Here’s What You’ll Need For a Road Trip…In the Outback

Driving around the Red Centre?

The Red Centre, the outback, the desert. Whatever you call it – It’s all a wild place. It’s flat ground for kilometres on end, with a blurry horizon that blends into one line as far as the eye can see.

Experiencing the desert is an unforgettable Aussie experience!

Going to the desert is all about being prepared…for everything.

Now, we’re not trying to put you off – but if you’re new to Australia, then it’s worth noting that the desert can be a pretty dangerous place!

Going to the desert, you’re at risk of…

• Getting lost
• Animals and wildlife
• The climate and overheating
• Running out of fuel/vehicle breakdowns

Here are our top tips for being prepared for a desert road trip:

To avoid these things from happening, you can…

• Prepare your vehicle
• Get a decent map
• Pack the essentials
• Be prepared to go offline
• Learn how you can stay safe in the desert

Prepare your vehicle

Getting your vehicle well-prepared is important! Preparing your vehicle for the desert is all about making sure you have enough fuel, ensuring your vehicle is in good condition before you head off, and getting it serviced before and mid-route. Always carry a spare tire.

Plus, make sure you know which roads you’re travelling on, because some roads might have kilometres worth of corrugations, which won’t be great for a 2WD. Which leads us to our next tip…

Plan your route, and stick to the route!

If you don’t have a 4WD, then you’ll be restricted only to bitumen roads. That means you’ll be limited to particular roads that you can travel on.

Generally, bitumen roads are the most populated roads, so try and stick to these roads as much as you can.

Dirt roads are only suitable for 4WD, and are quieter, with tougher conditions. If you’re a newbie to the desert, stick to the sealed roads.

Get a decent map

You’re going to want a reliable map, and one that works offline. Trying to connect to a live Google Maps or Apple Maps will not work in the desert – you won’t have internet!

Search around for a decent, reliable map that you can download offline.

Packing essentials

Getting the essentials packed is vital! Your packing list should be the following…

• Vehicle repairing kits
• First aid kit
• Water
• Extra fuel
• Sunscreen

Be prepared to go offline

The desert seems to go on forever, with not too much to look at along the way! So if you want some entertainment along the way, then make sure you’ve downloaded what you need to keep yourself entertained!

Get prepared to go offline! If you want to listen to your favourite music or listen to your audiobooks, then get yourself downloads prepared so that you can just hit play when you are ready to play them. Or go old school and get some CDs!

Ultimately, with no people, internet and urbanisation, the desert is a great way to connect with yourself, or your travel group.

Enjoy the rich sunsets, glittery stars and vast expanse of land. Don’t forget your camera!

Keeping safe in the desert

Taking a satellite phone might be a good idea if you’re going off-grid. Tell people where you are going, with all of your stop-off points noted. If you are making changes to your plan or itinerary, let people know!