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Melbourne to Darwin, which way to go?
Hi Everyone,
this the first leg (not counting Wellington to Auckland for shipping) of our NZ to Germany trip. We will be 2up on a 2008 Transalp. We have two fixtures: We want to visit Melbourne and leave Oz from Darwin to go on to Dili. Arrival in Melbourne is around the 20th of August. Given the time of year and that my partner has already done a road trip up the east cost, we are considering to ride the Stuart Highway instead. We are pretty relaxed on sights, but 'that rock' is something we will probably do one way or the other. That means that going round the east coast will be considerably longer, which makes heavy rain in Indonesia more likely. I have not done much more research into either option, so I still have to consider accomodation, costs for fuel and food, what to do and what to see ... Now - opinions? Cheers, Florian and Nina |
Dirt or tar roads ???
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We are not against some solid dirt roads. Not too experienced, but here in NZ we got about 1000km of gravel and dirt under our wheels. But the lust for adventure ends pretty much where the impact of a 450kg piece of metal, gear and humans begins.
So, packed dirt, gravel and the occasional water crossing are fine, but real off-road or longer passages standing up, not so much. |
Depending on your time frame, budget & desires, there is plenty to see & do.
Great Ocean Rd, Barossa Valley wineries, up to Flinders range for a bit of dirt. Oodnadatta via the dirt is very weather dependent though. Across to Coober Pedy for some opal mining, then head up to Uluru :mchappy: Even on the tar only, it's a great ride :thumbup1: |
We are not in any real hurry, but budget is a concern for us. And any western country will likely burn through our funds faster. Maybe 30 days for that?
Depending on when the ship sails in Darwin, we might spend another week or so with friends there. Thanks so far, I am warming more and more to the idea ... |
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Costs.
Don't travel at high speed. 80km/h is good for fuel consumption and tyre life and chain life. Buy things in major population centers for preference. Wild camp when possible - no camp fees! One in three nights in a camp ground for showers? Some places will let you have a shower for a fee .. much cheaper than the camping fee. Once on the Oddnadatta track or Sturt Highway free camping is normal .. just camp out of sight of towns .. and I like to get out of sight of the road too. Buy free tyres and replace your chain and sprockets in Darwin ... probably a good place with services for some distance. At this time of year Flinders and Oddnadatta track will be good. Cold at night though. |
The Stuart Highway is pretty boring after a while but Coober Pedy is worth a visit. Visiting the Rock is expensive, but it's something you just have to do I guess. Don't bother with "The Sound of Silence" unless you want an overpriced meal and a viewing of the rock several km away. Much better to discreetly park somewhere with a view of the rock and do your own meal as the sun goes down. Don't try and free camp at the rock though, the rangers are a PITA. Stock up on food for the journey too. Everything is expensive between Adelaide and Darwin!
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Right up through the middle, view from "top-o-rock" at sunrise is awesome.
I recommend watching the following movies especially if your sleeping in a thin tent with no cell coverage and where nobody can hear you scream. Wolf Creek, Rogue, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Snowtown, Razorback. Mezo. |
I Don't recommend watching the following :blink:
Wolf Creek, Rogue, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Snowtown or Razorback :scared: Mezo ya bugger, :lol2: |
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:rolleyes2: Your a kiwi so should know enough about OZ. Do visit Gallipoli Turkey out of ANZAC day for the lack of crowds.. ---------------------- Camping at the rock is expensive. But I think you will want/need to do that to get the full experience. Camp out at Curtin Springs on the way in, and maybe again on the way out .. free across the road IIRC. That should give you half a day at the rock each side of your paid camping. You may like to spend 2 nights at the rock camping. Entry to the rock cost a bomb, is valid for a week IIRC. As well as the rock there is the olgas too. Kings Canyon is worth doing a little north of the rock. Hard not to camp there ..not free .. but if you want to do the walk you need most of a day. Alice springs .. visit the gorges east and west. Again limited for camping and not usually free. Further north - Katherine Gorge, Edith Falls (most go straight past this, camping is not free and they don't have much for food) then Kakadu and Litchfield as a minimum. Fuel and Food will not be cheap. And you won't be carrying enough food to make much difference in cost. Free camping is your cost saver in OZ. Once you depart for Asia you can pretty much get rid of your cooking and camping gear untill you get to Turkey. I'd be inclined to keep a sheet to sleep in .. can well be cleaner than what is available in a cheap hotel. Then it gets expensive again and you may want your camping gear back. Turkey and Greece I found cheaper still to eat from a street vendor or small restaurant rather than buy (at tourist prices) and cook myself . You may by that time be more use to bargaining then I was then so may be not? I tend to think of the transport stages as the most expensive .. I get nothing from them other than hopping from one place to another ... The rest give you great memories that are worth it. |
:D
Thank you everyone for the solid advice. We have decided on the Stuart Highway now! This is probably not the last question that will come up during planning. See you all on the road. :mchappy: |
I'd skip the bottom of the Sturt for the Flinders and Oodnadatta track .. much more to see... The Oodnadatta is dirt - good dirt .. if it is wet .. use the Sturt.
See Oodnadatta Track - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ExplorOz - 4WDing, Camping & Caravanning around Australia › Trek Home › All Treks › SA › SA Deserts en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flinders_Ranges flindersrangesandoutbackvisitorguide.realviewdigit al.com Trust you have a GPS.... very helpfull in strange cities. If you don't .. get one now and play with it. |
Yes, Oodnadatta is earmarked.
I use hand have learned to like the Garmin Zumo 660. The software is abysmal but on the road it does exactly what I want from it. Already found good map sources for AU (OSM and Garmin alike). Not sure yet which one I will go for in the end. |
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