Australian Roadtrip – top 5 tips for distance travellers

Australia…is there any better country out there for a roadtrip? Okay, some come very close however the best way to discover our beautiful country is by your own 4 wheels.

One of the most common mistakes many drivers do is to underestimate the challenges of a long road trip…especially if you hire a campervan or car. So here are a few tips from us…

DISTANCES

Brisbane to Cairns – it doesn’t look too far on the map – but it is! It is 2000 KM and if you manage to do 800 KM in a day you are a real champion (HOWEVER – please don’t!) – anything less than 14 days is really not worth the effort! Darwin to Perth is a whooping 4500 km – you really should be taking 3 weeks for those KM! Sydney to Melbourne – 10 days are more than enough and will allow you to chill out plenty of times during your trip! Darwin to Cairns – 4000 KM – you better off getting the plane – there is not much to see in between and you better take a tour in Darwin to see Kakadu National Park and all the other parks.

Photo via stampboards.com

ROADS

Highways – what highways? The East Coast contains 80% of one-lane roads – forget speeding – you be doing between 65 to 80 km/hrs if you are lucky! You probably get a bit more speed on the Western Australia & Northern Territory roads you really should be taking your time…

Photo found on compassexpedtions.com

PETROL

First of all – petrol is so much cheaper than in Europe – depending on season you can get a litre between $1 to $1.35 – good savings here compared to Europe. Don’t underestimate the outback – it can quickly go up to $1.75/litre with only a few petrol stations around on your trip. So should you decide to travel in the outcome be sure to have enough fuel and inform yourself about the distance to the next petrol station

WILDLIFE

Kangaroos, wombats, koalas – gotta love them – BUT NOT ON THE ROAD PLEASE! Australia is full of wildlife and they love the roads – especially once it starts to get dark. Don’t risk it – park your vehicle before it gets dark and enjoy a barbie! Kangaroos are attracted by car lights during the night and will jump on purpose into you…it’s not a good look!

Photo found on creativeroots.org

SEASONS

We heard it a 100 times…”Why is it raining here – how come it is so cold?” – sadly the sun doesn’t shine in Australia 365 days a year so if you are on a long roadtrip check out the seasonality of each state. This is what we NOT recommend:

• Brisbane/Cairns: January to March – yes it is very hot but you will also be facing the rainy season and could be faced with lots of rain! Best time is really May to November.
• Darwin: December to April – again lots of rain, flooded roads and limited access to National Parks. We recommend May to November.
• Sydney/Perth/Melbourne: May to August – it can get very cold…we recommend October to April.

If you are after a one-way trip you should probably start in Cairns from September to December followed by Sydney/Melbourne January/February time – Adelaide/Perth March to April and up to Darwin from May onwards…

Want more tips for your Australian road trip? We have plenty more campervan travel tips, so you can start planning your epic journey today.