Thursday, Nov 03, 2022 at 10:32
Lots of advice here, so take
mine with a grain of salt as
well…
The number of km’s per day, is something that will be different for each individual (and vehicle & load type). I’ve often done 1000+kms in a day, but I also lived in the
Pilbara, and just about lived behind the wheel. I know folk who consider 350kms, something of a stretch for a full day of driving. Keep in mind, fatigue is one of the biggest killers for country drivers. When you’re tired, YOU WON’T (CAN’T) STOP YOURSELF FROM FALLING ASLEEP. Most people generally wake up with an start after briefly nodding-off, however some unfortunates also wake up dead.
Does your car have lots and lots of excess engine-cooling capacity? It’ll potentially be 50 degrees, you may
well have a head wind, you’re likely loaded-up, and you’re towing something.
- Get your cooling system serviced & pressure tested
- replace all the belts on the engine, keeping the removed belts as spares (even if you can’t change them, someone else might be able to)
- carry spare water (and coolant concentrate). The water can be used as coolant, and it’ll also keep you alive…
Try and avoid travelling during darkness or low light (dawn & dusk being the worst). Even if you have a full-size 4wd equipped with a heavy duty bull-bar, a big roo, camels, cattle and wombats can all destroy your front end. Worse, they put you off the road at speed, risking you, your passenger & your vehicle(s). High quality lights are great (and are almost a must), but even at 80kmh, you’ll still be hitting things that come out of nowhere. In the early mornings around dawn, if you’re travelling, stop for a coffee & breakfast while watching the sun come up (and the flies coming out). Ditto in the evenings - if you must travel, stop until it’s dark, then travel at a vastly reduced speed.
Do some good length practice runs with your car & van first DON’T LET THE
PERTH-SA RUN BE YOUR FIRST TRIP (do some overnighters to
Kalbarri or even further). Learn how to load your vehicle and van properly and evenly. Too much weight on the tow ball will affect handling significantly. Too much weight in the rear of the van, and you’ll end up swaying all over the road and risk jackknifing if something goes awry or you need the brakes in a hurry.
Take your time and enjoy the trip. Play the worlds longest golf course. See the bight. Look for UFO’s and bits of wayward US spacecraft. See the Milky Way in the way it should be seen. Let the trip itself be part of the exciting journey, don’t look at it as just something to be endured.
AnswerID:
641998