Winds in all parts of Australia vary all the time, there is no one right direction that will mean you are always going with the wind, and its silly in my mind to use it as a major factor in your planning. After going to WA several times we have tail/head/side winds on the Nullabor and the coast when travelling in both directions. Instead plan to travel with the weather. You don't say how long you are going for, but leaving Sydney in April would suggest heading north and seeing northern NT and WA in the cooler months then heading down the coast as the weather warms up. Not much use finding yourself in Darwin in the summer and southern WA is not much fun in winter.

From Norseman to the border we had a tailwind. Then to Ceduna we had a headwind. You will double your fuel from 95 to 135 in NT.

Duck into Karijini NP but not in the school holidays. 

As already said better to go anticlockwise based on the date you are going. That's what we did but we went up through Bourke, Longreach etc.

Weather (wind) flows are predominantly from the West heading East, stronger in the Winter months. You're heading East to West so you'll be going into it.

 

It doesn't matter which way you travel, or which you do so - Murphy's Law says that it will be a headwind. And it sis all uphill as well....

 

Seriously, there is a general prevailing westerly wind which blows across the continent. High pressure and low pressure cells are embedded in the windstream. A high pressure system has an anti-clockwise circulation around it. Depending on the latitude of the high pressure systems, you may find either a headwind or a tailwind, or no wind. Not much you can do about it - you just have to adjust your speed if you are that concerned about fuel consumption. Speed has a much greater effect on fuel consumption. If you travel at 100 km/hr, your fuel consumption due to aerodynamic drag will be X L/100 km. If you drop the speed to 90, the consumption due to drag will be 0.73 X. If you go at 110 km/h the consumption due to drag will be 1.33 X. Aerodynamic drag is not the only factor in fuel consumption - friction losses in tyres, engine, transmission etc all add up, but drag becomes a major factor, especially when towing something with the aerodynamics of a brick.

 

In 2006, we did a trip around the block. On our way back, the weather down South was dreadful, so we waited around Geraldton few weeks, Eventually we had to go, so we headed off. One day, we had horrendous winds coming from about 45 degrees over my right shoulder - a sort of tailwind. We got to Penong and camped the night there. Next day I heard the weather report and there were winds averaging 85 km/h, gusting to over 100 km/h. Fuel consumption was awesome! I chose that trip well - for the whole 22000 km, I had headwinds only on 3 days, and they were way up North. I have never been as lucky since.

-- Edited by erad on Monday 13th of May 2019 08:38:14 AM

-- Edited by erad on Monday 13th of May 2019 08:45:22 AM

Thank you 

If run into head wind ? I find stopping overnight early is best ., We mainly free camp . Can pretty much bet itll be gone by next morning . On the Nullarbor, Best for Roos and wildlife anyway !

https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/orthographic=-233.77,-26.69,974

See current wind, weather, ocean, and pollution conditions, as forecast by supercomputers, on an interactive animated map. Updated every three hours.

I have been east west quite a few times, and I agree with the other posters, the wind is unpredictable
I do not take this into my calculations/budget when planning a trip, apart from the worst scenario, of having headwinds, somewhere along the road

I also agree with others, to plan your trip according to the seasons, and not the winds

I have had both head and tail winds, on the same sections of road, in the same months, but different years

Thank you 

Thank you 

Thank you