Tips for a long journey

During our travels around Australia, Jack and I have done many a long car journey. 4200kms from Yamba to Perth across the Nullarbor, 1300 kms from Augathella to Cairns and now 2680 kms from Augathella to Darwin to drive around the Northern Territory. That's a lot of kilometres and it often means several days of nothing but driving and stopping for water and a pee.

When we drove across to Perth we spent five days in the van stopping once, maybe twice during the day before pulling up. We were on a tight timescale and it's not something I'd reccomend doing but that drive, along with many others, has taught me a few lessons about taking long car journeys that I thought I'd share with you in case any of you are about to do the same. 

Water

Carry more thank you think you'll drink, and drink more than you think you need. It may sound odd but often you won't realise you're dehydrated until it's too late so make the effort to make sure you're drinking regularly. Aim to get through 3 litres a day per person, particularly when you're driving around in the heat of the day. Also carry lots because servos can be few and far between and you don't want to run out, if you don't need it your vehicle might. You can pick up big water containers from most camping stores out here and big names like BCF and Bunnings. 

Keeping Clean

When you're on the road you might not find somewhere with showers every night. And yes that is gross but it's part of the travelling experience. You can always boil some water for a wash in the evening which I highly reccomend. But for a quick on the go freshen up baby wipes, dry shampoo and hand sanitiser will be your new best friend. 

Sleepy eyes

Tiredness on the road isn't uncommon but it is dangerous. There's rest stops on the side of the road all over Australia - use them! Often you won't realise you're tired until you're fighting to keep your eyes open so pull up every couple of hours for a quick rest. Also stretch your legs and have a good drink. If you really feel too tired to carry on then stop for the day. It's really not worth the risk for an extra few k's.

The dark

Often it's tempting to carry on driving in the dark when you're really close to somewhere. We've learned the lesson now though, that it's far better to pull up a few hours before dark have dinner, get a good nights sleep and carry on at dawn. Kangaroos are at their peak activity just before dark and just before first light and you really don't want to hit one. They're bigger than they look and can write vehicles off. Also in some places stock will be on the road and they WILL write your car off. Just call it a day before dark.

Fuel

Fuel is important and there's a few tips here. Fuel stations are often quite far apart, especially when you're doing a drive such as the Nullarbor or up to Darwin. It's important to know how far it is between fuel stations and also how many kilometers you can get out of a tank. Breaking down is the worst - trust me. Carry a couple of Jerry cans as well just in case you come into a stick situation. Also a lot of smaller fuel stations, again such as ones across the Nullarbor, aren't 24 hour so take that into account as well, because if you end up not being able to fuel up because a station is shut you'll have to wait there until the morning. 

There's a few tips for anyone who's thinking of doing a crazy long drive. They are good fun and you see a lot on the way so it's worth it. Number one tip though is just to prepare for every possible eventuality and use your head - if you're not sure don't go for it. 

Until next time,

Em x