Planning Ahead 2WD v 4WD Roads - Is there an App?

RoboLB · Senior Member

Planning Ahead 2WD v 4WD Roads - Is there an App?

86GTS · Guru

We use this:

rgren2 · Guru

I can program into my GPS to avoid unsealed roads.

Mike Harding · Guru

RoboLB wrote:
Is there an App that describes the road surface? Sealed, unsealed but OK for 2WD, 4WD only etc.

Yes; OsmAnd

It differentiates between half a dozen road surfaces but the ones of most interest to us are the sealed and non sealed which are designated by different colour markers, you can also instruct the route plotting software not to use unsealed roads.

There is a free version of OsmAnd but it's nice to buy the paid version (about $15 for life) to give the developers encouragement.

As for differentiating between roads suitable for 4WD but not 2WD... forget it, that's close to impossible to do on a wide range basis; eg. a dry road which is passable by your granny in her Morris Minor may, a week after rain, be impassable to a lifted Landcruiser with lockers and mud tyres.

RoboLB · Senior Member

Great tips, thanks

Buzz Lightbulb · Guru

I used to use OSMAnd but I didn't like the address search facility.

I now use MagicEarth (Android app). It uses the same Open Street Map (OSM) data as OSMAnd.

It also allows one to set 'Avoid Unpaved Roads' in the Navigation settings for a car.

OSM data is managed by the people not by Google or any other single source. This makes it more likely to be kept up to date by the locals in their local map areas.

I hope this helps.

86GTS · Guru

We've hired cars, motor homes & SUV's in WA & the NT from major hire companies.
Is it true that they have inbuilt tracking devices to find out if you've been on unmade roads?
We were told a maximum of 8kms but we took ours sometimes 20kms off the bitumen with no repercussions.

RoboLB · Senior Member

86GTS wrote:
We've hired cars, motor homes & SUV's in WA & the NT from major hire companies.
Is it true that they have inbuilt tracking devices to find out if you've been on unmade roads?
We were told a maximum of 8kms but we took ours sometimes 20kms off the bitumen with no repercussions.

I'm not aware of any tracking devices, though that would be simple enough.

I think it's more a case of 'obvious' damage caused by rough roads, would not be covered by insurance.

Of course realistically, it's necessary to go off the bitumen a little to reach campsites etc.

In our case, I was just a bit wary of incurring damage that might void the insurance.

If it was my vehicle I would have used those roads.

One for example was the 17km track up to Mt Oxley near Bourke. Which looking at reviews, seems to be OK for 2WD when dry with care.

86GTS · Guru

We've always had the attitude that if you don't get off the black top you'll see nothing.
We camped by ourselves on Rossmore Station for a week next to the Little Bogan River.
Mt Oxley is on the station.
The unmade road out to the Mtn would be OK for a 2wd in dry weather.
The last few kms UP to the summit is very steep with wash outs.
Its been sealed at some stage long ago, to access the towers on the summit but its in terrible condition.

-- Edited by 86GTS on Saturday 9th of July 2022 05:46:44 PM

RoboLB · Senior Member

86GTS wrote:
We've always had the attitude that if you don't get off the black top you'll see nothing.
We camped by ourselves on Rossmore Station for a week next to the Little Bogan River.
Mt Oxley is on the station.
The unmade road out to the Mtn would be OK for a 2wd in dry weather.
The last few kms UP to the summit is very steep with wash outs.
Its been sealed at some stage long ago, to access the towers on the summit but its in terrible condition.

-- Edited by 86GTS on Saturday 9th of July 2022 05:46:44 PM

We actually planned to stay at Rossmore Station.

But they were closed. (on holiday)

Was it good?

86GTS · Guru

RoboLB wrote:
86GTS wrote:
We've always had the attitude that if you don't get off the black top you'll see nothing.
We camped by ourselves on Rossmore Station for a week next to the Little Bogan River.
Mt Oxley is on the station.
The unmade road out to the Mtn would be OK for a 2wd in dry weather.
The last few kms UP to the summit is very steep with wash outs.
Its been sealed at some stage long ago, to access the towers on the summit but its in terrible condition.

-- Edited by 86GTS on Saturday 9th of July 2022 05:46:44 PM
We actually planned to stay at Rossmore Station.
But they were closed. (on holiday)

Was it good?

A great experience, all of the bird images on the Rossmore Station website are ours after a request from the owners, taken on our visit a few years ago.

It would be a little boggy there now.

Derek Barnes · Senior Member

86GTS wrote:
We've always had the attitude that if you don't get off the black top you'll see nothing.
We camped by ourselves on Rossmore Station for a week next to the Little Bogan River.
Mt Oxley is on the station.
The unmade road out to the Mtn would be OK for a 2wd in dry weather.
The last few kms UP to the summit is very steep with wash outs.
Its been sealed at some stage long ago, to access the towers on the summit but its in terrible condition.

-- Edited by 86GTS on Saturday 9th of July 2022 05:46:44 PM

We just finished a six week holiday through central Australia without leaving the black top. Highlights included Uluru in the rain with hundreds of waterfalls, e-scooting around Uluru in the dry, wading through Kings Creek in Kings Canyon after rain, e-scooting around the Devils Marbles in the dry as well as seeing them in the rain, soaking in the warm water of Florence Falls rock pool and Buley Rock Pools in Litchfield National Park, seeing wild salt water crocs and buffalos and tons of birdlife in Kakadu National Park, feeding baby and adult crocs in Darwin, etc, etc etc. You can actually see many wonderful things around Australia without leaving the black top. (We actually love taking our semi off road caravan on the dirt though!)