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Driving Tips for the traveler going

Bush

Australia is well served by a network of interstate highways. The main interlinking road is the Princes Highway which generaly follows the coast and completely encircles the country through all the mainland states. It must be one of the longest roads in the world, looking at Australia's coastline, and it is usually in very good condition.

Most of the tourist traffic, along the eastern coast of Australia, will use this road as it provides a sceenic journey and it's hard to get lost. For faster travel between cities and states, most traffic will use the inland routes to avoid the towns that slow travel down. The coastal area is very densly populated and there are many little towns along the way with speed zones. The inland routes have few towns and you can maintain a decent speed which makes a long journey faster.

Each major city can be a nighmare for transit. Some states have tollways which for a fee, can make it easier. I have found that coming into a big city it is wise to keep an eye on the trucks that pass you. If they all turn off before you get into the Central Business Area, I follow them. Many times I just need to get to the other side of the city to continue my journey. Using a truck bypass has saved me hours and many kilometres of grid-lock driving in unfamiliar places. Sometimes these bypasses are properly marked, but other places they are informal. Just keep an eye open for interstate trucks and chances are they will lead you through. Ch 40 UHF is the truckies channel to listen. Link to channel use

Driving can be dangerous away from the cities. The main truck routes are very busy at night and the constant need for 100% attention to your driving and the wearing barrage of headlights will exhaust you. I do not travel much at night especially along the truck routes. At certain times wildlife will be around the roads. Even the busy truck routes have their share of wildlife problems. A roo hitting a truck is quite different from you hitting one in a smaller vehicle. It can be a disaster even if you have a roo-bar fitted. Emu make a heck of a mess if you hit one. Because of their height off the ground, you may find your windscreen on your lap and bits and pieces of greasy emu sharing the driving with you. No kidding, they are a horrible thing to hit at speed.

Hi-speed driving at night is seriously dangerous. Australian road verges are killers in most places away from the cities. A small tree can cut a car in half. I know this because I used to drive tow-trucks in the bush and speeding at night is suicidal. You may get away with it most of the time, but it only takes a single split-second event to kill you. I travel no faster than 80 kph through open country at night. In woodland I drive at 60 kph or stop if there are roos or emu around. These speeds can only be maintained away from truck routes. If you are mixing it with trucks doing 60 kph it's a whole different ball game.

Spot lights are very important for night driving and most people traveling have extra lights fitted. I have standard headlights which are halogen lit and very bright. I do not really need a longer range beam than these, but I have had extra lights fitted. My spot lights are cheap 55watt things that cost around $40 au. They are mounted in the usual position towards the centre of my roo bar, but are focussed about 60 metres (yards) towards the left and the right of the road. They are kept fairly low so I can see anything on either side of the roads verge up to braking distance, full stop. They do not run independant of the main lights, but are wired to the main lights high beam as required by law. I can see most wildlife by this simple means, but not all. Something can still explode from the bush into your path in an instant. I see no point at all in focusing a zillion candle power into infinity when the thing thats going to get you can pop out of the bush anywhare from 20 to 60 metres away. I would prefer another set for long range driving, but at the speeds I travel and minimal night driving, I can't justify the extra cost.

Interstate Trucks are the backbone of Australian commerce and they have increased their numbers and their size since I was behind the wheel more than thirty years ago. In some states you will find Road Trains of over 50 metres comprising bulk bins, livestock and general cargo. Even the fuel tankers are multi rigs these days. When mixing it with these big toys, you should remain prepared to give them all the right of way they need . . . and don't stand on road law as your right. You may be right, but end up dead if you don't protect yourself.

Don't blind truck drivers with your high-beam. They sit higher in their cab than you do and can see your lights long before you can see theirs. Try and go onto low beam early or immeadietely approaching lights dip. When overtaking trucks at night approach using low-beam only. Often as not you will be invited to overtake. Only go to high-beam after you are clear of the drivers cab.

If, for some reason, you are caught behind a truck and are unable to pass, drop back rather than tailgate. It is difficult to keep an eye on a smaller vehicle that is too close behind you. You will always know when you are too close by the fist sized rocks that will hit you when the driver drifts slightly off the road onto the gravel. Know what I mean?

In hilly country, or on winding roads, consider dipping your lights briefly to see if an approaching vehicle is around a corner. Their lights will be easier to spot if you do this from time to time as circumstance requires.

Do not go back onto high-beam until an overtaking truck is several hundreds of metres ahead or around a corner. The mirrors will blind the driver should you use high-beam. Always go onto low beam early as they overtake you.

The size of Big Rigs are difficult to detect when they are behind you. I once 'invited' a truck to overtake on a long straight one night by flashing my right indicator. This is pre-radio truck talk for "you're clear to pass, nothing coming" I was driving a slow old AEC at the time. The tractor of the overtaking truck reached my cabin and passed and the trailer passed, and another trailer passed, and another trailer appeared just as the lights of an oncoming car swept around a bend ahead. I had signalled a huge road train to overtake without knowing its size and it could have been a disaster. I hit the brakes hard and flasshed my high-beam a few times to bring him safely in. When you are passed by big rigs, you can flash your head-lights a couple of times to let them know when they are clear of you. Clear means a cars length in front not 100 metres. . . then stay on low beam until they are well ahead. A quick flash of their rear left / right indicator means thank you.

Slow Caravans day or night are despised by nearly all road users, but especially truckies. My advice to those that see trucks approaching from behind is: get off the road where possible and stop. Brake on the blackstuff, do not pull over first or you may find yourself spinning out of control across the entire width of the road. Brake on the tar and then pull gently over. If you are pushed for room and can't safely stop, go faster and stay on the tar, don't go half and half it's dangerous and throws up stones. Wait until there's a clear stretch of road before signalling the truck to overtake. Once one of a convoy has got around you then that driver will call the others through by radio even on bends where you wouldn't think it was safe. Don't mess with the high-speed interstate trucks they are running on a tight sked and 'parked' behind a caravan @ 80kph is costing time and distance. The road from Border Village to Norseman is littered with the matchwood remains of caravans that got 'blown away' while being passed. Trust me on this. . .

Don't use wayside truck rest areas. In some states it is banned for private vehicles to stop in these rest zones. If for some reason you must stop at a truck parking area use low beam early and drive to the furthest (exit) end. Drivers may be sleeping and bright lights, talking and engine noise will wake them of course. By going as far away from the main parking area as you can, it will allow arriving trucks to have the full use of the zone and minimise any angst.

Graval roads are common once you get into the outback. In mining areas there will be road trains, but not just mining areas, central Australia, the West and the NT as well as NSW and Queensland all use stock transport and road trains in remote areas. These big rigs may only travel at a crawl where the corrugations make it impossible move beyond a brisk walking pace. At other times they can move quite fast depending on the road conditions.

Be aware of what may be a round a corner and stay as close to your side of the road as possible. If you approach a coming road train I urge you to stop and get off the road. If they are coming fast you will probably lose your windscreen and be smothered in grit and dust. It all depends on the conditions and that may make it difficult to get very far off the road, but its safer. Same deal if a road train is coming up behind you. Get off the road and stop.

If you are passing a crawling road train approach slowly and crawl past to keep the dust down. You'll get a friendly wave if you do.

Stay in the middle of a wet track and drive slowly. The sides of the track are the most likely place to bog (see the above image by Peter Rob, 'nightjar') the track camber will drop you in the poo if you spin the wheels or drift off the centre line. It can be difficult to pick the best line if water has pooled across the road; sometime it disguises big holes and there really is a right and wrong track. Best bet, unless you are in a 4x4, is to stop in the middle of the track rather than pull over to the side. Off with the blundstones and walk it. If it's rocky, sharp ground you may need a pair of those cheap canvass Gym-boots to wear. Easy to wash and quick to dry for next time. They are camo coloured most often and ideal because the mud can't suck them off your feet because of the high sides and laces.

If you get bogged stop straight away and don't dig yourself in deeper. I've written a section on bogging somewhere and I'll try and find it rather than go through it all again. . .work in progress.

When passing oncoming traffic on a narrow road you should either get off the road entirely and slow down or stop. Mining areas don't bother much with this from what I've seen. They don't own their trucks and just about wreck them over a twelve or eighteen month fleet plan. For private citizens, get off the road when you seee them coming. It's easier and less expensive in the long run.

In the case of narrow sealed roads, it is the usual practice for one of the approaching vehicles to give the road to the other driver. This means one passing vehicle will not be throwing rocks and gravel at the other. If you see the other driver pull off the road and slow down you should stay on the tar and reduce speed as well. This way you will get a friendly wave as you pass. The same deal when you are being overtaken. You pull off the road and slow down. This leaves the tar for the overtaking vehicle and you won't get a face full of rocks unless they leave the tar and have to put a wheel into the gravel.

Overtaking on gravel roads can be done at speed if the road is wide enough. It's common enough from what I have seen, but usually everyone slows down a bit if the road is rocky. When you overtake the slower vehicle, do it as far to the right as possible bearing in mind the conditions. Pass slowly and stay to the right without increasing speed for a hundred metres or more and then come back to your side of the road and increase your speed. Never just roar past and jump back in to their path dumping rocks and dust all over them. It will seriously destroy your creds and their temper and at the next stop, they will call you nasty names.