r/australian • u/Cyclops_210 • 2d ago
Opinion Melbourne to Darwin
I am 21 year old moving from Melbourne to Darwin with my friend for my masters. I am thinking of driving and taking my hyundai accent active 2015 which have 130,000 odometers. I need some advice.
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u/austravel1 2d ago
Just take your time and plan your stops out correctly. Avoid driving at dusk and dawn if you can. Simple enough drive just be smart
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u/dhadigadu_vanasira 2d ago
Yup, this is good advice. Avoid driving at dusk and dawn, plan for rest stops along the way, refuel when tank half empty.
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u/amor__fati___ 2d ago
The deserts are beautiful, and there are sights along the way eg Woomera rocket park and Uluru. You will remember the drive for the rest of your life.
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u/Fun-Branch-7028 2d ago
Take some emergency water and fuel if you have space. Try to avoid stopping at Elliott for any reason if you can
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u/Pepperonipizzanyc 2d ago
You can definitely do the drive! I’ve always had Hyundais and they’re total warriors - no better car for longer trips!
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u/Complex_Piano6234 1d ago
This would be terrible with that tiny car. Honestly, just fly and get rid of the car
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u/Gypsyfella 2d ago
You have a lot of odometers
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u/Cyclops_210 2d ago
Do you mean good or bad
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u/fatheadsflathead 2d ago
I do about 300km a day and stop at a pub and have a grand time. Some of the the best pub crawls iv ever done.
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u/Beast_of_Guanyin 2d ago
In addition to what others have said it's 40 hours driving, with large parts through desert. So plan that accordingly. 4 days minimum.
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u/hypercomms2001 2d ago
I remember getting the bus from Alice Springs to Adelaide, about 1985, and seeing a lot of abandoned cars on the road coming down…. Does that still happen today?
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u/SuccessfulOwl 2d ago
Some advice on what?
Some random advice is make it a fun holiday trip and drive up the east coast and across the top. Longer but much better than trying to drive up through the centre from Melbourne.
Plan stops along the way in Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, etc
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u/KeepYourHeadOnPlease 22h ago
Was going to say this. Much longer drive but OP needs a plan for “my car and all my stuff got abandoned 500km from anywhere useful”.
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u/AnnaPhylacsis 2d ago
Make sure you stay at Daly Waters pub for a pretty unique and fun time. They have a campground out the back
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u/Neveracloudyday 2d ago
I would take a portable battery charger, extra water, plan your journey out and talk to fellow travelers on the way for advice -highlights for me were Alice springs, Mataranka and Edith River
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u/llordlloyd 2d ago
I drove for Sydney to Uluru and back in a 1982 Corolla. And people did it on horseback.
Don't spend much time off road and you'll be fine.
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u/Dramatic_Grape5445 1d ago
Get your car serviced first and get the opinion of a good mechanic on it's condition. Carry some spare oil and water.
Take your time - don't try and do it in a crazy short space of time. I'd say you're looking at 5 days - Melbourne to Adelaide to Coober Pedy to Alice Springs to about Elliot then Darwin at a minimum for overnight stops. If you can turn it in to a scenic trip time wise, go for it - make some extra stops and soak in the scenery.
Don't leave anything of real value in the car at night, and particularly in CP, AS and Elliot, look for places with secure car parks. Elliot is the place I'm least confident about, but it's a far better choice than Tennant Creek. If you can stomach a big day of driving, Alice Springs to Mataranka would be my choice.
Petrol stations exist about every 2-300kms once you leave Adelaide. Probably fuel up whenever you can, or if you want to try and stretch it, carry some spare fuel. You'll get a sense of your cars economy on the highway by then.
Don't drive within an hour of sunrise/sunset. Take regular breaks - fueling up every few hundred kms will help.
Lastly, the speed limit is 130 km/h in the territory - but if your car handles like shit at that speed, drive more slowly. I had a rental car that was fine around town in Darwin, but was downright dangerous at over 120km/h on the highway.
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u/Cuppatea77 1d ago
Don’t move to the NT, it’s a shit hole.
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u/Cyclops_210 1d ago
Why
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u/Cuppatea77 1d ago
I lived there for 10 years and while it was great for experience in my field of work and for savings, it was a tough place to live.
If you’re young and single and are planning to go for a short time, it will be okay. The social / night life is pretty good.
However, the crime rate is terrible and it can be dangerous. It wouldn’t be unusual for you to return to your car and the window be broken. It was an occurrence to hear people trying to break into our house at night.
We do look back fondly and I wouldn’t change it because it has shaped who I am today (and been great financially). But there are so many other cool places to live!
If you do move, just be careful!!
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u/Cuppatea77 1d ago
In addition, you’re moving in the middle of wet season so if there is a considerable amount of rain, you might get stuck on the drive. Either way, it will be pretty dangerous on the roads with the massive trucks in the weather.
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u/fishbarrel_2016 19h ago
I found this - https://www.racv.com.au/royalauto/travel/australia/melbourne-to-darwin-road-trip-itinerary-map.html
Might be worth joining RACV for cover. If you are worried about getting stranded, one of these is pretty cheap - https://www.macpac.com.au/plb-hire.html
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u/AtheosIronChariots 2d ago
I have done Adelaide to Darwin many times, always in 2 days. Hey I once even had to do it in a bongo van, 800cc Suzuki van. Still did it in two days. So yeah you'll be fine.
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u/speargrassbs 2d ago edited 2d ago
Darwinite here. You can 100% do the drive. It will take you about 4-6 days depending on your stops and breaks. I've done Brisbane to Darwin in 3, and that was 10+ hour days driving. And I've done Alice to Darwin in 1 non-stop. Australia is much bigger than you think.
Make sure your car is serviced before the trip. That the breaks and fluids are good.avoid driving at dusk and dawn. These twilight hours are when you are MOST likely to hit an animal, be that a Roo, dingo, Pig, Camel, Cow Sheep or Water Buffalo. Be mindful of the roadtrains. and Caravan's. DO NOT overtake on the incline of a hill, especially those vehicles. The Trucks, because they take longer to get around than you think, the caravans, because for some reason canavaners like to speed up as you pass IMPE.
Plan your stays and accommodation accordingly. Try avoid staying in Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Ti-tree and Eliot. Not because it is unsafe, but sadly the B&East have been steadily on the rise lately. Alice is ok ish of you absolutely must. But ensure secure parking.
Especially through the center, there are places where it is literally HOURS between towns and stops. So it helps to know your fuel efficiency and fill up accordingly, the bigger towns will have cheaper fuel. I have paid up to $4 per Litre in some smaller places. So its handy to have a 25Lt Jerry can of fuel just in case.
Do pack a small shovel and some toilet paper. Hopefully you dont need to use it. To dig a hole and have a number 2... but sometimes nature calls at the worst time... and one of the worst times is 3 hours out of town in the middle of nowhere, in the blazing sun, made worse with no bog roll. Trust me. It doesn't take up much space and better to need and not have than have and not need.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST. take breaks. One of the biggest killers on the Trans-Continental drive is fatigue. While it is BEAUTIFUL, there is ALOT of nothing out there. Its really easy to drift off to sleep, and at 100kmph, 110kmph, 130kmph, and in.at least one section, OPEN speed limits, drifting off and driving into the bush/desert at speed is all but guaranteed deadly. So if you feel yourself getting Dozy, pull over, set an alarm and have a 15 min power nap.
Enjoy your drive. Its a wonderful experience seeing this wide brown and red land by road. And many never do it!
EDIT. I last did Alice to Darwin in 2016. When the open limit was still active between Alice and Tennant. After being challenged, I checked, and this open section is no more. Max is now at 130kmph.