Visiting Australia is not like visiting Vatican City. You can’t really see it all in a day. A year might not even be enough. It’s 4,000 kilometers from Sydney to Perth. Even the flight takes five hours.

So what if you want to experience Oz in all its diverse glory, from the other-worldly grandeur of Ayers Rock to the pristine beauty of the Gold Coast beaches? What if you want to smell the wax of the surfboards on the Whitsundays and taste the dust of the desert around Alice Springs? What’s the best and most rewarding way to get around this vast, country? Should you take to the air, or keep to the ground, fly everywhere or hire a car? To drive or no to drive? – that is the question.

If you’re heading on an Australian holiday and wondering whether to hit the road, here are some of the questions you should probably be asking yourself.

How Much Time Have You Got?

Have you got time to spare, or have you got a plane to catch? If you’ve got a limited amount of time, you’ve got to prioritize. What do you REALLY want to see? And how long is it going to take you to get there? If you want to see the Great Barrier Reef and take in Aida at the Sydney Opera House in the space of a week, driving isn’t really an option. But if you want a more focused holiday, you can fit in some of Australia’s most memorable sights on a road trip.

Some of Australia’s best and most spectacular sights are concentrated around particular areas. You can build your stay around Alice Springs and Ayers Rock, for instance. Or you can focus on Darwin and the Kakuda National Park, Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road or maybe Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef. Hiring a rental car and touring these areas is relatively easy, affordable – and hugely rewarding. Sometimes less is more, if you know what we mean.

Do You Want To Drive Alone?

Australia has an excellent road system that criss-crosses large sections of the country. Roads linking the major cities are especially good. So if you want to drive coast to coast, you can do it. (If you allow yourself a couple of weeks that is.) But the distances are huge and it can be a demanding – and a lonely – drive.

There are some other options though. It doesn’t have to be a lonely trip. You could join up on a tagalong tour, for instance. This popular option allows you to hook your car up with an official tour party and drive through Australia’s in convoy. Think of it as being a little like Mad Max, without the crossbows. There are some really great options available. You might like, for instance, to take the 25 day Kimberley Wander, north east from Alice Springs towards the stunning northern town of Kununurra, an oasis created by the waters of Lake Argyle. Alternatively, you might like to take an 11 day drive through the heart of the country and the Simpson Desert, heading from Broken Hill to Alice Springs.

Do You Want To Follow A Pre-Planned Route?

Alternatively, if you’re determined to do it yourself, you can make life less stressful by booking a self-drive package. This option takes all the pain out of planning a route, stop-offs, researching good bars, restaurants or hotels en route. A tour operator will give you all the directions, maps, schedules and even camping equipment you might need. It takes the heat off and leaves you free to enjoy the open road.

Are You Properly Prepared For Outback Driving?

Driving through the outback is an amazing and unforgettable experience. It will make you feel like the last man or woman on earth. You will experience a silence and isolation unlike anything on earth.

But it will take you through stretches of country where you won’t see anything other than heat haze, insects, lizards and the odd kangaroo for as long as a day or two. So you do need to bear in mind some safety pointers.

The main thing is that you need to make sure you are equipped for all eventualities. You need to plan petrol stops, make sure you have ample supplies of water, maps, shelter and digging tools in case of breakdowns. You need to tell people about your travel plans and carry at least one mobile phone with you. You must also be careful not to pick up hitch hikers.

Why Not Drive – And Fly?

The best way to see a large chunk of Australia during a relatively short visit may be to combine flying and driving. That way you get the best of both worlds.

There are all sorts of options. For instance, you could spend two days exploring Sydney, then fly to Ayers Rock. After a couple of days listening to the startalkers and experiencing the silence of Australia’s iconic natural wonder, you could fly up to Darwin. There you could pick up a rental car and drive through Kakadu, the breathtaking Katherine Gorge, Litchfield National Park and back. From Darwin you could fly to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef. Alternatively, you could drive all the way across north-western Australia and finish your trip on the pristine beaches of tropical Broome on the west coast.

Of course, you could try any other combination. And you can take as much time as you want. If you’re not watching the clock then no one else is. As the Aussie’s say, she’ll keep.

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It is hard to place a value on an icy cold drink in the middle of the blazing summer, but if you happen to be driving in Australia’s vast outback, the stakes are raised. Petrol stations come and go infrequently, and unless you are able to align your consumption to these scattered beacons it may be worth considering a car fridge.

Assessing your needs

Size and type

Before you dash out to purchase one, consider your specific needs. Are you happy eating at roadside petrol stations, but just need that ice cold chocolate bar and can of Coke on standby? Do you like to make your sandwiches in the hotel in the morning then picnic somewhere scenic? Do you have snacks packed for children to tide them over till you get to the next destination? Or are you planning a long camping trip away from civilisation?
Knowing how you are going to use your fridge will enable you to decide what functions you need, such as whether you need to freeze, cool quickly or even to heat?

Location

When making your fridge decision, you also will need to consider that it will need to be able to fit into your car or 4WD, reducing available luggage space. In addition the larger it is, the heavier it will be, are you planning on moving it?
In addition, consider if your fridge will be exposed to sunlight as a light colour will then provide better efficiency than a dark one.

Frequency of use

In addition consider how much you are going to use it, are you going to utilise it within your day to day life as well for your holidays?

Choosing your fridge

There are three different types of fridge available, thermoelectric, absorption or compressor.

Thermoelectric

The biggest advantages of thermoelectric coolers are that they are compact, lightweight, durable and portable. Generally they will run off both mains power and the cigarette lighter in your vehicle and you have access to a large range, from soft shell exterior coolers to hard shell family sized coolers.

Thermoelectric coolers run between 15 and 30 degrees below the ambient temperature and are quiet, environmentally friendly and some will even enable you to heat food.

The disadvantages are that they do not refrigerate as well as the other fridges, as they cannot get cooler than one degree Celsius and in hot weather where it may be 40 degrees the best the fridge will perform is at 10 degrees Celsius. Another disadvantage of the cheaper models is that because of their design, when the power is off, the fridge will actually draw heat into the fridge.

Prices range $50 to $500

Absorption

Absorption fridges are also called 3 way fridges because they can be run on gas as well as 12V or 24V, making them extremely flexible. They work by heating a concentrated ammonia solution and have the advantage that they are very quiet to run. The cooling is effective allowing you to achieve up to 35-40 degrees cooler than the ambient temperature.

The key advantage to absorption fridges is you can power them from the car while you are driving and then switch to power at a campsite or hotel, or switch to gas in remote locations.

However, there is a safety warning when using absorption fridges. If you power your fridge with gas, then it is essential that you provide adequate ventilation. Effectively you should never use gas to power the fridge within a motor vehicle, caravan or tent. In addition to this serious warning, absorption fridges are also power hungry using up battery capacity quickly and are designed to operate on a level surface (so no parking on slopes!)

Prices range from $350 – $1300

Compressor

The best thing about the compressor type of fridge is that it is superior at cooling allowing you to cool or freeze and in the more expensive models to segment compartments thereby achieving both. They operate on 12V but accessories can usually be purchased to switch to 24V if required. The power drawn is significantly less than an absorption fridge and allows ‘fast cooling’, a feature lacking in the other two models.

Unfortunately the compressor is a little noisier to run, but then it doesn’t put out heat, is not dependent on level surfaces and is safer to operate.

The biggest disadvantage however with the compressor is that is usually more expensive.

Prices range from $500 – $1800

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Camp at the Kakadu. Experience Australia’s nocturnal creatures. Bag some cane toads.

Say what?

A rather unusual proposal is being mulled over by Darwin’s Lord Mayor Graeme Sawyer to recruit tourists on safaris to help bag toxic cane toads that have now overrun the area. No bounty is planned on being awarded so no pocket money there – simply a sense of satisfaction of helping cull the cane toad population that have reached epidemic proportions – 92 million in the NT according to Frogwatch (yes there is a Frogwatch) – and are threatening other wildlife.

While we’re personally not so big on supporting extermination programs of any sort, it certainly could be something new to append to your travels in the near future! WA already has been running such an event since 2006 called The Great Toad Muster. It goes on for a month beginning some time in September. Volunteers anyone?

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The toll roads are fully electronic meaning cash is not accepted. To pay for your usage if you don’t have an electronic tag fitted in your car, you’ll need to pay for your trips by credit card online with a go viavideo pass or over the phone by calling 1 3000 GO VIA (1 3000 46 842). Alternatively, cash payments can be made at customer service centres but will incur a further $1.00 fee.

go viavideo passes are valid for 30 days and can also be bought up to three days after using the toll road. They are only for the Queensland Motorway network. On top of the regular toll fee, you’ll be charged an additional $0.40 ‘video matching fee’ per toll point.

Toll prices are charged depending on which of the five toll points you pass through.

Queensland Motorways Map (0.2 Mb)

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3. Toll Roads in Australia

CityLink

CityLink in its entirety, connects Malvern (Monash Fwy) in the south-east to Essendon (Tullamarine Fwy) in the north-west via the City. This is made up of two parts: the Southern Link (connects Monash Fwy to CBD) and the Western Link (connects West Gate Fwy and Tullamarine Fwy). There are several toll passes available for you to buy depending on your needs.

CityLink Map and Toll Details PDF (0.8 Mb)

Eastlink

Eastlink is a north-south tollway that connects the Eastern, Monash and Frankston Freeways. It is a fair bit more expensive for those without an electronic tag because each Eastlink pass costs the maximum trip fee instead of being aggregated to the distance travelled.

A single Trip Pass in one direction costs $5.15. Buying passes over-the-counter will unnecessarily incur you an extra $2.45 purchase fee. Avoid this by getting them either over the phone (call 13 54 65 or 13 LINK) or over the internet via Breeze.

Passes remain valid for 6 months and you don’t have to specify your travel dates. You can exit and re-enter Eastlink in the same trip, provided you keep going in the same direction, don’t repeat any section, and complete your trip within 60 minutes. Any unused passes are non-refundable.

Alternatively, consider the Melbourne Pass which covers travel on both the Eastlink and CityLink toll roads (refer to CityLink section).

You can pay for your pass either before or up to 3 days after travelling on the Eastlink.

Eastlink Map and Toll Details PDF (2.0 Mb)

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Toll roads are found in the metropolitan areas of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Everywhere there is a move towards electronic payment sensors with the acceptance of cash being phased out. This means it is possible to use the toll road without physically paying for it on the spot (your car registration plate will be photographed as you go through the toll and it’s your responsibility to make sure you have paid for it before or within a couple days of using it).

Any fines will be sent to your car hire company and not only will you be charged for it (in the vicinity of $140 each) but they will also add on a “processing fee” which commonly comes in at about $35-60 each.

With all the care taken to save on your car hire, the last thing you need is a fine for unpaid toll charges. So you don’t accidentally miss one, below you’ll find information for toll road locations, toll charges and purchasing passes, payment methods and meanings of toll road signs.

Toll Roads, Charges and Electronic Passes

• Sydney Toll Roads, Charges and Passes
• Melbourne Toll Roads, Charges and Passes
• Brisbane Toll Roads, Charges and Passes

Payment Methods

Cash Payments

If your toll road accept cash payments, that’s easy. You’ll just want to make sure you have some change. Some toll booths only accept the exact amount while others will give you change. Keep to the left lane as that’s where most cash booths are located and pay attention to the signs:

• Exact change lanes are labelled ‘exact toll’ or ‘auto’
• Booths marked ‘change’ will, you guessed it, give you change.

Cashless Electronic Toll Payments

As mentioned, not all toll roads have cash booths in which case payment must be made electronically with an E-Tag or pass, or over the phone by credit card after using the road.

• Over the Phone
 
Along the road you will see large signs with the relevant phone number so remember it and make the call to pay within 48 hours of passing the toll. A small fee will be charged for credit card payments. Online payments are also possible and incurs a lower fee than over the phone.
• The Electronic Pass
 
For interstate and foreign visitors, the electronic pass will likely be your best option. All you need is a credit card and they are usually valid for 30 days with minimum or no start-up fees. If you’re travelling to multiple places e.g. Sydney, Melbourne AND Brisbane, you’ll need to get the relevant passes for each city i.e. unlike the E-Tag, a pass bought in Sydney will NOT be usable in other cities.
• The E-Tag
 
The E-Tag is a little device you attach to your car’s windscreen which automatically deducts from your account each time pass a toll sensor. Naturally having an E-Tag in the car is the most efficient option and spares you having to worry about forgetting to pay.

However, it is designed for longer term or frequent usage, often requiring a security deposit and prepaid toll balance which may not be appropriate for a visitor. Most rental car companies do not equip their cars with an E-Tag but if you find one that does, great!

E-Tags from NSW, VIC or QLD are usable throughout Australia so if you have an existing one, you can use it with your rental car or consider borrowing a friend’s. Just notify your E-Tag provider of your hire car registration number (and remember to call them to remove it after finishing your rental unless you are feeling particularly charitable).

E-Tags are available from RTA, RoamExpress, and Roam (NSW providers), Breeze (VIC provider), go via (QLD provider). Each provider has a slightly different payment structure and you’ll need an Australian address.

If you are a visitor to Australia or infrequent traveller (one or two trips on a toll road), look instead at getting yourself an electronic pass for the city you require.

Toll Road Signs

E-tags are accepted in these lanes

Electronic Passes are accepted in these lanes

An E-tag ONLY lane

A lane where you can use an E-tag or pay with the EXACT amount of cash

A lane where you can use an E-tag or pay with ANY amount of cash and change will be given

A lane where you can use an E-tag or an Electronic Pass

A lane where cash is accepted and change is given

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2. Melbourne Toll Roads, Charges and Passes
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This is not exactly a car hire story but then Giant Pandas are the pinnacle of cute. Funi and Wang Wang, two national treasures the Chinese have graciously entrusted to Australia for the next 10 years, officially landed in Adelaide today and will be ready to receive fawning human fans from Monday, 14th December 2009.

Giant Pandas are an endangered species meaning they are at a very high risk of extinction, so wherever out of town you’re from, that’s two more very compelling and fuzzy reasons to drive out to Adelaide with the family. At the very least, that’s a little easier than flying to China.

And once the duo settle in, we’re keeping our fingers crossed Australia’s air works its magical love mojo on the couple (as it has recently on celebrities like Robbie Williams, Britney and Jordan’s cage fighter, although hopefully with more successful outcomes).

 
Chilled and laid-back 4 year-old male Wang Wang

More on Adelaide Zoo and Giant Pandas

Adelaide Zoo Official Site
Adelaide Zoo Giant Panda Site
WWF – All About The Giant Panda

Adelaide Zoo is located right smack in downtown Adelaide so you can’t miss it.

To see the pandas, you’ll have to buy your admission ticket to the zoo and then book a time slot for Panda Viewing in advance from their website. A standard adult ticket costs $26.

If you believe passionately in supporting the Giant Panda cause, consider making a simple online donation to support their voracious bamboo eating habits or even become 1 of 60 Adopters for a cool $5,000. Help save them!

Photos courtesy of Adelaide Zoo

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• Green – Free sailing
• Yellow – Medium congestion
• Red – Heavy congestion
• Black – Parking lot

Data is collected from motorists with Google Maps for mobile running and with the GPS and “My Location” feature turned on. Google can then use that information (anonymously) to calculate the speed of the devices’ movements and presto, live traffic information at your fingertips. And if being able to check current traffic conditions isn’t good enough, you can specify a chosen day and time of the week. This estimation is based on past information and we can only presume as they amass more data over time, this prediction may even have a good degree of reliability to it.

It is currently rolled out only in selected areas (we’ve included the links to the major cities below) but hopefully in the not too distant future and if it works as well as they intend it to, all of Australia will be enjoying some smoother driving.

• Sydney
• Melbourne
• Brisbane
• Wollongong
• NSW Central Coast
• Sunshine Coast
• Gold Coast
• Geelong

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