what happen to the friendly wave

Same thing with the new breed of truckies , and if your in trouble on the side of the road they ask on the cb AFTER they passed ...are ya right mate,

i'm a waver and agree with you completely, on our last trip the missus and i were having competions on who could get more waves and picking the cars that would wave. we didn't get as many as we thought we would. I think people are too busy concentrating on the one thing rather than noticing whats going on around them

Waving died off a few years back, around the same time as the start of road rage.

When I was growing up near Taree, everyone would wave as they passed on the roads, now it is a rarity. You still get the occasional wave out west, so maybe there is still hope.

I wave to oncoming traffic still when on back roads and to other fourbie owners wether I’m in town or on the open road. Get the occasional wave back and a lot of ‘who the hell was that’ type glances. The only occasionally get completely ignored by those with the must get there tunnel vision that, in my opinion, defeats half the purpose of a road trip.
I also wave at the people that let me in in traffic, or change lanes so I can get out of a side road. Un-common courtesy really.

Mine is a one man crusade to get waving at passing travellers back into the Australian psyche. And it’s not a full-on 'look at me over here wave', just a casual two fingers lifted off the wheel type of wave.

I think you're right, in that "the wave" seems to be dying out. On the other hand, my experience is that the subtle raising of a couple of fingers off the steering wheel is alive and well.

Hi Gonebush

To me you generally know when you have hit the country form the waves you get as you drive along.
But yes, I have noticed they are less common now.
Maybe people are more looking ahead keeping focussed on the road than to see who is waving to them as they drive past and some do at quite fast speeds too?
Just my thoughts.

Cya
:)

All too busy looking out for government cars parked on the roadside with cameras mounted on them!

I wave when I go north, if going south I might wave depending on where I am going.

I too give the cockie's wave when in the country, but rarely get one back. The people we regularly travel with think I'm wierd, but I grew up in country WA so it's kinda natural.

Some of the country towns in the wheatbelt have signs with some kooky little saying about "give us a wave" or something like that, I can't remember exactly.

I find most country folk are armed and ready for the cockies wave.
Most city people just don't give a ......

I get waves all the time from other Land Rover (Series & Defender) drivers nearly every time I pass one going in the other direction. I really like this aspect of driving Land Rovers.

I also find that we always get waves on dirt roads in and around where my folks-in-law are - Lightning Ridge. People up that way always seem to at least raise a finger in passing to say g'day.

I'm a fingers off the wheel waver - particularly on dirt tracks or in the country.

I find the further north or west you get the more waving you get.

Like the B-double at the front of five that I had to pass on the Western Highway on Tuesday night who told me to "wind up your cruiser now mate" when he saw some clear road ahead. Quite entertaining really given my low power low tech donk, but reinforces my opinion that truckies on the road are generally helpful souls.

Once you get off the beaten track, I find most will wave back. In the High Country last week. Certainly in Central Australia - on the Boggy Hole track week before last the local government nurse on his rounds stopped and chatted for a good 20 minutes.

Keeping on waving on.
Andrew.

We drive in a Winnebago & often get waved at my wife waves anything i think,but is a bit hard to do the Aussie Wave or the Mexican Wave whilst you are driving anywhere.

I wave to bikes,4wders,caravaners - you name it - if they have aerials ill try and call them up - usually no go -

i think so many people get too caught up in there own world . I lived ina small village near where i live now and it was great - everyone knew everyone else and even if you didnt you'd walk passed and say G'day.....but where i live now its the total opposite - your a derro if you say G'day...the in-thing" to do is put your head down and keep walking!

Laura B

goodday gonebush
missus and i always wave once out of the city normally to other vanners as most wave back there are times when i dont wave mainly when concentrating on something else missus has formulted the middle finger wave if she doesnt get a wave back when driving
we get a few waves from other drivers normally well out of town

steve

We used to know how remote we were by the number of fingers waved at us. One was just outta town etc. When people actually waved a hand we were really remote.
I often whinged that not enough people waved , until my wife told me that people were waving and I hadn't waved back. Oopsies !
To me, waving is a sign of friendliness. Assuming that it isnt the middle finger raised :)
Its a bit like pulling into a camping spot. Everyone is sus of you until the next morning. "See, I told ya they weren't axe murderers dahl ." Then they become friendly.
One thing I've noticed is that more people used to say gooday when I used have the wife and kids along. "He can't be a bad guy, he's got kids."
Now it's "Oh he's on his own. Vewwwy sus." Of course if I were a female I wouldnt have that problem ! But I'm not about to dress up as one just to get people to say gooday !! (as a young friend said after a drink, "maaan you'd make one mega fuglee chick !" :))
One of the great thing about remote travel is that most people still seem to pull over and have a yarn. "how's the track ahead?". Of course if the track is wide and fast and well travelled they simply zoom past in the middle of the road, throwing stones as they go. Ba$%ards !!
Waving is one way of showing that you're friendly.
Please encourage it among yourselves and others.

I know I'm somehere I want to be when more waves get returned than not. I view this as a form of litmus test. I feel a bit disappointed when I drive at night for this reason.

When poeple stop giving a nod or a lifting a couple of fingers off the wheel in the sticks, and city motorists no longer flash their lights to warn others of a speed trap or wave to someone who lets them in...........well that's when Australia is knackered. Does seem to be heading that way.

I think we are living in a state of fear these days. You watch, somebody will post a reply soon about the dangers of waving.

Funny you should post this, as going by your name you are from SA.
We are from Victoria & find that when we are in SA almost every other 4x4 waves to us, which we in turn acknowledge.
When we cross the border back into Victoria, it stops completely.

The raised finger works a treat. I tend to drive with my finger raised almost all the time.... not the big one!

It sort of looks like I'm waving .... but then again maybe not.

That way anyone who feels like waving does and those who don't...... well I wasn't waving anyway!

Years ago with the kids we went a bit silly after a while and the whole family would give full body crazy flailing of arms waves to every car that approached. Didn't care a #$%^& whether anyone waved back.

My experience after travelling around 65,000 ks last year all over? Lots of waves. My rig looks like I could be a bit of a slightly grey nomad... maybe it depends on what you drive?

hi all,im from the bottom end of the yorke peninsula sa. everybody waves here,also when the trucks are carting grain the local kids at scool stand out front & wave, so the guys give a couple of tugs on the air horns & every ones happy. its the way it should be.

I disagree. Whenever I drive out west of Bundaberg it isn't hard to get the one finger wave(not one finger salute either ;-).
It is mostly on the back roads where you get your friendly wave. On the main highway it is all...............Gotta get there and I don't have time. Which is why I don't worry about it on the main roads so much.
Just my two cents worth.
Regards
Sparkiepete

We wave to everybody when we are out of Adelaide but we get some strange looks though.

That was what I liked about the Territory when we were up there a few years ago - Everyone waved.

Pete

The one time we always give and get a return wave is when we are out in the boat. Im still a road waver but seem to find that road rage has killed the wave to a fairly large extent, except from all the exploroz forumites who will seem to wave or babble to anyone, which I reckon is great.

Cheers and beers (and a wave)
Scott

Here in Kangaroo Island the "locals" waves at all the time .... but usually white small clean cars dont ..... (tourists) . When I'm driving back to Adelaide (on the Flerieu Peninsula nobody) wave back anymore! I also keep my CB radio on on the island but I will turn it off near the big smoker ... too many idiots using a very bad language for my 7,5 months old daughter ....

Luca

It was considered not politically correct, so was made illegal.... lol

Whats with all this waving stuff?
Give me a break.
On a track stop and have a chat; in remote areas or if somenone moves over for you yes, acknowledge their courtesy: but on the bloody highway....leave me alone!
My wife disagrees and waves to you all. I wish you a safe and happy trip, but just get on with it and leave me alone.
Ian

Interesting topic, having lived in country towns for a long time I believe it to be more of an acknowledgement than a full blooded 'wave' out of the city limits.

Even driving around town (not the big smoke) most locals will lift a finger or two, tourists not so often.

On a trip anywhere I tend to raise a finger, nicely of course, to just about everyone and most times it is recipricated. I use my lights for truckies when no UHF and it is not often that you are ignored.

In the city or in traffic only to acknowledge that someone has done the right thing and that, I believe is appreciated.

May be showing my age a bit, but does anyone remember the plastic hands attached to a small spring that was suction cupped to the windscreen? Was in a constant wave motion....could bring them back.

But this day and age they would have to be made of a biodegradable material that would not obscure vision and placed outside the car, somewhere that it would not harm the enviroment or pedestrians:)

Cheers
Michael B (SA)

In weipa everyone waves it can get annoying after a while but I still enjoy the friendly wave

Evening all ,,
as a Cairns local truckie i wave to all truckies big and small , the opposition and all , it don't matter , when off in the Paj its the same , give a friendly g'day , it won't hurt you , might even make someones day ,, if we are on bush track , we'll stop and have a bit of a chat ( if they stop that is ) ,, guess it is a sign of the times and i don't really like it all that much , it costs nothing and those who don't might just need a hand down the road a bit ..

all the best ,, Neil ..

I like to wave with the best of em. Think it depends on where you are though. Going thru Coffs Harbour on the Pac Hwy it gets a bit tiresome waving to your 116th fellow vanner in the space of 10 ks. Once you feel you're away from it all though it's nice to connect.

We wave and find similar to another post that people on dirt roads wave back.

Troopys seem to wave and acknowledge each other both in the city and the bush.

Its just a show of a friendly attitude I feel.

Carolyn