City Girl Needs Help

Let's see how many hits this one gets !!

Hi Ivory Chick.

Going by your self, with out any experience, is a disaster waiting to
happen. (Could somebody be fishing?)

Cheers
Daza

Oh awright I'll go with you, :-)

Swampy

Bloody hell IC, there's some questions and issues in there!!

What's the priority? Getting time alone (or do you mean getting away from people you know?)? doing something different? or getting out west?

Being a conservative old bugger, and taking your advice to "be honest", I reckon you could achieve some of your goals without going to areas where you may need a 4WD.

"Cheap" and "4WD" is not a good combination, and while perhaps 7/10 times a wicked van may make the destinations you mention; the 3/10 times that it doesn't will have the potential to blow your budget and put you in debt.

The basics? A reliable and well-prepared vehicle and one that you are familiar with, good communications, food and water, a good map and the ability to read it, at the very minimum - basic vehicle skills such as those you mention, sensible daily driving goals, and commonsense. And if you hire a 4WD, then you ought to consider a basic 4WD driver course - not cheap. If you do break down, there are always folks who will help, but if you are unprepared, then you might get a serious lecture or two while appreciating the camaraderie of outback driving.

My next comment will sound gratuitous but so be it - if your head is not in the right place i.e. you just want to get away from it all, then being on your own out west may not be right for you.

Why not try the Warrumbungles and say, the Macquarie Marshes? Good camping in the National Park, good walks, great scenery, there's apparently water and lots of birds in the Marshes, not as far from Sydney so less driving and more time for wandering or contemplation, and a Wicked van will cope. You could even wander up to Lightning Ridge and bump into other folks who have opted to get away from it all.

After all that there will be those you say 'go for it'.

May the wind be always at your back

Cheers
John

There's no need to go to Cameron Corner - we're lucky that there are still places a few hundred km from Sydney where you can get away from it all at much less cost and risk.

You have two very sensible replies and now its upto you if you head their educated warnings. What you are proposing without your own vehicle or and unlimited budget to hire and equip someone elses is basically dangerous.

How about you grab a backpack, tent and some food and water and hop a ferry from Cronulla to Bundeena and go bush walking and camping for a few days. You dont even need to walk far to be on your own and still in phone range and close to limited amenities!

All the Best

Matt.

To me looks like troll.

Serg

No Need to go all the way to the Corner Country. If you stop at White Cliffs, you will only have 11 Km of dirt road but you will be WAY the otherside of Nowhere. You would be able to see a few people on No one if you wanted, but still have the safety of a small general store within the area.
Vince

OK I'll go with the idea that your post is an honest attempt to elicit some info.

Good advice has already been given. 4wds need to be driven carefully if you want to get home. All previous comments should be taken on board. It won't be cheap, and unless you are prepared for the outback, it could become very expensive indeed. If you need mechanical work done out there, carry a large credit card. Not only isn't your friendly NRMA guy out there, but neither is your corner mechanic.

Food and supplies are available at most centres, but once again they cost much more than in the city. And if you think fuel is expensive in Sydney...take a big deep breath before checking fuel prices on this site.
What about contacting some backpackers and sharing the cost?
Yes that restricts you but if operating on a limited budget and you REALLy want to go...

Both spots are worth seeing, and are do able in a limited holiday. I'd go to Birdsville first and check out Innaminka on the way home, or the other way around. B'ville is full of character and characters and is also very historical, as is Innaminka.
Don't fall into the trap of allocating too little time to the journey.

For a first timer it's easy to travel too fast and get into strife.
It's a big, lonely country out there, with huge distances between towns. You'll need plenty of water at the least. Days can be hot, nights can be freezing.
Just to get there and back in one piece will be an adventure in itself.
But the rewards can be worth it.
Let us all know how you get on, and if you go, have a ball.
Cheers

Contact a Tag Along tour company as they sometimes offer the passenger seat of the tour guide, might save the trouble of going unprepared.

Cheers Kev

Can I ask - assuming you get a 4x4 that has a bed in the back - do you think you will stay in established Caravan Parks or are you thinking of camping in the bush. If its the former - then go for it - but do the far outback towns that are connected by bitumen. Lotsa wide open spaces with the NRMA still only a phone call away - if you get reception.

If its the latter - you would probably want someone with a bit more experience along. Simple things like lighting a safe fire or just knowing the logistics of doing a trip.

OOHH dear!!! LOL!!

Have a look at the menu at the top of the page. Click on topics and there is a drop down menu that you can select from. Check out Itineraries & planning for some good tips.

Rob

Ivory chick,
Many young adventurous people on a limited budget plan the date and destination of their travels then find a ride usually for a share of the fuel.You can browse through the rides at www.needaride.co.au and will find it an interesting concept.Many are young students and backpackers getting around on a low budget.
Cheers Mark

Ic I work for a major hire co. While we have heaps of 4wds if you read the fine print you are not supposed to drive them on dirt roads let alone 4wd tracks. I know most people ignore this but if something go wrong the hirer is in deep do do.
There are some hirers that speclise in hiring 4wds for outback travel but you would need a budget of at lest $200.00 a day.
If you want a taste of the outback try camping on a private property on the Darling river.
I would not consider a trip of this magitude by myself and I have been arround for a while. lol
Good luck with what ever you decide Pete

If you say you have no idea just to give you an idea if you went to camerons corner then through innaminka to birdsville and return you are looking at a return trip of roughly 3800km and again roughly using between 12 to 15 L/100km and depending if diesel or petrol you are looking roughly at $750 to $1000 for fuel only maybe more. Going this way if you go cordillo way its rough on tyres and may cost you $400 there. (I was lucky and went through there and right around without tyre incident) Food is expensive and so is accommodation so It depends on how much you want to rough it I suppose. buying a 4wd and selling it is one option but then it may not be reliable and the repairs are your responsibility and to hire one you would have to hire it with unlimited km which would be expensive but cheaper than paying the excess km. Do your sums you may be able to get a package cheaper who knows, either way good luck Its a good experience and I hope you can do it.

Well Ivory Chick you have received excellent advice from lots of people here, and, it is obvious they are all concerned for you after realising your serious intent.

Fiona and I are grounded for a while and I'll be at home this winter, so wherever you decide to go, please keep us informed of what you are up to. You seem like a very responsible person deep down, despite your light hearted original message. We (I am sure everyone who has read this post feels similar) hope you can 'chill out' and get things working OK.

Let us know so we can keep track of you and tell us what you are doing at Uni, somehow I think you will be on this forum for much longer than any of us.

Fi and Paul

Ivory Chick,

Something that has not been mentioned yet is the weather in August. Anywhere inland including Birdsville and C. Corner and the Warrumbungles will be pretty cold especially at night. If you really have to go in August you will be in the company of many of us grey nomads who travel (further) north at that time. The Queensland coast is pretty busy then but some of the Queensland coastal National Parks might be a place to go where you wont freeze. For that matter there are still some good places in NSW national parks, but I think most of them now have pretty steep camping fees. On the other hand you can camp for free in many NSW state forests, and there are many 2wd accessible forest roads. Eg exploring the along the Oxley highway and side roads takes you to some good spots.
Cheers,
Val.

Hi Ivory Chick,

Good on you! Fantastic that you are willing to travel into the outback tthrough some magnificent country. Doing it on your own? Why the hell not, that is how the majority of people on this site would have started out exploring. I know I did.

There is a lot of information for you to gather, but that is all part of the fun of organising a trip. This site is also a great site to gather information from, using the forum and also the information found on the site.

As far as a vehicle goes, why not have a look around for a suziki? They are a great little 4wd with heaps of potential and can certainly cover the areas you want to cover. These can be found fairly cheaply abd surely your mechanic or the NRMA can do a vehicle inspection prior to handing over your money.

Ways to get to Birdsville and Camerons Corner? Many different and varied ways. It all depends on the type of roads you want to travel, and the condition that they are in. If roads are closed due to weather, it is good to have a Plan B and Plan C.

Once you have your vehicle, a few spares, swag, food lots of water, maps and a hired UHF radio or sat phone, a little bit of knowledge and lots of enthusiasm, off you go. It is not difficult and very rewarding so don't feel down beat or worried by some responses to your post, it doesnt matter if you are male or female, being an explorer with a desire to travel can be done by anyone, whether solo or with others.

If you need more info, you can email me using glennamarshallatiprimusdotcomdotau.

Cheers and good luck!

I went to Willandra and Kinchega National Parks on my own in a very dilapidated VN Commodore about 12 years ago.... I still look at the photos of the trip and feel very glad I did it. I hardly saw a soul, the roads were rough enough to make it a real adventure and the scenery was jaw-dropping. Lots of history too..
I had a tent, sleeping bag, esky, small 1 burner stove and billy, a 20l jerry of water and a few other things I'm sure, but it was a great trip for little outlay. But yes, it would be very cold in August - a few below zero?

Rich