Surviving the Great Australian Drive: 5 key hacks for getting from Adventure to Back again.
From dramatic coastal vistas to endless seas of desert sand and the red centre, to lush tropical rainforest, Australia is blessed with some of the greatest drives in the world.
Little wonder we’re a mecca for grey nomads, backpackers and adventuring families, experiencing the vast diversity of Australia in all its natural beauty.
As a nation, we spend more than $14 billion every year on caravanning and camping, with 15.2 million trips, according to the Australian Trade and Investment Commission.
Battery World has locations right along our most spectacular routes; from Geelong, Waurn Ponds, Warrnambool and Mount Gambier along the Great Ocean Road to Busselton, Albany, Bunbury, Rockingham, Fremantle and Mandurah along WA’s South-West Edge.
Most drivers stopping in are well prepared - Battery World Stores do a lot of battery tests for cars, caravans and other vehicles on these routes.
Our customers nearly always share their best tips for enjoying the drive. So, we’ve compiled them into a handy little list of the five ultimate hacks to enjoy your Great Australian Road Trip, whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned traveller. We’ve even thrown in a bonus tip at the end.
1. Pack your playlist
- Don’t wait until the last minute to add songs and podcast eps to your road-tripping playlist. When you hear the beats that get you singling along, add them in straight away.
- Make sure your download the playlist to a local device, like your phone. Chances are you’ll be driving through plenty of places without 5G, or even 4G, and it could be a long stretch in silence.
- Family bonus tip: Pack noise cancelling headphones for the kids, so they can listen to their own tunes.
2. Snack attack
- You will get hungry when you’re driving long distances and as nice as it would be to stop and stretch the legs while refuelling your stomach, it can be a long way between drinks (or food) on these drives.
- Make sure you pack a mix of sweet and savoury, as well as drinks, to keep yourself topped up. Fresh fruit will help you feel like you’re looking after your health.
- Good old-fashioned water is a must to stay hydrated.
- Family bonus tip: Let the little adventurers each choose a snack item so they have something to look forward to on the drive. Separate the snacks into equal but individual “kids’ kits” so there’s no fighting over the last chocolate bar.
3. Make a realistic plan
- Know how far you’re travelling each day, and how long you are likely to spend at each attraction along the way.
- Sure, you could drive 10-hours a day, every day. But your passengers may stage a silent mutiny and take off at the next fuel-stop while you’re paying for petrol.
- Budget double the time you think you’ll need for each break. It doesn’t hurt to arrive at your destination early, but it can be stressful for everyone if the driver is marching all travellers back into the car no sooner than their feet hit the ground.
- Family bonus tip: Give every traveller a say in the itinerary. If everybody has the option to choose an attraction, or a stop-over, it will give them ownership of the holiday, rather than just tagging along.
4. Make sure your vehicle is ready
- Have your vehicle professionally serviced before you hit the road.
- Check your tyres for tread and pressure – and don’t forget the spare!
- Get your battery tested to ensure it is healthy. This can be done at any Battery World store across the country.
- Fill up your windscreen washer fluid.
- Pack your own squeegee and cleaning fluid for getting rid of bugs at the end of each day.
- If you’re travelling somewhere remote, fill a jerry can with fuel.
- Family bonus tip: Try to make the car more comfortable for any smaller travellers, using pillows and blankets.
5. Prepare for an emergency
Hopefully this will be the one thing you pack that you’ll never need, but it is essential to have an emergency kit just in case. It starts with a good first aid kit but is much more than that. Your emergency kit should be able to keep you going if you get stranded out the Back O’ Bourke. Make sure you pack:
- Enough water for 3 days (10 litres per person).
- Non-perishable food for 3 days (and a can opener).
- Waterproof torch and spare batteries.
- Portable phone chargers/power bank.
- Lithium jump pack for vehicles.
- Arrange an emergency contact before you set out and make contact with them at an agreed time so someone can raise the alarm if you haven’t reached your destination.
- Family bonus tip: Make sure your power packs are strong enough to recharge portable gaming platforms as well as your mobile phones. Keeping the children occupied when you’re waiting for help to arrive will also help keep them calm.
One more thing
Toilet paper. Yes, toilet paper – for a different kind of emergency. Sometimes you just aren’t that close to a loo and let’s be honest, some of those long-drops are a bit light-on in the TP department.
Australia’s Top Ten Drives
According to Tourism Australia and the Battery World stores along the routes:
- The Great Ocean Road
- Waurn Ponds
- Geelong
- Warrnambool
- Mount Gambier
- The South West Edge – Perth-Esperance
- Busselton
- Albany
- Bunbury
- Rockingham
- Fremantle
- Mandurah
- The Gibb River Road – Broome-Kununurra
- The Nullarbor Plain – Norseman, WA – Ceduna, SA
- The Great Eastern Drive – Tasmania
- Hobart
- The Explorers Way – Adelaide to Darwin
- Gawler, SA
- Darwin, NT
- The Great Barrier Reef Drive – Cairns – Daintree
- Cairns, QLD
- The Red Centre Way - Uluru – Kata Tjuta National Park
- The Grand Pacific Drive – Sydney – Wollongong
- Fairy Meadow/Shellharbour*
- South Nowra
- The Legendary Pacific Coast – Sydney-Brisbane
- Coffs Harbour
- Port Macquarie
- Gosford
- Blackwall
- Wyong
- Lismore
- Tweed Heads