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markespark



Member Since: 20 Sep 2012
Location: Huntingdon
Posts: 85

2016 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 USW Indus Silver
Australia 2018
Just planning our trip to OZ next March - picking up a kitted out 4x4 in Perth then driving to Sydney 😍
Anyone else done a similar trip looking for advice etc
Cheers Mark
Post #655652 7th Oct 2017 5:03pm
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williamthedog



Member Since: 29 Dec 2012
Location: south wales
Posts: 3441

2011 Defender 90 Puma 2.4 PU Tamar Blue
Nice, any room for one more Whistle
Post #655683 7th Oct 2017 7:12pm
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JOW240725



Member Since: 04 May 2015
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 7866

United Kingdom 2012 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Orkney Grey
Done that trip, but mostly by plane Big Cry We only drove from Adelaide to Melbourne in a campervan which was great fun, had no concept of what a big country it is! It'll be great fun!

Going around the coast of straight across the middle? James
MY2012 110 2.2TDCi XS SW Orkney Grey - http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic43410.html
MY1990 110 200TDi SW beautifully faded Portofino Red - https://www.defender2.net/forum/post743641.html#743641
MY1984 90 V8 Slate Grey - https://www.defender2.net/forum/post744557.html#744557
Instagram @suffolk_rovers
Post #655689 7th Oct 2017 7:27pm
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leeds



Member Since: 28 Dec 2009
Location: West Yorkshire
Posts: 8578

United Kingdom 
Well both DaveW on here plus Barbara and I have taken our Defenders out to Australia.

My first bit of advice is to sign up on the Australian forum www.aulro.com These days you have to subscribe to that forum to get the full benefit. It is very worthwhile as the Aussies are extremely friendly and helpful.

Depending on your proposed route there can be big distances between fuel stations. Just remember to keep enough fuel on board not to reach the next fuel station but the one after it, just in case the first station is out of fuel.

Check carefully with the hire company which tracks you are allowed to do and which tracks they ban you from taking their vehicles on.

Now some tracks have seasonal closures on, others can be closed due to weather/road conditions, take careful note and avoid and roads which are closed.

Go enjoy your yourselves, take plenty of photographs and keep us all well informed.


Jammy B! Razz

How long are you going for?



Brendan
Post #655694 7th Oct 2017 7:38pm
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Alien



Member Since: 18 Jan 2015
Location: Bacchus Marsh
Posts: 230

Australia 
If your looking at an early April finish...
https://www.landrover70thcooma.com/

One we did recently...
https://www.maralingatours.com.au/

Give your self a few days to explore the Flinders too...
http://southaustralia.com/places-to-go/fli...nd-outback

A couple of others subject to preferred route and time...
http://silverton.org.au/mad-max-museum/
https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/outb...roken-hill
https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit...ional-park
http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-...ional-park
http://www.livingartsandculture.com.au/art...dlrG7ue3IU

It's big country, Perth to Sydney is @45 hours driving time excluding fuel and touring stops.
Pick a couple of spots to stay for a few days and explore so your not doing big miles daily.
I try to leave a few days grace in travel plans so you can stay and explore somewhere that grabs your attention or simply get back on schedule. Cheers,
Kyle.
Post #655756 8th Oct 2017 12:13am
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4wheeler



Member Since: 13 Apr 2010
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 87

Australia 2013 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 SW Chawton White
Mark,
Pack your sunscreen, sunnies, hats and fly spray as temperatures from Perth across the Nullarbor to Port Augusta will be in the mid 30's and potentially into low 40 's Celsuis in March.

You have the beautiful south west of Western Australia with wineries, caves, forests and beaches. There is the mining history around the central west of Kalgoorlie with super pits and major mining operations.

Travelling across the Nullarbor you have long stretches of road. Driving at dawn and dusk is more hazardous due to kangaroos which will ruin your holiday quickly if you hit one. If you have to travel across at night, sit behind a road train as they will clear the road. While there are a lot of transports on the road, they don't tend to hold you up, generally it is the motorist which delays the trucks. You could purchase a cheap $60.00 UHF radio and chat to them on channel 40 and those towing caravans on channel 18 or 40. Unfortunately those towing big vans tend to be a problem on Aussie roads as many tend to forget about other road users (better add in IMHO).

A few hundred kilometres north of Port Augusta you have the magnificent northern section of the Flinders Ranges which extend south of Port Augusta northward for around 300 km. I think that the Ranges are one of the best parts of Australia. I have been there at least 10 times and never get sick of visiting there.

South of Port Augusta you have Port Lincoln and excellent national parks down that way as well.

From Port Augusta you can head across to Sydney via Broken Hill which is another outback town steeped in mining history. Once again this area will be hot in March. Alternatively you can drop down to Adelaide and visit the Barossa and Clare Valley wineries. You could then take the coastal route via the Mount Gambier, Warrnambool and then the Great Ocean Road to Melbourne.

From Melbourne, it is 880 km straight up the Hume Highway to Sydney or around 1100 km via the coastal road or across the alps. Just to be clear, our alps are more like foot hills compared to European alps.

Forgot to add Australian authorities like speed and red light cameras, both fixed and mobile. Watch your speed. Also some rental companies can check vehicle data and will hit you with extra charges if the vehicle log shows speed has been exceeded for long periods.

Time and distance are the problem as you would have found from your trip planning. Too much to see! In the end, the time you have will determine your route to a degree.

In summary what you can experience is:
Beaches - tick
Deserts - tick
Magnificent outback sunsets - tick
Endless blue horizon - tick
Aussie humour - tick
COLD beer - tick
Wineries - tick
Sydney Harbour -tick
Snow - not likely in March but I live in Melbourne and if we don't like the weather we only have to wait 10 minutes.

Enjoy your trip!


Last edited by 4wheeler on 15th Oct 2017 4:47am. Edited 1 time in total
Post #656742 12th Oct 2017 10:35am
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Landyrob



Member Since: 07 Jul 2011
Location: Switzerland
Posts: 93

United Kingdom 2012 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 HT Alpine White

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i'm doing another 7 months downunder with my 110 and Trailer starting sept 2018...can't wait Very Happy LANDROVER Defender Best 4 x 4 x Far
Defender TD4 90 Hardtop 2.4
Defender TD4 110 Hardtop 2.2
Post #657325 14th Oct 2017 9:45pm
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TACK



Member Since: 26 Apr 2009
Location: Essex
Posts: 1045

Looking forward to a write up, very envious j Bow down Thumbs Up
Post #657338 15th Oct 2017 5:58am
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jakebarrell



Member Since: 16 Oct 2017
Location: California
Posts: 4

that's awesome mate, all the best for your trip!
Post #657551 16th Oct 2017 9:53am
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