empty or full. If you buy something in glass you have the issue of storage and disposal (whenever off grid – take everything out with you – there are no bins). An aluminium or tin-can can be crushed. Bottles and Stubbies can’t be crushed nor the empty wine or gin bottle. If you are travelling on unsealed roads (or even sealed roads for that matter) – containers rub on each other, and on the sides of whatever they are travelling in … milk cartons can leak; plastic bottles can rub through on the base (think honey, cordial) ... and they do! And they make a mess! We used a lot of the collapsible silicone pouches for things such as cereals, nuts, some fruit and veges and meals. The better ones have great seals. Some even have vents to extract the air from the bag. When empty, they sit flat and take up little space, (unlike the great looking plastic containers), and they wash easily.
Take all of your rubbish with you ... shouldn't have to be said ... but people don't do it ... make sure that whatever rubbish you have is stored in a secure receptacle ... you'd be surprised at how many animals and birds have worked out how to open containers and have a feast and make a mess (especially at night). Dingoes like to take shoes; crows open lids on rubbish bins, bags and containers; cockatoos chew through everything; goats are not fussy; mice get into anything ... there is nothing worse than getting up in the morning to be greeted by rubbish everywhere around your campsite ... and it's all yours!
Getting lost
Paper maps are mandatory – the more detail the better – don’t rely on the lady in the black box with the soft voice telling you where to go (Garmin or google or whatever) … at times they are misleading – at times they are completely wrong (telling you to turn left at the next road when it is in fact on the right or there is no road at all! ) and at other times have no idea (we were coming across the Nullarbor toward Ceduna – there is only one way – it was about 600kms to Ceduna – Garmin calculated the route and came back with a route that put Ceduna as being 8818kms away. On Dirk Hartog Island, Garmin tracked us to the top of the island (Cape Inscription) on the only track on the island. On the way back it couldn’t find a route despite having full satellite connectivity. We tried every possible routing setting; rebooting the unit; resetting the unit, updates were checked daily and we still ended up in odd places – respect the big road signs – they are more accurate and they are everywhere – even in the most remote places there are road signs.
But … a caveat … not all maps are created equal – some simply don’t have the detail and you may miss things (points of interest or roads/tracks) because of the lack of detail. Others may be the most current map that you can buy ... but it was developed years before! We have the most recent HEMA maps we could get for the areas we planned to travel – but one map was produced in 2012! We had a pleasant surprise travelling from Menindee to Pooncarie – map showed unsealed road of about 120kms – no problem. Turned out it was sealed and probably the best sealed road we travelled on.
Checking in and checking out
Connectivity, or lack of can be frustrating and something that we all take for granted at home – well ... outside of most towns there is no connectivity. Distances between towns can be 100s of kms. If you want to check anything on your phone – good luck! In Western Australia, where there are huge mining operations there is usually full 4G coverage and beautiful blacktop around the mine area – in the rest of the country … nothing! You'll see towers and get excited ... and still nothing!
We travelled with StarLink, which we used to check weather and road conditions every morning and every night helping us to keep on eye on what was open and closed in our travels. Weather changes quickly as do road conditions as do road closures. The thing with the road closure is that you get no advanced warning until you get to the sign and it says “CLOSED”. Plan B required. The detours can be many 100s of kms. Just because it hasn't rained in your immediate area doesn't mean the area is immune to floods. (At Trilby Station on the Darling River they don't get flooded from local rain - they get flooded from rains that fell in distant areas and takes 6 weeks to get to them. St George (Qld) is the same - they flood from rain that fell at Warwick, 6 weeks prior (400kms away).
We used 4 different weather apps – they all reported different weather forecasts – which one do you believe? This is especially tricky when you are on unsealed roads and rain is forecast. Some roads are closed automatically as soon as any rain appears (even less than 1mm). An example, is the Darling River Run which is closed after any rain and can be for several days. On some roads the water can sit for months in small ponds due to the underlying base (eg clay). Each state has an app that provides “live” data on road conditions and closures – but … sometimes they are not updated and can be days or weeks old … and this assumes that you have connectivity to even be able to access the app. Sometimes, the road signs have not been updated as the person responsible has not been able to get to the sign before you do…
When being really remote (ie you don’t see another vehicle for many hours) it pays to drop into the township (in some places it is just the pub) and ask about the road conditions and the likely weather. We did this particularly on the Oodnadatta Track at each of the towns and on the Great Central Road heading across WA. If you happen to see a truckie at a stop – ask them – they will know exactly where the problem points may be but also maybe a shorter and better road to get where you want to go.
Be prepared to be surprised – good and bad …
Fuel (diesel) prices ranged from $1.59 (Perth) to $3.29 (Great Central Road and Nullarbor Roadhouse) and $2.99 at Oodnadatta. When we left Toowoomba, it was $2.29 p/l. When we returned home to Toowoomba it was $1.79p/l.
Services, shops and attractions close down – in the mid to northern parts of Australia we found that many smaller businesses, particularly in hospitality were either closed or scaling down due to the pending heat – many close for several months as the area simply gets too hot. This is often from end of November through to March. It does change according to the cyclone season build up which when we travelled was apparently much earlier than normal. We were at Karijini National Park in early October and they were preparing to close down their facility at the National Park. In Coober Pedy, the coffee shop that we went to was preparing to close down by end of November and reopen maybe in late February. We have had similar experiences also in Broome. The manager at the Maree Hotel (Oodnadatta Track) told us that anyone travelling at this time were “stupid people”.
Free Camping ... great idea ... if you can find them. Most are listed in apps such as WikiCamps. Be aware that these apps are used by many – which means many may be at these spots – just like you. If you are able to travel independently (with your own water, waste disposal etc) and more off grid then we found that most places were deserted. But – this may had something to do with where we were (more remote) and the time of year that we travelled. (eg we travelled through the Flinders Ranges early in the trip – September – at Parachilna Gorge there were travellers dotted throughout the gorge (maybe 6-8 in this small gorge but away from each other). When we came back mid-November – there was no-one (in fact the Prairie/Parachilna Hotel was closed for the season by this time).
Most of WA seems to have limited free camp areas. There are roadside stopping points with toilets and some even have showers – but you are generally near the road/highway. The National Parks are sensational and very affordable – but you need to book online (think – connectivity!) – we found at some NPs people were being turned away as the Park was fully booked – this was particularly the case at Karijini NP, along the Ningaloo Coast and Lucky Bay (Esperance). Caravan Parks in some of the high transit areas, such as Ceduna, Port Augusta were heavily booked and can be difficult to get into. Often it is related to school holidays. Other times it is related to people travelling to a specific location such as the Big Red Bash or the Birdsville Races or a local event. Something to be aware of when planning. There are also peak seasons in different areas. eg. whale watching or wild flower time.
We need that and that and that and …
Spare Parts – what does one take? We were lucky that we had a new vehicle and van. But don’t rely on that. Was your vehicle or van made on a Monday?
The TVan is renowned for its durability and robustness, as is the Prado. While we didn’t need anything … we still came prepared. Remote travel can be a scary thing when something goes wrong. We carried an array of spanners, sockets, pliars, magnetic screw drivers and heads to fit any likely nut and bolt. As well, as a collection of nuts, bolts and washers. Rachet straps are ideal for restraining something that has broken or come loose. Various fuses, Anderson plugs, wiring and connectors (I replaced the Anderson Plug on the Prado to the Tvan along the way as it was showing signs of heat on the casing – possibly due to poor connectivity in the plug). I also replaced the shock absorber rubbers on the TVan as a preventative measure (they cop a pounding on dirt roads). They were an easy change, provided peace of mind and probably didn’t need doing, but I had the shocker off to inspect and decided to change them while they were off – cheap insurance. Gaffer tape and glue (Tarzans Grip is versatile and flexible and seems to be reasonably durable) are always handy. For the TVan we carried spare wheel bearings (even though they had just been serviced); various fittings (for the kitchen and lockers); spare shock absorber and sets (2) of rubbers; hoses for syphoning if we needed to store fuel in a jerry can – which was a possibility for Dirk Hartog Island. We also carried a cordless drill (for repairs but also using sand pegs), spare battery and charger. We used Makita which shared the battery with the drill, the chain saw and the compressor.
Camping
Camping/Canvas – we have a full complement of canvas for the TVan from a full side annex to quick setup across the rear of the TVan, as well as the built-in bat wing above the kitchen. We camped on rocks, on sand, on packed gravel (so hard that the pegs couldn’t make an indent in the ground) and grass. We carried sand pegs – 300mm long – these proved to be useless as they simply pulled out in force generated by the wind. We also had solid steel pegs (not the flimsy ones that usually come with camping gear when you purchase it). We also had 500mm sand pegs – one of which was pulled out of the ground on Dirk Hartog Island from the high winds causing tears in the annex. We arrived back to camp to see it flailing in the wind like a huge spinnaker with poles in disarray; several tears in the canvas and guy ropes strewn everywhere. We were nervous in deploying it again and leaving camp.
Power to all
Being off grid means you need to rely on your own power sources. We have a solar panel on the TVan and a 350w solar blanket. While travelling, a DC-DC charger provides 40amps per hour to our 2 x 100amp Revolution Lithium Batteries. When travelling, the car charges the batteries, so whenever you pull up you generally have full batteries. Our batteries only ever got as low as 54%. Lithium batteries can go almost to empty (prudently, you might only go as low as 10%). Non lithium batteries can’t go below 50% of their capacity or you risk permanent damage. That is a big difference in usable capacity when you are running fridges; charging appliances such as phones, iPad, camera batteries and running lights at night (not to mention Starlink which in its native form can be very power demanding). Throw in a few cloudy days with no travel and that cheap solar blanket or array that you bought may not cut the mustard. Power is a mission critical element. Work out the optimum cold level for your fridge. This may be the most power-hungry device that you use and need to keep using. We ran our main Dometic 75l fridge at 5 degrees and freezer at -7 degrees – these settings seemed to work the best for us to maintain the coldness of the contents and allowed the fridge to operate efficiently. Ditch the cigarette plugs that came with your fridge and replace the fitting with something more robust (cigarette lighter fittings have a habit of falling/rattling out of the socket).
Up to the pressure
Appropriate tyre pressures are critical to protecting your tyres, your car, its occupants and its contents. There are highway pressures; dirt pressures and sand pressures. Don’t be lazy.
Look after your tyres and they will look after you.
Inherent with driving to the conditions is having suitable tyre pressures for the conditions. We generally ran 40 psi (Front of Prado); 42 psi (Rear of Prado) and 36-38 psi on the TVan on the highway. On unsealed roads we ran 28-30 psi (Front of Prado); 32 psi (Rear of Prado) and 28-30 psi. On sand (Dirk Hartog Island in particular), we ran 16 psi on every tyre. The down side of airing down is that you need to air up! This can be very time consuming and uncomfortable depending on the weather. While our compressor handled it reasonably well, I will invest in a higher capacity one as well as a more accurate tyre pressure gauge and tyre deflators before our next trip. We worked out a routine where both of us could be involved in the inflating/deflating of tyres which decreased the time associated with this activity.
We suffered one flat tyre with an unknown object piercing the centre of the tread (2.5 cm clean cut) in a water crossing. What was it? No idea – possibly a metal bracket from another vehicle in the water. It pierced the rear tyre. Presumably, the front tyre went over the same object. We were in an extremely remote area and 130km from the nearest town – we only saw 1 vehicle for the entire day (which was minutes prior to our puncture) and it was 2.00pm and 40 degrees. Without the Tyre Pressure Monitoring System, we probably would’ve driven longer on a deflating tyre unaware of its condition and maybe damaged the rim and suffered some other mishap (aside from destroying the tyre completely). I thought about trying to plug the tyre rather than change it, but decided that given the temperature it was more prudent to get going as soon as we could. We had to unhitch the van. The other fortunate thing was that prior to leaving home I had all of the wheels balanced and rotated. Tyre outlets are notorious for over tightening wheel nuts with their rattle guns. I had checked all of the tyre nuts and loosened them off slightly as I was unable to move any of them after the trip to the tyre shop. I needed a bar extension on the rachet of about 4 feet to get enough leverage to loosen them. If I had not done that – it would’ve been extremely difficult and stressful to do this at the time.
The Tyre Pressure Monitoring System monitors pressure but also tyre temperature. On average each tyre increased by 6-7 psi from cold. On some of the days where it was 38-40 degrees, the tyre pressure in the rear of the Prado (cold at 42 psi in the morning) reached 50 psi. The temperatures went from 70 – 123 degrees. Whenever we stopped for a break, the pressures and temperatures dropped slightly.
Checking it all out
Every time we set off with the TVan hitched we both did a walk around the vehicle and TVan doing a mental check of the setup as well as checking that indicator and brake lights were working and that everything was where it should be. At every stop, I also checked the heat of the hubs on the TVan for suspected high wheel bearing heat indicating a potential wheel bearing issue. There was never any issue (the TVan had been serviced before we left which included the wheel bearings being replaced). I also look underneath for any odd fluids on the ground or items hanging loosely (wires, sticks etc) ... it is just piece of mind.
The source of life
Water is the source of all life – we carried drinking water in the 10 litre cartons (easy to pack down and dispose of when empty compared to plastic bottles) – we usually carried about 3-4 of these. In addition, we had 178 litres on board the TVan which we filtered whenever we topped up. Usually, we would fill the water tanks when at a Caravan Park. We would typically be off grid for 8-12 days. The ability to fill tanks can be limited depending where you are. While you may be able to find an RV Dump point (and these can be anywhere from in the city centre (eg Broken Hill) to on the outskirts of the town and everywhere in between, they generally have a hose to clean the Porta Potti, but many do not have any potable water refill point.
In some of the remote places you can purchase bulk quantities of water but in places such as the Flinders Ranges there is simply no water. Planning to top up water is very much something that you need to some research and have a Plan B if you can’t find it because you will need it. Connectivity raises its head again when on the move and trying to make alternative plans.
Food … glorious food
We set off from home with about 25 precooked meals all vacuum packed and frozen. These lasted well into the trip. The ability to buy foods is not really an issue (just like getting fuel) anywhere. Sure, you might not have the range that you are used to and the prices may be higher than you are used to ... but you are potentially away from large cities and there are large distances for transport and the associated costs. So, expect to pay more and have less of a range.
But sometimes you get a surprise. Some of the IGAs that we shopped at (Coober Pedy and Denmark WA, for example) rival those of a major supermarket with what is on offer and their prices. Fresh fruit and vegetables can sometimes be harder to obtain but you probably have a freezer – the quality of frozen vegetables is very good. Word of warning though … Quarantine Border checks – know where you are travelling, when and where you may pass through a Quarantine Border check – if you have non approved items, they will be taken from you … and they will check your car and van. Advice – schedule your grocery shopping around the location of any border crossing that you may be doing. At one point we knew we were about to cross the WA border into S Aust – we had a few apples and bananas left so we decided to have them for breakfast and morning tea enroute. We arrived at the border control only to find that the quarantine station was on the other side of the road and didn’t affect us.
Get me a doctor
Sometimes you leave home with a clean bill of health and along the way something happens. You may need a Podiatrist for an ingrown toe nail or a prescription filled or a prescription. Bring prescriptions with you in case you need them filled while travelling but don't expect every town you go through to have a Pharmacy and that it will be open.
Don’t just assume that you can get into a Podiatrist along the way in your time line. They service local people and sometimes they work across multiple locations/towns. It can be several weeks before you can get an appointment. Plan ahead – know where you are likely to be and phone ahead. If you need medications, try to bring with you as much as you are likely to need while travelling… and don’t forget the First Aid kit and Snake Bite Kit – we have a first aid kit in the Prado and another in the TVan. We carry a snake bite kit in our Hydration Packs that we use every time we go for a walk.
We also carry Zoleo (a small device designed to work with your phone or tablet. It extends messaging coverage to anywhere on Earth when you’re beyond mobile coverage zones). It allows you to make contact when there is no reception – and a handy SOS feature that you hope you never need to use.
How flexible are you?
Things change. Mishaps occur. Weather changes. Road conditions change. Places are closed or booked out. All part of travel. Lack of connectivity can be frustrating.
Be flexible enough to make changes on the run and don't lament the changes! It is all part of the adventure of travelling.
We made a significant change from heading west at Ceduna after only a month on the road. We planned to head west across the Nullarbor in time to see the whale migration in the Great Australian Bight and Cold Chisel in Perth.
The wind had been gusting up to 90kmph overnight and the previous 2 days it was 80kmph gusts. The forecast was high winds for the next 4 days and coming from our direction of travel. We decided to head north to Coober Pedy and get away from the wind.
Google maps said 635km. Garmin said 635kms. We reached turnoff to the National Park - it had been raining and the road was wet ... the sign said "caution 4WD high clearance vehicles only". No problem - that's us.
We pondered what to do ... drove back into town to get some phone coverage and found that the route was an unsealed road for much of it through a national park and some local farm tracks before getting back on the highway ... we were tired from 2 nights of little sleep and not prepared to take that route. We opted for the sealed route via Port Augusta ... turned out it was 1035kms! We arrived in Coober Pedy in the dark to a massive thunderstorm. The next few days while on the move we spent rescheduling our bookings, trying to map our way to a new route and get up to speed on what to see and do. While it was inconvenient and we missed a few things due to the change .. we also went to places that we hadn't even planned to be near.
We had a fabulous trip. We are planning another already ... and another after that ... go forth and travel ...
What a jour
Welcome home! What an amazing adventure you have had - I’ve loved following your trip. Looking forward to following your next trip.