bill replied:

God dam tin tank, Stay where you are

Colin replied:

Gil,

Lots of people begin and then finish trips to Australia in Sydney. They buy vehicles in Sydney and then sell them in Sydney before leaving. I would suggest that would result in more vehicles to choose from. However, insurance & registration costs are higher in Sydney, so even though it may be harder to find the vehicle you want it would probably be cheaper from Brisbane or Melbourne.

Thats just my opinion, and yes I am from Sydney.

Ray replied:

Gil maybe u should consult Exploroz as u need to consider many things. Eg do u relly need a 4wd as your budget will nt get u a late model vehicle and a lot of Aust.can b seen on bitumen including the outback. I agree Bris or Melb r cheaper to register vehicles.
U need also to consider the weather and in which direction to travel eg clockwise/counter c/wise in order to maximise the best weather conditions. a suggestion might be to leave Sydney or brisbane say in March travel north then across to the Northern Territory for the dry season and then across to Western Australia to get to the southern part of Australia in the warmer drier months of summer. contact the tourism bodies in Qld ,N.Territory & West Aust. for some good inf and brochures.visit www.ntholidays.com for brochures such as The Great Outdoors/Driving the Territory etc.
I hope this has given u a small insight good luck
Ray

Trev replied:

Hi Gil,
How about you tell us where you intend to travel. Most of the place can be seen in a ute with a LSD unless you want to get into the rough stuff in the middle. The wet can also be a real problem, unless you like swimming.
What type of vehicle do you have now?
Regards,

Trev

gil yoran replied:

Thanks for taking the time to answer. We intend to land in Melb. or Sydney and then travel north west with the Simpson desert in mind, just towards the end of winter, and avoid the great heat. After that we intened to go north to the Top end just as the winter ends, and the dry period starts and thus avoid the wet and rain and floods. after that we thought of heading towards Perth and then along the southern coast towards the eastern part of Australia. Back in Israel we drive a Nissan Terano which is a mid-size SUV. Before we an old make JEEP CJ6. We do get a lot of 4x4 in Israel but on much smaller scales then Australia. For example, the most remote place in the Israeli desert would be 100 km from the nearest town. Does my schedule make any sense ? Budget wise i can also make it as high as 30,000 Australian dollars. Whould that be enough for a decsent 4x4 fully equipped for seious outbacking ?
P.S. if we buy the car in Melb., would it make sense to sell it after a year in Sydney ?
Thanks a lot in advance

Nigel replied:

You might like to know that the wet season for the northern end of australia isnt in winter. It can start as early as late november but more often starts late december early january and goes through till april. During the wet it is illegal to travel on closed roads (for your own saftely). Travel to Cape Year is generally permitted between May and November. To give you an understanding of just how wet it gets, the town I live in gets average annual rainfall of 4 metres or 157 inches. If you are prepared up to spend upto $30K then you should get a good vehicle. We bought a 3 year old Nissan Patrol (large 4wd) for $25K and weve have spent $10K adding accessories. If youre after something smaller then you should be right. Your money will almost double once converted to australian dollars at the moment. You should consider buying or hiring a HF radio for your trip. This will enhance the safety and enjoyment of your trip as you can find out up to the minute info from other travellers or through the Australian National 4WD Radio Network bases (see the communications section of the ExplorOz website). A HF radio also gives you direct access to the Royal Flying Doctors Service (www.rfds.org.au).

Trevor sharp replied:

if you go to www.autolocator.com.au this will give you some idea of the price you will pay in Perth WA good luck