Fuel Conundrum

All for $30?

Be about the same as having a couple of passengers.

Hi Rod,

Used to to do the big load thing, but now just top up at the servos as we go and spread the money around. With it you will get local advise and wisdom and the occassional beer. With that the facility in remote Australia will be there next year when you want it.

Cheers
Ian@Mt Dare

Not wanting to 'trivialise' yours and others concerns regarding the cost of fuel, the reality is that 'if you want to play - you have to pay'. Just go, don't skimp unecessarily and enjoy yourselves. So what if you spend an extra couple of hundred dollars on fuel.

I have a 330litre fuel capacity.

Last year I topped up at Norseman and drove home, 1960km without having to refuel at servos. I saved around $100.

My long range fuel capacity is good for remote travel and I can do more side trips to places of interest. This however sometimes necessitates that I have to refuel at places which sell fuel at $3.00lt!!!

Cheers

Hi Rod,

The difference will be measurable but not worth worrying about in the greater scheme of things.

What is worth worrying about are the people who carry so much fuel and food that they have no need to stock up or fuel up anywhere except at home.

The people who drive through the smaller country towns, might stop for an icecream for the kids then drive on, do not know how much their actions affect these towns. The local residental trade is usually just enough to warrant keeping the doors open in the local store, fuel station etc. Most rely on passing trade, ie; you, the traveller, for a bit of margin. Besides it is amazing the information you can pick up, best road for wildflowers, local history etc.

Sure it may be 10-20 cpl dearer than Coles with a voucher, but, no BUT, unless you support these battlers in the bush where possible they won't be there next time you pass that way.

Disco

Hi Rod,

Also the more fuel you carry especially if it in a roofrack, the more chance of breaking something on the car. Any extra weight adds stress to tyres and suspension.

Cheers

Mickey

Thanks for all the responses...

A note of explanation perhaps... We are heading up from Perth to Newman, then east out to Rudall River National Park, then back to either Marble Bar or Nullagine, with a few days at Carawine Gorge/Eel Pool. Our last fuel/food supplies will be at Newman, and our next fuel will be either Nullagine or Marble Bar - there's nothing in between, without heading out to the CSR & north, so we're not bypassing the battlers.

I think the query has been answered... I'd rather travel with empty jerries for the 1200km to Newman, fill up everything there, even at 25cpl more, then head out fully loaded, rather than being fully loaded for that whole distance.

Cheers all..

I used to carry a couple of Jerycans and top off my tank. For some obscure reason I forgot to do so on a particular trip, pulled into a service station at Corryong to fill up and because it was late in the day and having no info on the area I asked the guy about a local caravan park. He gave the info I requested, looked at my camper trailer and then suggested I continue out of town to a free reserve on the side of the river.

On that trip the savings in park fees not to mention the lovely camp spot we stayed in for a couple of days more than made up for any additional fuel cost.

Now if I was doing twenty zillion k's through the outback I might consider long range tanks/jerry cans, but until I get to that stage I prefer to spread my small amount of dollars through the local communities, from my experience I've been more than repaid.

Ian

travel light, is more confortable and there is nothing worse than lugging extra weight over mountain ranges,,,,,

Hi Rod

Roughly 5c per 100k to cary the fuel - so almost nothing , assumes its inside car not contributing to wind resistance.

Robin Miller

just because your not buying fuel doesnt mean you cant stop, having a cold (lite ) beer at the pub also gives you info about the local area down south where servos are closer together no need for extra fuel but up north the extra fuel gives you more room to veer off the original route, and as for some of the servos prices i question them as the next town further out has cheaper fuel than closer to where the fuel is carted from, i am leaving from Atherton to travel across the top and will be filling uo 320ltrs giving me arange of a bout 2000ks but will be stopping at towns to take in the local sites. Col

Rod

If you hit a hole (or gravel/bitumen transition or take a grid badly) between Perth and Newman carrying an extra say 175kg, you may be paying a lot more for a new tyre and any consequent damage it may cause than the extra 30c/l at Newman.

I'd rather run light on weight as much as I could and for as long as I could!

Andy