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TRAVELLING AUSTRALIA'S OUTBACK ROADS
Before leaving, always notify a friend or somebody responsible that you are leaving,
and what time you expect to arrive. Ask them to wait a reasonable time for you
to contact them after your arrival at your destination before they notify authorities
you are missing. Be sure to contact them to let them know you have arrived safely.
Make sure your car is roadworthy and you have basic spare parts, a tow rope,
extra spare tyre and an adequate tool kit.
Be sure you have adequate supplies of water and food in case you get isolated
by flash floods.
Be sure you have adequate fuel and spare oil and brake fluid to carry you
an additional several hundred kilometres. Low gear work on slippery surfaces
or through sand can use up petrol rapidly. Brake lines and oil sumps can be
easily holed by loose rocks on unsealed surfaces.
Do not leave the main road or leave your vehicle if you break down, no matter
how hopeless the situation may seem. Yor car provides shelter and is easier
spotted by searchers than a walking figure. These days there are usually a couple
of dozen vehicles a day using outback tracks and you shouldn't need to wait
too long before help comes.
Leave areas where you might camp as you found them. Take your rubbish with
you or put it in a bin if it is provided.
Do not use soap or detergents in outback waterholes.
Make sure any fires you use are properly extinguished.
Always close gates you may have to open.
Campers in National Parks or Conservation areas will need a permit or Desert
Parks Pass. Telephone: (61 8) 8648 5328 for information.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
DEH Information Line Office
Level 1, 100 Pirie Street, Adelaide
Phone: (61 8) 8204 1910
NDEH Outback Regional Office
9 Mackay Street, Port Augusta
Phone: (61 8) 8648 5328
Wilpena Pound Visitor Information Centre
Flinders Ranges National Park Phone: (61 8) 8648 0048
SOME TIPS IF YOU ARE REALLY STUCK:
In the event you are stranded in an isolated area and are aware there
is a search.
Build a mound of sand or stones and break your rear vision mirror. Place
the pieces around the mound facing as many directions as possible. The reflection
from the mirror could be easier spotted from a distance. Use another mirror
to signal in the direction of any plane you may hear.
If you have destroyed a tyre beyond use, pouring petrol on it and setting
alight will create a pall of black smoke which can be seen from quite a distance.
If there are rocks or other materials available you can use them to make
a large S.O.S. on the ground near your car.
Water can usually be obtrained by digging a hole and stretching transparent
plastic across the top, sealing it around the edges with dirt. A small pebble
placed in the centre will direct condensed moisture from the earth to a container
placed under the pebble low point.
It is not adviseable to tow caravans along the road, but if you must, make
sure you have a 4WD or a powerful vehicle to ensure you get a firm grip on the
loose surface. Also tie everything down in the van which might fall and break.
Corrugated surfaces have a devastating effect on loose items and they will eventually
succumb to Newton's theory unless secured.
There are only scattered homesteads along the way and the only fuel available
between Marree and Birdsville is at the Mungerannie Roadhouse, 204 km. north
of Marree.
Despite all this, a journey along Australia's Outback Tracks is one of the
greatest opportunities to see the real outback.
Peter Wilkins 2009
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