personal safety on the road

What are you driving?
what gear are you taking?
where are you visiting?
what preparation have you made?
what research have you done?

personal safety on the road - Be patient & take it easy.

Overwhelmingly real danger comes from sources you don't perceive as dangerous.

In the context of your trip this means basically vehicle saftey.

You have provided no details of your proposed trip , but if its in a 4wd
then the N0 1 killer is because they can roll more easily.

Chose carefully and don't purchase anything that tips over at less than 45 degrees.

You do not give much information .. where are you going?... do you have a plan? ... what is you means of transport?... Are you looking for work?...who do you know on your way?
Despite all you read in the newspapers there is not a robber or a murderer every 10 kilometres around Australia. I am at the opposite to you being close to 80 years old. I have never felt threatened, been abused or anything like that and I travel alone!
Most people doing the "see Aussie" bit are much the same. Take it easy and dont look for trouble and then trouble will never find you. If you see someone on the side of the road slow down and drive past. Then stop and wait for them to come up to you. Leave the motor running and first gear engaged. If you don't like what you see wave and drive on.

hi, sorry about that, that was my first ever forum post... not enough info ...
we have a landcruiser ute with a slide on camper and possibly towing a small boat. we are in the mid 20's starting from mid north coast nsw, heading north looking at doing the east coast and mixed inland se qld trips to the dams, then up towards the cape, and over to darwin way, then through the kimberly region and down towards perth.
we are just wondering because we were younger, do you think we would be more of a target for violence and theft., or is this a problem regardless, or is this an overreaction?

I'd armour plate the Cruiser, cut a hole in the slide-on, fit a 50mm rapid fire gun which can be swung through 360 degs.

When out of the vehicle, an assault rifle and a few grenades.

When asleep, a semi auto 9mm pistol under the pillow.

Always carry a gurkka knife as back-up.

If you find yourself in really serious bleep, you can always smile and say giday....lol.


Cheers......Lionel.

Hi welcome to the forum. A good question however despite the absence of specific information in regard to where, when etc you have also managed to avoid (perhaps deliberately) declaring the genders of 'we 2 young people'. I think that when seeking sincere replies to your questions it is important (relevant) to know the answer as I believe any advice offered will take such info into consoderation when formulating a reply. For example, two females travelling together will need to have an increased level of awareness when moving about strange towns etc. Two males together might be a little safer but could still attract unwanted attention under certain circumstances.
I sincerely believe that Australia is still a safe country to travel in. Many of the people you will come into contact with will also be travelling so all will have something in common. Whatever your genders you should avoid places out of the way and not generally frequented by travellers. Don't worry too much about missing the 'out of the way' places though because they are amongst the most popular with many travellers. If you like/enjoy frequenting licenced premises (boozing) then that's another complete stroy in itself. Many crimes are associated with the excessive consumption of alcohol generally by victims and or perpetrators who may have consumed to excess so the level of risk management is dramatically llessened and alternatively the level of bravado increases particulularly in those inclined to progress to offending be it physical assault, robbery, sexual assault rtc. But, this can happen anywhere not necessarily when you are travelling. In other words, stay alert, be careful of the company you may seek or keep and look out for each other. Good luck with your travels.

Wife and l have done it a few times we just use common sense. go and enjoy

Hey young friends. What an adventure is ahead. Everyone here is on your side.

I would like to add just a little bit at this stage.

When camping you willl be a lot safer not camping alone and sticking to the more well know caravan parks. The grey nomads would give their left what ever to help. You are in effect the same age as their grand children. Be wary of town/pub drinking sessions. Better to join the park crowd in their "happy hours". Normally just a few drinks and hello to others in the park. Don't hit the town pubs at night.

From these happy hour sessions you will lots of info on what to do and not do in that locale. You can also get invites to tag along and join groups as they travel off to see things and come back to base (their caravan). This allows you to be safe in your own car and go with some experienced 4WD people. Look for ExploreOz and club badges on car windows. Also cars with Vietnam colours can also be a friendly lot.

I would also suggest that there is a heap to learn about your skill, your car's capabilities and 4WD in general. Therefore I would say stay clear of more agressive and adventurous roads/tracks. Keep them until next time.

Communications. Not a lot of internet and mobile phones "out there". What have you got in case you break down half way between here and there and not even an emu in sight? Got a puncture repair kit?

Food for thought. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. But do not be put off. Like I said there is an adventure head that even a round the world cruise will never equeal.

Phil

I will probably get flamed but here goes.

The heading of your post does not engender a lot of acceptance.

Hopefully you are not employed by Mr Centrelink whilst doing this as it can be an expensive exercise.

There is a long way between places and fuel is not cheap away from cities.

Can be nothing to use $200 of fuel a day.

If you are as inexperienced as you say perhaps joining a 4wd club and finding out a bit more about some of the places you intend to go would be advisable.

A Uhf and the ability to use it would be something to have for starters, The ability to do minor or more car repairs is definitely advisable.

Firstly have a very thorough vehicle check before you go and make sure the tyres are newish and have not to old dates on them.

Perhaps get a job and have some more money to do this longish trip and learn some things about outback travel while doing it.

Its a great thing to do but mony and preparation are everything.

Hi Work avoiders,

If your going to out of the way places, Plenty of water, make sure your cruiser in is good nick and tell someone where ur going.

Fatigue is a killer Get used to driving the distance you want to travel.

Dont become a victim, 99.99% of people are decent and ready to help if something goes wrong but if you leave valueable around your camp it can go walkeys.

If your worried about camping away from towns dont nothing will happen, Just relax and enjoy the stars, The quietness and the greatest land in the world.

Cheers Wilko

Hi WATs

Although we are a bit older than you we have been travelling, mostly alone and frequently in remote places for a couple of decades now. We often bush camp (preferably well out of sight of the road)- and only once have we felt sufficiently uncomfortable in a camp that we moved on. That was years ago on the west coast of Tasmania.

If you can, get a copy of Camps 5 which will point you to lots of free camp areas. Lots of other travellers use this publication so there is a fair chance that any camp you choose to use will have others camped there too. Don't park on top of them but be friendly and you will be safe. If you think things look dodgy then move on, but make sure you leave yourself enough time to find another campsite in daylight.

As your trip progresses your confidence and judgement will grow. Also you may be surprised at the number of other young people who are also travelling. As others have said, watch out for alcohol related situations, and take note of the excellent advice that has already been posted here.

Have a great trip,

Val.

Hi Work Avoiders

The bigger the town/city, the more likely there is to be people of ill intent. The more remote you go, the more helpful and friendly the people are.

We usually camp alone, but have had to share if using a recognised rest area or popular dam/weir. Not a problem as we love chatting to other campers. When we come to a town and need to stay at a caravan park, we take the precaution of always locking up, as in some areas opportunistic thieves have come into caravan parks and taken cameras and wallets while both are visiting the bathrooms.

We also have made good friends when travelling, and find people are generally more sociable in the free camp grounds than in caravan parks in town. We have had several lots of visitors this month; mostly people we met when travelling. I hope another lovely lady will reach us soon. She has been travelling solo for some years in her home - a medium sized motor home. She is over 70.

Youth is probably on your side as a would-be thief could knock some of us older ones over with a feather - but not so when we were young. However in saying that, we have never been threatened, robbed or anything nasty when travelling.

We never travel at night - the danger of hitting a large animal is too great.

Don't camp too near towns, avoid gravel pits and the like that are littered with cans, especially on Friday nights, or benefit payment days.

It is a wonderful country. Enjoy your adventure, and you will soon gain confidence, and get a feel for places that are safe, and places you'd rather not stay.

Motherhen

The biggest problem you will have is picking a date to leave and then getting out the driveway. Once you have managed this relax and try not to put to much into a day, enjoy what you see.

I cannot add much to what others have said other than be as prepared as you can, there is an article on this site in pre planning a trip, well worth having a read.

As others have said if you feel uneasy or have a bad gut feeling where you are about to camp move on, in saying this I travel alone and have had no issues at all.

Alcohol has been mentioned and is fair comment but aside to this be well aware if carrying in your vehicle know where you can and cannot take it IE restricted areas.

Fuel availability depending on where you are going is also worth knowing and some only take CASH. Can you take a tyre of a rim and put one back on or do a repair on one?

There is a host of things to consider above all have a great time and simple enjoy it.

Brian

Brian

Hi WAT
Firstly, you will have a great trip. My wife and I travelled for 6.5 months last year, through some remote areas. We were both a bit worried about safety as well. It wont take you long to work it out, stay in caravan parks until you find your feet. When you get to remote places and can pull up near other campers, but not on top of them. The best thing I found was to go over to them and engage in some small talk. This way you can make a judgement out them, as they will do about you. As most people are doing the same as you, wanting to have a good time. When you get really remote and have not seen anyone or farms for some time, you just pull off the road and camp. Try to get off the road and behind trees or something similar. Have your vehicle between your camp fire and the road, so you are not seen.
Remember there are plenty of animals that roam around at night in the outback, so there will be noises that you are not use to.
Have a couple of powerful torches and remember to keep them charged.

Take plenty of photos and take you rubbish out with you.

Have a great trip
Cheers
Wato

It is a very safe country. The incidents your freinds have experienced are worrying but very rare.
Some other things to consider are roadside assistance coverage such as RAC. It doesnt cost a lot and you may never use it, but it gives peace of mind.
A can of pepper spray is also worth getting. Again you probably won't need it, but they are cheap, don't take up much space and will give you time to get away if anyone does have a go at you.
Camps 5 is quite useful if you plan on doing any free camping. At most of the free camp spots there will be enough people to provide safety and have a yarn with.
Half the people you talk to will be travelling in the opposite direction to you. They will offer advice on where to stay, what to see, where you can get fuel etc. You'll be able to offer these people the same advice as you will have just come from their next destination.
Heaps of well paid work in the pilbara for someone with your background so if it you get low on funds, this is a good place to head.
Enjoy your trip

Hi Wat, make sure you throw the toolbox in the truck and a can do attitude then when you settle into a place you like the look of, ask around if there's any handyman or related work going, tell people where to find you and what your truck looks like etc.... and see what pops up. Great way to meet people and help balance the cheque book on your travels! Re books - no-one mentioned maps, I would pop into Dymocks or similar (map shop if your in a big city) and buy yourself a big map of Australia, and some hema state maps - handy because they show most roads, petrol stations and related info. You can then pick up state maps usually at a servo for more detailed info. A gps can be handy but I wouldn't sweat it if its outside the budget, although unless you have a watch and can read the sun some form of compass is pretty handy - stops you going in completely the wrong direction! I was going to say GPS equipment only really becomes a necessity when your travelling to a schedule in unfamiliar country, but on second thoughts a basic auto routing/topo model probably doesn't hurt. We all travelled successfully for years without them but I do recall being dreadfully lost at times! See the navigation article on this website. If you really want to remember your travels take a highlighter and a pen and paper and mark where you go and a camera is a great idea - with a big storage card A camera is a great way to remember your travels especially a few years down the track - the only thing I regret about my travels is not taking more photos!

Do carry enough water. For two allow about 16 litres per day in the hotter months and that is just for drinking water.

Do watch the centre of gravity. Pack things low. If you need a roof rack you are carrying too much gear. Most people pack too much and too high.

Pack an air compressor and tyre gauge and Maxtrax if heading into sandy deserts.

As a young bloke in a trayback people will hope (expect) you to be useful to have around when something goes wrong. Make yourself useful and you should have a great time.

In the smaller places the pubs and clubs can be great on Friday night. The locals do notice that you are mixing with them and do respond warmly.

I will camp alone in the middle of nowhere any time. Am rather more cautious in the cities.

Flynnie

G'day work avoidance tour, pack a laptop in your kit and stay in touch with the forum until you get your confidence up. Wouldn't hurt to stash a baseball bat behind the seat. Handy for playing baseball with. Lots of ferals out the back of beyond, camels donkeys cats, dogs, foxes, not to mention the dingoes, snakes, crocodiles. Oh, forgot to mention the scrub bulls and pigs. Good movie about feral pigs , I think it was called "Razorback" Don't be too trusting of your fellow homosapiens, particularly in isolated areas and listen to your instincts. Happy Days. Farmboywa.

If you have lived safely and happily in any Australian city and any mining camp you obviously have the ability and common sense to be safe while travelling in Australia!
Apart from the obvious like vehicle safety and water which you seem to already be competent about, commonsense is all that is rquired to have a wonderful and safe trip.
It sounds as if your attractive companion may be getting a bit jittery now it is all getting closer. She no doubt has lots of unhelpful 'friends' keen to tell horror stories they have picked up from American TV!
We have been travelling and bush camping for some years and have never had any issues. If you listen to all the stories told by the prophets of doom you would never go anywhere. We have been told of 'no go towns', rampant crime etc etc and when we get there been amazed to find a pleasant town of friendly folk! Most of these stories are told with relish but always happen to 'someone who heard it from a mate somewhere' etc.
Don't worry! Once your fair companion gets going she will love it and won't want to stop. Going up the coast you will have plenty of time to work up gradually to any isolated camps!
We had a couple of amusing experiences in isolated camps. Once in WA, while walking away from our camp, a very scruffy chap emerged from a beaten up old truck and waved us down. We felt a bit nervous. He just wanted to tell us that there was a waterhole down the track a bit and we shouldn't miss it if we were interested in birds! (We are!) He turned out to be a great bloke without a lot of money but enjoying his travels - like us!
Another time we were preparing breakfast -yes, pancakes and espresso coffee! We looked out to find ourselves surrounded by a group of young thugs. It turned out that they were a group of lads doing the Duke of Edinborough Award. They were very unwashed and had started to run out of food. The smell of pancakes was too much for them! We offered some - to hell with the rules of the Award programme!
So don't judge by appearances, use commonsense and you will have a wonderful time.
Drop the forum a line occasionally to let us know how you are going! Lynne