Good advice, Tony! BUT the one issue is that this sort of info needs to be displayed at Back Packer Hostels, etc.

Many young European & British come to grief on NQ roads because they are unfamiliar with the vastness of Australia & the different driving conditions. I wonder whether they had a 3way fridge going in the van & working on gas - how they got out of the car, I don't know. They were extremely lucky.

Warren-Pat_01 wrote:

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Good advice, Tony! BUT the one issue is that this sort of info needs to be displayed at Back Packer Hostels, etc.

Many young European & British come to grief on NQ roads because they are unfamiliar with the vastness of Australia & the different driving conditions. I wonder whether they had a 3way fridge going in the van & working on gas - how they got out of the car, I don't know. They were extremely lucky.

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Also good advice from you, Warren, about the backpacker being warned about our road conditions, re the long distance, etc

Drove passed a burnt out wizz bang type camper van, on the 28 December
As it had a newish police sticker attached, then I assume this was the vehicle in question
I can also report that it was upright, which probably assisted the girl to be dragged out

It was on the long straight stretch of road, (west of Caiguna), so this eliminates any speeding on a bend, scenario

I did wonder if the driver had really been pushed off the road by the wind, as up to seeing this vehicle remains, there had been no wind, to write home about

BUT...
From Caiguna to well passed the WA/SA border, there was plenty of changing winds
I had never experienced such changing winds for such a long distance, (over two days), on the Nullarbor
It was enough to start pushing my 3,850 Kg motorhome from side to side, and I had to adjust my speed to the conditions

At one stage, I stopped at the #1 tourist lookout, (about 100 kilometres) east of the WA/SA border, for a break, and was nearly blown off my feet

I also saw a burnt out caravan, on 30 December, approximately 16 Kilometres north of the Snowtown turnoff, on the Port Wakefield road, in South Australia
I have no idea how it happened, (it was in a ditch)

I too wondered if the cause of both fires, was because people were travelling with either their gas fridge working, or their gas bottle turned on

It just goes to show, that we can never be too safe