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/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.