Driving from QLD to WA

[LazyBrennan]

Hey guys
Yes believe it or not I will be moving to W.A from QLD and considering driving there O.O
Can any one give me any tips or has any one done it before?
What are the speed limits out there in the desert? Any speed cameras out there? Im mainly talking about the part from Ceduna S.A to Norseman W.A? That whole desert part.
What should I get checked on the car? Is it just basically do the oil and coolant and transmission before I got? Or do I need to go threw the whole suspension check and all that? My car is a ba falcon with 140 thousand kays on the clock.

Cheers guys.

[pottery beige]

animals will be your worst enemy...

[phantomxr6t]

I have done the trip numerous times, only tips are dont drive at night and be carefull at dawn and dusk there is heaps of wildlife at those times. generally mr plod is usually only 100km either side of towns. I always carried a spare drive belt and radiator hose and 10litres of water ( its a long walk if you break down ). And you cant take fruit or vegies across the boarder.

[aussiblue]

Make sure you have an insect screen fitted as they occasionally get locust plagues there and a blocked radiator on the Nullarbor is no fun. Don't follow too closely behind any trucks otherwise you might hit the dead roos and wombat they have just run over. Be especially cautious and don't get out off the car if you come across any camels crossing the road (now uncommon but it still happens); in addition to your car coming off worse than them, if hit or upset they get aggressive and dangerous.

Oh and keep an eye out for the Nullarbor Nymph.

[csv8]

Sturt Motel Broken Hill is good value.The whiting at Ceduna,Shell Roadhouse is great!! Prices across the Nullabor will make your eyes water. Watch for wildlife, Cobar to Broken Hill is bad for any furry thing on 4 legs. Nullabor not too bad. As mentioned don't drive at night !!! Google Nullabor Tourism for heaps of info.

[GasoLane]

Which way do you plan on going...Via Pt Augusta or Darwin ? This will depend on which part of Qld you're moving to I guess.

Originally Posted by aussiblue

Oh and keep an eye out for the Nullarbor Nymph.

She's gone....married a Greyhound Driver I heard

[aussiblue]

[mik]

i would be getting a holiday safety check on the car , its very nice to do a big mileage trip and have zero unexpected problems with the car, all fluid levels ,cooling system check over, pressure test, soft hoses etc, close look at tyre tread and side walls+ spare.
a bottle of wynns radiator stop leak in the boot with some water bottles just in case you hole a radiator, or you can drink the water if the worst happens.

[BuckTooth]

Make sure your covered by some form of Road side assistance. And if it isn't, upgrade your coverage to the highest available. Could be the best 100-200 dollars spent. And where possible try find some one headed your way ya can tag along with. I've driven right across the nullabor with my parents both ways. The first time was pretty eventful, especially when the radiator went in mums econovan, lol. But apart from that as mentioned, just keep an eye out for the wild life. They do hurt.
And fuel prices out there will make yours eyes water as csv8 mentioned.

[LazyBrennan]

Hmm, Starting to think just pay to get my car shipped over haha.
We were going to try and sell my missus car but now where keeping it. So I will send my car 2 weeks before we go so we have my car there by the time we get there and send my missus car when we leave here.

How much is fuel out there? My parents live north of w.a and said its around the 1.80 mark haha. LPG is like 1 dollar a litter O.o Whats it like out in the nullabor for fuel prices?

[TRUBLU4DS]

I done most of the drive last year, Newcastle to Freo.
Now from west of Cobar to east of Broken Hill goats are everywhere but i never spotted one on the road, just right beside it.
Across the Nullaboring if there's been rain then the wild things will mostly be out of the way, if not much rain they come near the roads as there are little pools of water around still. The drive is actually boring for most of the way.
If you travel in the dark back off your speed.
Dont buy fuel at the W.A./S.A. Border, its the most expensive.

I went from day1-Newcastle to Cobar, day2-Cobar to Ceduna, day3-Ceduna to Freo(18 hours) I wouldn't recomend the last bit in one hit.

As for your car, change your oil if it's done heaps of kms, if not leave it as you'll need to change it once you get here. General check on hoses & belts, tyres etc. Always carry water!!!!!

[Pat Riley]

WA is full GTFO!

On a serious note, When you consider that you will need to pay for a lot of fuel and accommodation etc, and not to mention the extra kms on your odometer on the way there, you'd probably be better off just paying to get it transported across the country.

[jaydee]

Spray the plastic front end with armorall, that way the bugs will wash off real easy and put some shade cloth over your radiator.

[LazyBrennan]

Originally Posted by BA Falcon

WA is full GTFO!

On a serious note, When you consider that you will need to pay for a lot of fuel and accommodation etc, and not to mention the extra kms on your odometer on the way there, you'd probably be better off just paying to get it transported across the country.

Excuss me mate, We already have a house there for about 5 years, So Im allowed in when ever I want :P
Yeah im just going to get the car shipped over I recon. hahaha.

[HLC]

Im moving from Sydney to Perth as well. im just getting my car shipped over. quotes are around 1100. beats driving the busted thing across the desert crapping my pants that something will go wrong!

[rocket67]

Might be worth your while checking out the prices on the Indian Pacific.

Easy drive down to Sydney, then put the car and the family on the train.

Rocket.

[foxtrot3]

Hi. Did it 30 years (****, now I feel old) in a 6 ton truck, made roads all the way but then it was still something to do before you turn old so I flew back. seriously do it you might never see more of our big brown/red/green beautiful country. Cheers MD

[macca13]

I did it last year Townsville to Perth in 5 days, fuel wasn't that bad the nullaboor was the worst but only needed one stop on the plain and one at each end. Gave the ute a good service and check over before leaving. Changed the belts and radiator hoses and kept the old ones as backups. It was a good drive would like to do itagain and take more time to have a look around.

[Sizey]

Originally Posted by foxtrot3

Hi. Did it 30 years (****, now I feel old) in a 6 ton truck, made roads all the way but then it was still something to do before you turn old so I flew back. seriously do it you might never see more of our big brown/red/green beautiful country. Cheers MD

I agree

[mcnews]

Just jump in and drive it.

Have ridden across Australia on motorcycles plenty of times, and went right around back in March over a few weeks. Towed a caravan behind the F6 ute about 18 months from Perth to Melbourne, no drama, never did any prep either. Just hitched it up and went. If your car is in good condition there is no reason to start having puppies about spending heaps of money on stuff that doesn't need doing. Just get a roadside assistance scheme of some sort for a bit of insurance just in case.

[irlewy86]

Originally Posted by BA Falcon

WA is full GTFO!

If thats your idea of full you should see the east coast, we're overflowing!

[LazyBrennan]

Originally Posted by irlewy86

If thats your idea of full you should see the east coast, we're overflowing!

W.A isnt full... Just Perth is bloody tiny