Safety
Outback driving: the specifics that keep you out of trouble
Most remote-area incidents come down to four things — not enough water, not enough fuel, the wrong speed on corrugations, and leaving the vehicle after a breakdown.
Water: the non-negotiable numbers
WA Police's official outback travel advice sets a bare minimum of 3 litres of drinking water per person per day. Treat that as a survival floor, not a target — most touring guides recommend planning well above it, especially in heat. Size your reserve to the longest gap on your route, not the average one, and store it in more than one container so a single split jerry can does not end the trip.
| Trip type | Drinking water per person | Reserve | Vehicle water |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sealed highway, towns every 200–300 km | 3–4 L per day | 1 day spare | 5 L for radiator |
| Unsealed, one roadhouse per day | 5 L per day | 2 days spare | 10 L |
| Remote track, no services | 5–10 L per day | 3+ days spare | 20 L, stored separately |
Source: WA Police Force — outback travel advice.
Fuel: work in range, not litres
Know your worst-case consumption, not your highway figure. Loaded, into a headwind, on sand or corrugations, a 4WD can burn 40–50% more than its brochure number. Then apply the rule that matters: fill at every opportunity, not at every need.
- Assume the next roadhouse may be closed, out of diesel, or cash-only with no EFTPOS link.
- Carry jerry cans sized to your longest published gap plus 20%. Store them properly secured and vented, never loose in a cabin.
- Roadhouse hours in the Gulf, Kimberley and Centre are often 7am–6pm and shorter on Sundays. Arriving at 7pm is arriving to a locked bowser.
- Fuel prices climb sharply once you are past the last regional centre. Budget 40–60c/L above city prices in remote areas.
Corrugations and unsealed roads
Corrugations are washboard ridges formed by wheels on loose surfaces. They destroy vehicles slowly — shock absorbers, wheel bearings, trailer welds, roof rack mounts and anything not tied down.
| Situation | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hitting corrugations | Drop tyre pressures (often 25–30 psi, load-dependent) and find the settled speed, usually 60–80 km/h | Softer tyres absorb the ridges; the right speed rides the tops instead of dropping into every trough |
| Bulldust holes | Slow right down — the surface hides deep holes and rocks | Bulldust conceals depth and steering will wash out |
| Oncoming vehicle | Move left, slow down, and take your eyes off the dust cloud onto the left edge | Stone strikes and zero visibility cause most unsealed-road crashes |
| Floodway or creek crossing | Stop, walk it if safe, check depth and base before driving | Water depth and washouts are not readable from the driver's seat |
| Road train approaching | Pull fully off and stop on single-lane bitumen | Road trains up to 53.5 m cannot move over and cannot stop quickly |
| Back on the bitumen | Re-inflate tyres before you build speed | Low pressures at highway speed overheat and destroy tyres |
UHF radio: channels and etiquette
A UHF CB is the standard way to talk to trucks, other travellers and station traffic where there is no mobile coverage. It is also legally regulated — some channels must not be used for general chat.
| Channel | Use | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 5 and 35 | Emergency | Emergency calls only. Never use for conversation. |
| 10 | 4WD clubs, convoys, some parks | Convention, not law |
| 11 | Call channel | Make contact, then move to a free channel |
| 18 | Caravans and campers | Convention |
| 22 and 23 | Data / telemetry | Voice transmission is not permitted |
| 29 and 40 | Highway and road-train traffic | 40 is the main road channel nationally |
| Repeaters (1–8, 41–48) | Long-range via repeater | Use duplex; keep calls short |
Etiquette matters out here: identify yourself and your location, keep transmissions short, and if you are overtaking a road train, call it on 40 and wait for the driver to wave you through — they can see the road ahead and you cannot.
Before you leave the bitumen
- Tell someone your route and your expected arrival, and tell them when you arrive.
- Carry a PLB, EPIRB or satellite messenger. Coverage in remote Australia is Telstra-only at best and absent entirely on most tracks.
- Check road status with the relevant authority the morning you drive: QLDTraffic, NT Road Report, Main Roads WA, or the local council for unsealed roads.
- Driving on a closed road is an offence in several states and carries substantial fines, plus you will not be covered by insurance.
- Do not drive at dawn, dusk or night. Cattle, camels, kangaroos and wildlife on the road are the highest-frequency hazard in remote Australia.
Common questions
Conditions change with every grading and every storm — check current conditions with the relevant road authority before relying on any of this. Route-specific hazards are listed on each road trip guide.