| A tour or any trip does not just happen; you need to | | | | networks and major geographical features. GPS |
| spend some time planning your trip. When is the best | | | | receivers and antennae range in price from several |
| time to travel; what will the weather be like; are you | | | | hundred dollars to a couple of thousand. |
| going during school holidays time; how are you going to | | | | A laptop computer, loaded with interactive mapping |
| find your way; do you need any permits etc? By | | | | software downloaded from a CD_ROM and |
| planning your trip before you leave you will be able to | | | | connected to a GPS receiver, offers a hi-tech visual |
| answer these questions to make sure your holiday is | | | | navigational aid. |
| as stress free as possible. Do not necessarily get | | | | Hand-help GPS receivers usually operate on |
| bogged down in all the finite details though; some | | | | replaceable batteries; as the battery life is very short, |
| decisions, such as where to go next and how long to | | | | however, it is necessary to carry a supply of |
| stay in one place, are sometimes best left for the road. | | | | replacement batteries. An alternative is to purchase a |
| After all you may find a wonderful location that suits | | | | power pack, which will allow the receiver to be |
| you and decide to stay there longer than planned. | | | | plugged into your vehicle's power supply. |
| When to Travel | | | | Maps and Guides |
| Your first decision will be when to travel. This will be | | | | If you are travelling in remote areas, particularly off the |
| different for all people. Maybe you only have a week's | | | | beaten track, you will need more detailed maps - a |
| leave or maybe you are taking 12 months to travel. | | | | selection of these will be available at better map |
| The weather, the timing of school and public holidays | | | | shops, visitor information centres or your local motoring |
| and any local events in the area you intend to visit will | | | | organisation. |
| all influence your decision. Some travellers also think | | | | If you are just travelling on the main highways or major |
| about how they can visit family and friends or fit | | | | roads, you will get by with a good road atlas. If you are |
| special occasions into their schedule. | | | | travelling with children, get them there own road map. |
| Weather | | | | Then when they say "where are we"; "how long til we |
| Australia has extremes in climate and weather. At the | | | | get there"? they will be able to look it up for |
| same time: in one area of Australia there may be | | | | themselves. A good road map will have not only the |
| monsoonal rains and cyclones; while a different part of | | | | major roads, but broad coverage region by region and |
| Australia will have balmy perfect weather and another | | | | details maps of cities and towns. Maps can last a long |
| part may even experience snow. | | | | time, but it may be best to replace them ever five |
| Such extremes are not uncommon, but you can start | | | | years or so. |
| planning your trip according to reasonably predictable | | | | Visitor information centres are a good source of local |
| weather patterns, making some allowances for | | | | maps, generally reproduced in free brochures or |
| occasional variations and anomalies. | | | | leaflets. These maps tend to be quite detailed and |
| The southern States of Australia have four clearly | | | | useful in exploring the local area. |
| identifiable seasons. Summers are warm to hot, | | | | Specialised books and guides covering localities and |
| winters cool to cold. Spring and autumn have pleasant | | | | holiday activities fill the shelves of bookshops including |
| days with cold nights. Most rain falls in the winter | | | | map shops, national park shops and specialist |
| months but other seasons can have the occasional | | | | environmental stores. Good all-round publications |
| shower or even heavy downfall. Snow falls on the | | | | include Explore Australia and, for the outback |
| Australian Alps and the Tasmanian Highlands in winter, | | | | adventurer, Explore Australia by Four-wheel Drive. |
| early spring and sometimes in late autumn. | | | | Visitor Information Centres |
| Northern Australia has a dry and a wet season. The | | | | Many Australian towns have a visitor information |
| dry season runs from April to November, give or take | | | | centre. They not only have maps and guides, but the |
| a few weeks. Little or no rain falls and countryside | | | | staff offer information on local accommodation, |
| turns from lush green to a dusty brown. The wet | | | | caravan parks, businesses and tourist attractions. They |
| season, with high temperatures and oppressive | | | | will also often have a booking service for your |
| humidity, lasts from December to March. Tropical | | | | accommodation or local tours/attractions available in |
| storms regularly dump large volumes of rain, and | | | | the region |
| cyclones are not uncommon. | | | | PERMITS, PARKS AND PRIVATE LAND |
| The centre of Australia is arid or semi-arid. Rain can | | | | There are many areas of Australia where access is |
| fall throughout the year or not at all. From May to | | | | prohibited, restricted or subject to particular |
| September daytime temperatures are mild but can | | | | requirements. |
| drop dramatically at night. Summer temperatures can | | | | Aboriginal Land |
| be extremely high. | | | | Aboriginal communities own large tracts of land in |
| The best time to travel through Australia's northern | | | | areas such as Central Australia, the Kimberley's and |
| and central regions is between April and November. | | | | Cape York. Travellers wishing to visit areas of |
| Year-round travel is possible in the south, with spring | | | | Aboriginal-owned land must first apply to the relevant |
| and autumn offering mild and pleasant conditions. | | | | authority for a permit. Always ring first, as some areas |
| Southerners begin drifting northward in Early May and | | | | of Aboriginal land may be completely out of bounds |
| return south around September. (Just think, travel North | | | | for tourists and permits therefore are not an option. |
| in any month without an R in the spelling of it - May to | | | | The permit-processing period can be quite long and by |
| August). | | | | planning your trip you should apply well before you |
| Detailed weather information can be found by | | | | leave home. |
| contacting services offered by the Bureau of | | | | Visitor information centres in the area that you are |
| Meteorology. | | | | heading off to will offer advice on which lands are |
| School and Public Holidays | | | | covered by what traffic - permits can be purchased |
| If you do not have children, it may be best to avoid | | | | or obtained on the spot, although this tends to be the |
| travelling during school holiday - particularly Christmas | | | | exception rather than the rule. |
| New Year and Easter. Most accommodation is very | | | | Permits are not usually required for travel along the |
| heavily booked at these times plus being the peak | | | | public roads in Australia that traverse Aboriginal land, |
| periods, the prices are also at their highest. | | | | though notable exceptions include the Great Central |
| Australia's mainland States schools each have a | | | | Road that links Yulara in the Northern Territory with |
| four-term year. While the holiday periods from State to | | | | Warburton in Western Australia. Respect should be of |
| State do not necessarily align exactly, they do tend to | | | | utmost importance when travelling through Aboriginal |
| overlap. The holiday periods generally are: | | | | lands, whether a permit is required or not. |
| - Two weeks in April usually coinciding with Easter | | | | National Parks |
| - Two weeks in late June or early July | | | | Australia's 500 or so national parks protect the |
| - Two weeks in late September or early October | | | | continent's unique flora, fauna, famous landscapes and |
| - Six weeks from mid December until the end of | | | | natural icons. |
| January including Christmas and New Year. | | | | Each State and Territory administers its own parks. |
| Tasmania has a three-term year with holidays in June, | | | | The federal body, Parks Australia, oversees the |
| September and from December through to the middle | | | | management of a small number of parks, including |
| of February. | | | | Kakadu and Uluru-Kata Tjuta, and Booderee at Jervis |
| Long weekends are also a popular time to get away. | | | | Bay. |
| Different states have different public holidays, check | | | | In some States, permits are required to visit national |
| when public holidays fall in the different States to avoid | | | | parks. These can be purchased in advance by |
| crowds in holiday regions, particularly areas close to | | | | contacting the central authority, or on the day within |
| the capital cities and beach locations. | | | | the park. If you intend to camp in National Parks, it is |
| Local Events | | | | best to obtain a permit and book a site before hand. |
| Quite a lot of regional towns now have local cultural | | | | Most National Parks only have basic camping facilities |
| and sporting events during the year. Some are minor | | | | and you should contact the relevant authority to make |
| affairs that may be fun to stumble across. Others are | | | | sure camping is permitted and, what facilities are |
| large, well organised, well advertised, crowded but can | | | | available and book a site. In some parks, sites are |
| be very enjoyable. Phone visitor information centres | | | | heavily booked well in advance, particularly during peak |
| for event guides, and check out the internet for local | | | | periods. |
| information. | | | | To make sure you know what you are getting, phone |
| By planning your trip around holidays and events you | | | | ahead and ask the following questions: |
| can either avoid them or ensure you are there when | | | | - Are the camping grounds likely to be open? |
| they are on. | | | | - Are the sites suitable for vans? |
| Finding Your Way | | | | - What are the facilities like? |
| Once you have a good idea of where you are going, | | | | - Are there fire restrictions? |
| by planning your trip you can like all these places | | | | - Is there a ranger station in the area? |
| together. You will need some practical tools to do this. | | | | - Is it necessary to pre-book a site? |
| This may be as simple as just getting some maps and | | | | NATIONAL PARK OFFICES |
| guides. If you are travelling long distances or for a long | | | | Most park organisations have a location in the relevant |
| period of time, you may look at installing a Global | | | | capital city where travellers can purchase passes and |
| Positioning System, or GPS, good for travelling off | | | | collect brochures, maps and other information. Many of |
| main roads. | | | | the larger and more popular parks have information |
| Global Positioning System (GPS) | | | | centres on site. |
| GPS, a navigation system developed by the American | | | | Private Land |
| military, is now widely used by professionals and | | | | There are tracts of private land, particularly in the |
| recreational travellers - you will find most taxi drivers | | | | remote northern half of Australia, where owners allow |
| have them installed in their cabs and use them all the | | | | travellers to camp and sometimes fish. Most of these |
| time. | | | | places are rural stations located off the beaten track |
| A GPS receiver determines the user's position, | | | | and are generally known about by word-of-mouth. |
| accurate to within 10 metres, by collecting distance and | | | | Always get permission to camp on private land. The |
| time measurements from satellites. GPS can also be | | | | nearest visitor information centre can, in some |
| used to determine speed of travel, altitude, and | | | | instances, provide you with details of the land-holder, or |
| distance (in a straight line) to a proposed destination | | | | try local directories or businesses. Failing that, it may be |
| and estimated time of arrival. Most GPS receivers | | | | a matter of stopping in at the homestead once you |
| have the capacity to remember at least several | | | | are on the road. If you do travel through Private Land |
| routes, thus enabling return trips to be plotted. The | | | | make sure you leave it as you find it and if you have |
| preloaded data may include information or road | | | | to open a gate to go through it, . |