Driving from Melbourne to Perth.?

Question

Hi my soon to be wife and I want to drive from Melbourne to Perth and back for our honeymoon, can anyone recomend any web sites, magazine articles or blogs that might give some advice on a route to take things to see and a rough schedule. Any help will be gratefully recieved.

Answer 1

I found a route planner, and a couple of websites, so maybe some of these would be helpful...

Route planner
http://www.travelmate.com.au/MapMaker/MapMaker.asp

Accomodation
http://www.travelmate.com.au/Home/Home.asp

sighseeing
http://www.city-discovery.com/

I know it's not much, but hopefully, this will give you some ideas.
Try the route planner first, and then you check out the various things to see in the areas that you'll be going through.

Congratulation on you upcoming marriage !

Answer 2

Definitely drive - it's an experience you won't forget. Don't listen to that first guy, he obviously hasn't driven across the Nullarbor for years. It's perfectly feasible to do it in the Getz, as long as you have it serviced before you go (just in case) and make sure that the tyres on your trailer are in good condition and properly inflated for the load. People drive little cars like that all the time across the Nullarbor these days - without incident. If you want to do it without feeling absolutely wrecked - and given you'll be going slower due to the trailer - I think you should set aside 7 or 8 days to do it (from Perth to Melb). I don't know how much fuel a Getz would use towing a trailer, but you should count on petrol being well over $2 per litre at some roadhouses. Although the distance across the Nullarbor is great, the Eyre Highway these days is generally in excellent condition and completely sealed. There is plenty of traffic and if you run into trouble (unlikely - the Getz is a pretty reliable car) someone is bound to stop and help you (drivers still wave to each other, despite the increase in traffic). One important tip is to try not to let your petrol tank go below half-full; it's rare but there has been the odd occasion that I've come to a roadhouse to top up, only to find that they are completely out of unleaded fuel, though this hasn't happened to me on the Nullarbor. Look out for the "24 hour stopping" signs on the WA side, as these have good free camping areas with (pit) toilets. Technically you can camp at any rest area on the SA side, but these aren't as good. You can also camp at all the roadhouses for around $15 - $20 per night. Don't camp at Cocklebiddy though, the Diesel electricity generator is right next to the campground, so you won't get a wink of sleep and the one at Nullarbor Roadhouse is nearly as bad. Also bear in mind that Yalata Roadhouse has been closed for several years, so don't count on stopping there. Eucla has a great campground with an amazing view out over the Roe Plain and the sea. It's well worth paying for a night there just to see that view. Definitely don't drive between dusk and dawn, you'll understand why once you witness the sheer amount of road-kill.

Answer 3

Congrats on the upcoming wedding! The drive from Melbourne to Perth is quite an adventure, and there are a lot of options. First, do you have several weeks or is this a rush trip? Remember, it is just about as far from Melbourne to Perth as from Jacksonville to San Diego. Allow at least five full days of driving time each way. Second, there is a better way... Drive from Melbourne to Adelaide by way of the coast. Allow a couple days. Overnight at Nelson, make sure you take the river boat up the Glenelg river to the caves. Allow at least one day in Nelson for this side trip. When you get to Adelaide, take the train to Perth. They will load your car on the train, and you can enjoy the scenery without the hazards of the drive across the Nullarbor plains. On arrival in Perth enjoy the city, then take the side trip north to Broome. allow a couple days in Broome to enjoy the beaches, the zoo, and to recover from the first 10 days of the trip.
Then, you are faced with another choice. You can be super adventuresome, and go cross county on dirt tracks back through Alice Springs (allow a week, take plenty of water and survival gear, and a four wheel drive vehicle), then back to Melbourne via AAdelaide, north to Burra and Broken Hill, then over to Wagga Wagga, then south to Melbourne. All told, you should allow at
least a month for this total trip. I have done the train from Adelaide to Perth. It is one of the great trains of the world.
If you only have a couple weeks, Drive direct from Melbourne to Adelaide (one day) take the train to Perth (three days) spend a week at the beach there, then fly back to Melbourne. The biggest mistake tourists make when they visit Australia is that they try to do too much in too little time. Most important, Have A Great Trip!

Answer 4

I would suggest going to www.racq.com.au and then the link to travel planner on which way to go or maybe visiting your local racv branch and picking up some maps from them. You can get them a little cheaper if you are a member.
As to what you can see on the way, well it depends on what both of your interests are? I hear the Nullabor is a long and boring stretch of road so make sure you have some good cd's or you both like playing i-spy or silly games like that to keep you amused!
Enjoy your trip :-)

Answer 5

Assuming that you want to enjoy your honeymoon and not spend a lot of time falling out with each other, then I'd suggest that crossing the Nullarbor twice in a car is a bad idea.