How to plan an Australian road trip

Mapping apps give you an estimated driving time on the assumption you drive at the speed limit, do not stop, and drive at any hour. None of those hold in regional Australia.

Kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, cattle and, in the north, buffalo are most active at dawn, dusk and through the night. A collision with a large animal at highway speed is a serious crash, and outside towns it is one of the most common. The practical consequence is that the safe driving window is roughly two hours after sunrise to an hour before sunset — which removes several hours a day from your plan.

Fatigue is the other constraint. Australian highways are long, straight and monotonous, which is precisely the profile that produces microsleeps. Every state road authority recommends stopping every two hours, and driver reviver stops exist along major routes during holiday periods for this reason.

Plan 400 to 500 kilometres a day on sealed roads with a full driving day. Reduce that substantially for unsealed roads, mountain routes, or the tropical north in the wet season.

Fill up when you can, not when you need to. In remote Australia the gap between fuel stops can exceed 300 kilometres, some stations close overnight or on Sundays, and some in very remote areas accept only cash or a specific card. Treat the tank as needing to be full at the start of any leg over 200 kilometres.

Carry water regardless of the season — several litres per person per day plus a reserve. Heat is the primary killer in an outback breakdown, and a vehicle without air conditioning becomes dangerous quickly.

Mobile coverage disappears entirely away from highways and towns. Telstra has the broadest regional coverage by a clear margin; other networks drop out sooner. Download offline maps before you leave coverage.

For genuinely remote travel, carry a satellite messenger or a personal locator beacon. They are cheap to hire and are the difference between a long wait and a fatal one.

Tell someone your route and expected arrival, and tell them when you arrive. This is the free version of the same protection.

Read the hire agreement before you book, not at the counter. Most standard rental agreements prohibit driving on unsealed roads entirely, and driving on one — even a short, well-graded gravel access road to a well-known attraction — can void all cover including third-party liability. This catches visitors constantly.

If your route includes unsealed roads, hire from a company that permits it in writing, and expect to pay more. Four-wheel-drive specialists and campervan companies often have specific policies.

Some iconic routes require a four-wheel drive and are genuinely unsuitable for anything else — the Gibb River Road, much of Cape York, and the Oodnadatta Track among them. Others are sealed and suitable for any car.

Check road conditions before each leg with the relevant state road authority. Unsealed roads close after rain and driving a closed road attracts substantial fines as well as risk.

Carry a spare tyre that is inflated, know how to change it, and check it before you leave. Punctures on gravel are routine rather than unlucky.

The Great Ocean Road, Victoria — 240 kilometres, best over two days, sealed throughout and suitable for any car. The most accessible great Australian drive.

The Grand Pacific Drive and south coast, New South Wales — Sydney to Jervis Bay and beyond, sealed, with beaches and national parks the whole way.

The Great Alpine Road, Victoria — Australia's highest sealed road, through the alpine country between Wangaratta and the coast.

Perth to Esperance and the south-west, Western Australia — karri forests, the Margaret River wine region and some of the best and emptiest beaches in the country.

The Red Centre Way, Northern Territory — Alice Springs, the West MacDonnell Ranges, Kings Canyon and Uluṟu. Partly unsealed depending on the route chosen.

The Savannah Way and the Gibb River Road, in the north — spectacular, four-wheel-drive territory, dry season only, and genuinely remote. These require preparation of a different order from the others on this list.