Fly or drive to Perth?

[In Focus]

The last two times I did Melbourne to Perth, shocks needed replacing each time. This was in the 80's and early 90's, though, on 70's model Falcons, and maybe the shocks were on the way out on both cars already, but it's worth considering that the trip can be quite hard on a car. Then again, maybe the quality of the roads have improved.

[JG34JA]

Done it 13 times now (many for work) and these days fly with the family.
The best was working and surveying off the main road as we went - we camped out on the country east of Norseman (beautiful gums), the Roe plain, the Nullarbor then into West Coast SA. Wildlife was either in great abundance (when dry) or nowhere to be seen (when wetter). Bush turkeys, roo's, camels, stony devils, eagles, goats, hawks, whales etc etc - playing animal spotto was fun and broke up what is essentially a long drive... Sometimes you hear the dingos howling as night falls in your tent/van and that's a lonely sound. If you have a 4wd I recommend the Eyre Bird Observatory, the drive in is sandy and fun, the people you meet are great and we got ourselves lost in Station country coming home past the Telegraph station ruins which was an adventure in itself. The coast and cliffscapes near the Eucla/SA border are breathtaking. The views at each end of the Roe Plain (Eucla and Madura) are really inspiring - seeing 50 whales at the head of the bight is an experience. Surprisingly, we've never really done it and suffered really hot weather, always managing to go across with colder spells and rain, even in summertime.

For kids, the freedom is quite amazing - our eldest learned to ride a bike on the limestone tracks leading off the road to the towers. Something we haven't done is the caving that is possible around Norseman and further in toward Cocklebiddy; nor have we fished shark off the knee deep beachbreaks of the bight (which I've seen on TV fishing shows)!. I've never bothered to surf it going over, I feel alone enough on the WA south coast and the 5m White Pointer in the Streaky Bay petrol station is enough for pause for thought!

If it's going the whole way you will see the stark, big country west of Port Augusta, the rolling hills up the top of the Eyre Peninsula where farmland dots the bush, Ceduna with its great seafood; I'd also recommend dishing off to Esperance on the way through to Perth and doing their Great Ocean drive - beautiful water colours and beaches.

All in all I reckon it's a real 'undiscovered' tourist gem. So many people gun it or just fly over. I imagine camping and touring in Australia before my time was a lot more like what this area is today, and it is such a long drive you might get to ponder a bit about why our continent is the way it is today - landforms, plants, animals.

[ryeman]

Originally Posted by In Focus

The last two times I did Melbourne to Perth, shocks needed replacing each time. This was in the 80's and early 90's, though, on 70's model Falcons, and maybe the shocks were on the way out on both cars already, but it's worth considering that the trip can be quite hard on a car. Then again, maybe the quality of the roads have improved.

So my old man WAS an adventurer?

[ryeman]

JG34JA ....beautifully written, thank you for that, poetic almost, not a journalist?

[JG34JA]

Cheers Ryeman, no not a journo, History grad, so I can write. Fat lot of good it did me employment wise when graduating in 1990s recession.... but I digress!

[ryeman]

Originally Posted by JG34JA

Cheers Ryeman, no not a journo, History grad, so I can write. Fat lot of good it did me employment wise when graduating in 1990s recession.... but I digress!

Oh dear, I don't think you belong here...nowhere near irrational enough....

What line of work does a history grad get?

[GhiaEB]

If everything pans out, and that is a big if, I'll be freighting my ltd to Adelaide and then driving it back this Xmas. We will be taking 3 weeks for the trip (1 week in Adelaide visiting family and then 2 weeks to drive).

[ryeman]

Originally Posted by GhiaEB

If everything pans out, and that is a big if, I'll be freighting my ltd to Adelaide and then driving it back this Xmas. We will be taking 3 weeks for the trip (1 week in Adelaide visiting family and then 2 weeks to drive).

What would sandgropers think of as the great Aussie road trip, or are they sick of the long straight roads

[In Focus]

Originally Posted by ryeman

So my old man WAS an adventurer?

Nah, it wasn't that bad. My old man went across in the days when it wasn't sealed all the way. He also managed to do it in a car that did a gearbox. Only halfway though, because he backed a 20/1 winner in a TAB somewhere in SA, so he was able to get the gearbox fixed.

[ryeman]

In Focus...FWD burnouts! How dare you...

[GhiaEB]

I've only been over here 5 years, but its a bit different to the eastern states, a trip to Albany or kalgoorlie isn't treated as the same distance as over east (5hrs and 7hrs). I grew up in Melbourne, and Adelaide is only 7 hrs away. Broome is over 2200kms away from Perth and Melbourne to Brisbane is only 1600kms.

[danmc]

Originally Posted by ryeman

What would sandgropers think of as the great Aussie road trip, or are they sick of the long straight roads

Any road can be a road trip. Straight roads are fine. The way it works is, you drive fast enough that the corners come up at the same frequency as a normal road. Or so slow you can pretend you arent even on a road.