Melb to perth return

chat · Member

Melb to perth return

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

Don't overload.
Understand the quarantine regulations.
Cheers,
Peter

LLD · Guru

Top up with fuel regularly. We stopped at most roadhouses for fuel, toot break, leg stretch etc. Don't skip if you think the fuel is too expensive. If you are only topping up then it's not that much. Besides the next one may be dearer, or worse still, not working.

Whenarewethere · Guru

TPMS & tyre repair kit & quality compressor. As said above, quarantine, don't forget quarantine on the return trip. No cardboard boxes that had fruit in a previous life either. Spare fuel & take note of head winds as fuel consumption will take a hammering. Take your time!

Possum3 · Guru

Take note of prevailing winds it can double your fuel consumption pushing into headwinds, can considerably reduce fuel consumption if a good tail wind. - Normally early morning travel avoids winds.

LLD · Guru

Never took a tyre repair kit but did make sure my spares were good. Got a flat on the ute on a Sunday in Port Augusta. Just changed the tyre and got flat fixed following day in Coober Pedy. Brand new tyres fitted with a dodgy valve. So much for my precaution for getting new tyres and checking spare. The van's tyres wore badly from the camber of the road. I had to replace them when I got home.

Carried a 10L diesel can that I ever needed. Put it into the ute a few times just to freshen up the can. Fellow traveller did same.

Take your time. Travelling at 85 vs 90 vs 110 kph makes a huge difference to fuel and tyre wear. 110 kph on coarse bitumen for 1-2 hours will drain you tank and rip up your tyres.

If you have tubed tyres, carry spare tubes. You may even need one in a tubeless tyre if things get bad. Getting a tyre fixed can be the easy bit but not everyone may have an appropriate tube.

Bobdown · Guru

Hi Chat,

A great road trip, I made some comments in Techie section under Satellite phone re the Nullarbor which you might want to read.

As P & M have said, Quarantine can be difficult especially WA border, you can cook potatoes, onion, mushrooms, carrots etc and store them in the fridge ok.

Water can be scarce across the Nullarbor, even when you buy fuel they won't give you any.

Pick the 4 - 5 star camps on Wikicamps, can be some noisy, dirty ones so choose carefully.

Safe travels
Bob

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

Keep attention to wind . Stopping early if head wind and setting off in morning we found the best thing we did fuel wise . Plus theres actually things to see along the way . We went to some nice springs after recommended to go by one of the locals . We tend to get on the road and think of getting to destination. Forgetting the journey . We took a tool kit . 1/2 drive Kincrome socket set, vice grips , two shifters and screwdriver set. (Funny I used my tools to help another couple with slipping clutch in Cruiser) Little 12v compressor with tyre repair kit . Checked serpentine or fan belts . Radiator hoses, tyres etc . Be aware of coolant contamination on auto if heat exchanger fails ? Usually from poor servicing . Some just fit air to air trans cooler. Fail safes coolant contamination .

Tony Bev · Guru

It is bitumen all the way, on the main highways

Be aware, (unless you are a seasoned traveller), that long distance driving, without stopping, makes you drowsy

There have been many single vehicle accidents, on long straight stretches of roads

Edit to say

Forgetting me manners, chat

Welcome to the forum

-- Edited by Tony Bev on Sunday 10th of March 2019 05:19:30 PM

dogbox · Guru

LLD wrote:

Top up with fuel regularly. We stopped at most roadhouses for fuel, toot break, leg stretch etc. Don't skip if you think the fuel is too expensive. If you are only topping up then it's not that much. Besides the next one may be dearer, or worse still, not working.

good advice keep the tank topped up the next place may be waiting on delivery or have a break down so fuel not available,and a head wind can cause excess (unexpected)fuel consumption

Whenarewethere · Guru

In the north west we had just got a coffee & their generator stopped. Fuel pumps didn't work either, don't know how long it took them to fix the problem.

We walked up some of the escarpments to move a bit. Bit of a different landscape up there. Take your time & look at things, it is actually an enjoyable trip if you don't rush it.

If driving into the sun a black cloth or tee shirt on the dashboard to remove the last of the dashboard reflection off the windscreen. Anything to reduce eye strain.

A white cloth on passenger's lap if they are a bit sensitive to heat. Wire sun shade.

Little things can make things a lot more comfortable.

kesa32 · Senior Member

Hi Chat , we did the Perth to Melbourne leg on our 3 month trip last year with our territory and van and had no worries
As others have said fuel and water you don't try and skimp on ( we carried 20 litres of both , as well as 125 ltrs of water in a bladder in the tug )
Wikicamps is very handy , as well as the fuel App

And yes , make sure your territory is well serviced prior to the trip and as you probably already know , tow in performance mode

Good luck and enjoy

Relax-n · Guru

Food wise - most info centres have quarantine booklets. Every year at the start of our main trip we get a new one. Very handy as they inform you of goods moving from state to state, not just fruit and veg.

Also be aware some areas within states have quarantine restrictions, info centres should be able to help with these if you know your base route.

We have also found that if you offer up and inform of what you have, the inspectors attitude can be different. Coming from WA to SA through Ceduna, there is no quarantine bin before the inspection station (we finished our fruit while travelling), and the inspector was happy to take peelings and cores off our hands.

Vegies can be peeled and processed as salads or cooked, and fruit can be cut up for fruit salad.

Honey is one of the biggest no nos going into WA.

Enjoy the trip, lots to see along the way

PeterD · Guru

Treat your trip this way. There is nothing special in crossing the Nullarbor. Just treat it as a series of trips long tips taken one after the other. If you have long day trips then you should survive the trip. There are however a few administrative things you need to take care of like quarantine at the state borders and long delivery times of emergency services between Ceduna and Norseman.

If you treat the trip that way you will enjoy your trip.

Long Weekend · Guru

It has been about 10-years since my last trip across the Nullarbor - the first was in 1957! That time there were 1,000-miles - yes miles! - of gravel. The old building at Eucla was still occupied and the jetty shown in the photo above was still in good condition.

Anyway, the thing to remember is that there is nothing between servos - the longest I recall being between Balladonia and Norseman - don't be caught out!

Also, others have mentioned the effect of headwinds on fuel consumption. The Eyre Highway being straight means that you are always heading into wind - on any other road around Australia, apart from being shorter, only has a headwind part of the time.

Then once through Coolgardie heading to Southern Cross there used to be only the one servo at Yellowdine - 75-miles away. Friends of mine heading for Perth one time pulled into that servo, filled up then on leaving turned right instead of left - they only woke up when they reached the sign saying "Welcome to Coolgardie."

Enjoy the trip. Our son in law remembers our last trip well - he thinks a trip from Canberra to Melbourne is like a Sunday afternoon drive now.

When you have done it you will be amused when you hear news reports of something that happened on the Nullabor and they talk about the "town" of Caiguna or Balladonia, etc.

Murray

PS: I'll be heading that way in October.

fwdoz · Guru

We are over in Geraldton atm & these were the worst prices coming through:

$1.80 at Border Village & Eucla. ****lebiddy $2.00. Caiguna $1.98. Balladonia $1.94.