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SOME
TIPS ON OUTBACK TRAVEL
From the pen of our Raid 2000 leader Bruce Elsegood
Updated version, May 2000
- Bruce adds two sections 'Looking after you' and 'Raid Preparation' .
Australia is HUGE, as you will soon see, in fact all the countries of
Europe would fit into this continent with room to spare. When something
is done in the outback, there is a good reason for it. The people who
live here have time to think and reason things out.
 The following tips and
thoughts may be just common sense, but sometimes it needs to be said.
1 Always fill your petrol tank, water container and tucker bag when
you come to a town or roadhouse, the next town or roadhouse may well be
abandoned. If your car breaks down, stay with the car, don’t
walk for help.
2 Never leave your car without your raid survival pack. This should be a
backpack containing; 1 Litre of water, high energy food, matches, a
knife, a mirror, a sheet of plastic and some string.
3 If you use spectacles or sunglasses, be sure the lenses are glass, not
plastic, dust is attracted to plastic lenses. If you suffer from dry
skin, be sure to bring some skin repair cream.
4 Ensure you have a good hat and 15+ sunscreen. All of this raid is in
the tropics where serious sun burn and sunstroke are real possibilities.
5 Leave gates as you find them. If they are open leave them open. If
they are closed, close and securely lock them after you pass through.
6 Water is the life blood of the outback, a man needs 2 litres of water
per day to survive. Cattle need about 5 litres per day to survive. If
you camp near a watering hole the cattle can’t drink.
7 Be sure not to wash or swim in a watering hole. Cattle will not
drink from a water tank or water hole that has had soap or detergent in
it. The cattle suffer or die. Take only enough for your needs and wash
in a dish . the dirty water can be thrown on a bush but not back into
the watering
hole.
8 Please take any rubbish with you. Native animals often choke on ring
pull can tops and plastic bags. In the dry out back steel cans may take
over 100 years to rust away.
9 On narrow roads, move to the side if passing an oncoming vehicle. Pull
over and stop if a road train approaches. When passing a road train be
aware they often exceed 50 metres in length.
10 Be aware of stock and wildlife on the road verges, if you scare then
they may run in front of your car. Try to finish your daily journey by
5pm, because kangaroos start moving then.
11 After rain, ask the locals about road conditions. If they say the
road is impassable, don’t drive down it. You may need to be rescued or
worse still make the road unusable when the water dries up.
12 Be sure you leave word with someone in authority if you take a side
trip. Tell them where you are going and when you will be back. Where
possible, do not travel alone, always go in a group.
Be aware that mobile phones do not work in the outback.
13 Native animals would rather avoid contact with humans, but will
attack if cornered or if you come between them and their young, this
goes for the tiny desert scorpion as well as the goanna and dingo.
14 Native plants are best left to the natives. It has taken hundreds of
generations to find out if they are poisonous or if the can be eaten
after preparation.
Looking
after you
The biggest problem in the outback is boredom of the
passengers and inattention on the part of the driver ending in single
vehicle accidents. Next comes sunburn and heatstroke
1. To relieve boredom, use your CB radio, this is why you are travelling
in groups, call up and talk, tell jokes, comment on the scenery, or lack
of it.
2. Play the radio/cassette or CD, another tip is to play mind games, like
calculate the speedo distance at the next town (to the nearest tenth) or
calculate how much fuel you will need to fill up, (to the nearest tenth).
3. If you have been up late the night before, be especially careful. Your
passengers soon drift off to sleep, then you drift off the road. "Do
Not Overtake Overturning Vehicle" was coined for this reason.
4. Where possible wear long sleeve shirts or tops, it is quite common for
the passenger to feel quite comfortable because of the air flow in the car
while they are being badly sunburnt. You will need a hat and or sun cream
if you are in an open top 2CV.
5. Use your Raid survival pack, eat the high energy food such as nuts,
dried fruit or muesli bars. Drink the water. Don’t forget to replenish
the food and water at each stop.
6. Be sure to drink plenty of water, at least 2 litres per day, You should
stop to urinate at least every 2 hours, be sure your urine is clear and
there is lots of it. You may also need salt tablets if you perspire
freely.
Looking
after your car
On
the Raid it is perhaps not necessary for all cars to carry all things.
Share spare parts and tools amongst groups of cars. The
"trick" for a problem free Raid is to travel light and with a
light foot.
Before you attempt a journey
in the outback, be sure you car is in first class condition, new parts are
generally not available so carry out any repairs before you leave home. On
the survey, our main problems were with tyres. These should be new an you
should carry at least 2 spares. Another common fault is that due to dust
and vibration, the alternator and or voltage regulator fails.
The minimum spares you should carry to suit your car are:
1. A full set of radiator and heater hoses (if required),
2. A fan, fan hub and fan belt.
3. A full set of fuses,
4. A full set of plugs, leads, points and condenser, rotor button and
coil.
5. Enough oil for a complete oil change,
6. A full can of WD40, or similar.
7. A tyre repair kit including 10 tyre patches and 10 tube patches.
8. A set of globes.
9. An assortment of "patch up" materials, such as insulation /
gaffa tape, silastic or similar gasket
cement, exhaust putty, various lengths of electrical and tie wire and some
electrical connections
10. A workshop manual for your car (even if you can’t use it someone
else usually
can).
The minimum tool kit you should carry to suit your car is:
1. A full set of ring and open end spanners as well as an adjustable
spanner.
2. A set of socket spanners.
3. A full range of screwdrivers, both flat blade and phillips head.
4. A hammer, a blunt punch and a sharp chisel .
5. A hacksaw and spare blades, and also a set of feeler gauges.
6. Various files, including a points file
7. Battery jumper leads
8. Plain and point nose pliers as well as wire cutters and vice grips.
9. Tyre levers, a tyre hammer and valve core remover.
10 Wheel spanner, jack and jackplate (30cm square & 3 cm thick board)
11. An air pump and pressure gauge for tyres.
12. A grease gun and spare grease.
Raid
Preparation
Body; Must be rust free, sump guard fitted under sump and
transmission. Fuel tank and exhaust should be shielded too.
Weight is the ENEMY, total weight for a 2CV is 960Kg, GS
is 1350Kg, and a DS is 1750Kg the
curb weight of a 2CV is 560 Kg, a GS is 950 Kg and a DS is 1300Kg. This
leaves a 400Kg payload, of which about 200Kg will be passenger weight.
Therefore the 200Kg left will be baggage, tools, spares, food and
camping equipment.
Electrical system; (often the cause of many minor troubles) Remove
and inspect starter and alternator, carry a spare alternator and 2 spare
voltage regulators. Inspect all wiring for chafing and clean the fuses
and fuse holder/s. Take a full set of fuses and light bulbs as well as
an assortment of bits of wire and connectors.
Suspension; Check the ride heights, on DS & GS cars clean the
hydraulic filters. Remove and grease the front upper arm bearings and
the rear arm bearings. Check over the anti roll bar mounts and lower arm
bushes. On GS & DS’s, renew or regas all spheres.
Clutch and gearbox, remove the clutch and check lining depth,
inspect the clutch fork and bring a spare clutch cable.
Brakes, New brake pads all round, and check all caliper
pistons slide freely check the rear brake adjusters are not frozen and
adjust the handbrake.
Wheels and Tyres, 6 wheels needed, with good radials also
bring 4 spare tubes, and the chains. also bring at least 6 spare wheel
nuts.
Engine; Dust and oil leaks are the enemy, on GS’s, replace the
timing belts, fit up a foam type pre filter, check out the engine
mounts. Take a fuelpump, fuelfilter and carby kit. Spare plugs, points
and distributor cap and rotor.
Drive shafts; check all boots and securing clamps, bring a spare
outer CV Boot. Check the driveshaft flange mounting nuts are tight.
Spares; fuel line, regulator return hose, 2 litres of LHM various
nuts and bolts, oil filter, a full set of bulbs, various fuses, fanbelt,
1Accumulator sphere and 1 front suspension sphere, 1 suspension
cylinder, 4 tubes, puncture repair kit, valve cores and remover, tyre
levers, tyre pump, rubber hammer, bead breaker, nylon tow rope &
gaffa tape.
Tools; 6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,17,19,21, spanners in ring and
combination type Hammer, centre, plain and soft punches, plain and
phillips screw drivers, points file, feeler gauges, multi meter, any
relevent special tools. |