Preparing Yourself for Driving Through the Harsh Australian Outback

New drivers often suffer from overconfidence and believe seeing one road means seeing them all. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Not knowing what you are getting yourself into and heading out on the open road ill-prepared can have devastating effects on your safety. You see, the road conditions differ from season to season, but also from region to region. The perfect example of this is driving through the Australian outback, which brings many hidden beauties, as well as dangers. Here are few tips that may help you out on this journey.

Preparing Your Vehicle for the Trip

Although we have mentioned a lot of things are conditioned by the route, there are some you need to do no matter where you decide to go. First, make sure your vehicle is ready for such an adventure. Take it to a reliable mechanic and have them check it thoroughly. If there is anything that may cause a problem on the road, you need to replace it immediately. The distances between inhabited areas in the outback are extremely vast, which means having your car malfunction in the middle of the nowhere can be quite dangerous.

While you are at it, you could also do some modifications to your car. The interior can be improved by installing a phone holder, a charger adapter and even a car cooler. Also, upgrading your springs with a more raised variant to prepare for the harsh terrains of the Outback is recommended. King Springs have a wide array of options for such occasions. Do note that for the best compatibility it is advised to upgrade your shock absorbers with higher-travel variants. Of course, your driving habits and the quality of the road are also highly influential factors.

Always Prepare for the Worst

Even though you never head out expecting for the worst to happen, you must always be ready for it. This is why first aid kit, fire extinguisher and some extra rations are a must-have on any road trip. People often underestimate the size of Australian outback and every unexpected detour can strain your gas supplies. This is why you should always have a few extra gas containers in your trunk. Next – you never know when the weather is going to change unexpectedly (even the most accurate weather forecast can fail), which is why it might be a good idea to have some warm clothes at you side.

Apart from this, there are certain skills you need to possess before heading out. Having a first aid kit is completely useless if you don’t know how to use it. Same goes for having a spare tire and not knowing how to change it on your own. Luckily, most of these things are fairly simple and all you need to do is watch a short tutorial (from a credible source) or read a guidebook.

Driving in Australia

If you are already from Australia, you won’t have a problem driving on the left side of the road. However, a great number of tourists enchanted by the images of the outback they saw online come to Australia, rent a car and decide to go for a road trip. Unless they are from the UK, Japan or India, chances are they won’t be ready for driving on the left side of the road. Luckily, this can be solved quite easily by taking just a few driving lessons upon arriving at the continent. Additionally, people from the rest of the world won’t be familiar with some of the common outback road occurrences, like ‘kangaroo crossing’ road sign, which is yet another thing their instructors will warn them about.

Conclusion

As you can see, the Australian road trip is unlike any other you are likely to encounter elsewhere. Because of this unprecedented vastness, it is not to be underestimated, and proper preparation is the key to survival. On the other hand, it has so much to offer to all those brave enough to venture out and meet the true primal Australia.

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