Australian Tour!!!

[Astra VXD]

Hey all,

as some of you may or may not know i am coming over to invade your country :D

am in the process of planning the trip :)

now this is where you all come in.

in the picture below you can see i have highlighted the area i shall be traveling across.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w39/sallen01ws/Austrip.jpg

I'm looking for ideas for places to go and things to do.

I will have 2 weeks over (maybe more depending).

So can you suggest what to do, also include a postcode etc so i know where to place it on my map :)

Thanks

[mr corsa]

gibson desert is good for sight seeing sand and dust and road kill

[btm]

i have driven around australia so i may be able to be of help to you, but i cant see you picture of where you're travelling... most photo hosting sites are blocked at work :(

can you add the picture as an attachement through OA and then i should be able to see and hopefully help you out

[Astra VXD]

one place i will be deffo visiting will be Uluru :D

would love to get a cool pic of Uluru behind the car :D

Steve

[Astra VXD]

think this is the photo attached

Steve

[glider]

Hey all,


I will have 2 weeks over (maybe more depending).




you're shipping your car over for 2 weeks?

and that distance over 2 weeks you wont get to see much

[imay]

If you are planning to do a road trip, a couple of points to keep in mind:
Perth to Sydney by road will take you well over a week (longer if you plan on stopping along the way and actually looking at stuff). The road over the Nullabour is excellent, with frequent stop-overs along the Great Australian Bight overlooking 300+ft high cliffs to the Southern Ocean. Allow 3 days to get to Adelaide - lots of lovely wineries.
Adelaide to Sydney via Broken Hill (or alternatively the Hay Plain) will give you a variety of landscape scenery, agriculture, cattle/sheep stations, into general agriculture/cropping until you hit the Great Dividing Range. Keep in mind there's nothing on the eastern side of this range LOL. Allow 3 days to get to Sydney with sightseeing stops on the way.
Take the coast road from Sydney to Melbourne as the scenery is magnificent (bypassing these 2 "towns" as quickly as you can!) and continue along the Great Ocean Road from Melbourne back to Adelaide, where you can visit the southern vales wineries.
It would be a brave (or very bored man) to cross the Nullabour again so soon on your way to back to Perth. Don't get me wrong, the scenery and landscape is magnificent, but you've already seen it and it won't change since you did it last time!

Sure there's lots to see by road, but remember that Australia is a very wide country with miles of nothingness in between great spots/towns/scenery. Really depends on what you are looking for as far as entertainment. There's not too many nightspots on the route you have shown.
Carry plenty of water always, a roll of bog paper, and a heap of good tunes to keep you going. Watch out for kangaroos, emus, camels, cattle, sheep and wombats on the road, particularly at dawn and dusk. Hit any one of these and it's the end of the holiday.
Be prepared for extreme temperatures and carry 30+ sun screen so you don't take home a dose of skin cancer (or extreme sun burn).

Other than that, think about what you want to see and do, let us know how long you want to visit for (and when) and we can have another look at setting you up with some more ideas. But don't be put off by anything I've said here . . . it's a great place for a drive. Just do it!

[Wraith]

WHOA :eek:

That is one massive planned trip your going to attempt Astra VXD, awesome effort :clap:

When your in Vic. the Vic OpelAus. crowd will have to definitely meet up with you :)

Oh, and take very good note of Ians' advice above, lots of very good points to keep in mind there...

[btm]

two weeks... you're dreaming!

i've done the below two trips, and they took months in total!

you dont just want to be driving all day, everyday. you need to get out there and experiance things.

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/9733/oztouringtq7.jpg[/URL]

[sooty]

two weeks... you're dreaming!

i've done the below two trips, and they took months in total!

you dont just want to be driving all day, everyday. you need to get out there and experiance things.

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/9733/oztouringtq7.jpg[/url]

you got something against victoria:mad:????... :p

[btm]

you got something against victoria:mad:????... :p

nothing at all. the above route only shows the main roads i've travelled. i've reckon i've pretty much been to most towns/places throughout the entire south eastern states, and half of qld.

WA, NT and SA remain relatively unexplored in comparison

[Astra VXD]

thanls for all the info guys, yeah it should be about 2 weeks if not more still to be confirmed.

this is still a rough plan.

the idea is to scale as much of australia as possible even if it mean just nipping into Northern territory and victoria i still wanna see it all.

I like the good old bit of driving a scenery is just my cup of tea.

I take it the police in australia are tight with their speed restrictions? (not that i am in anyway suggesting i will be speeding....)

This trip is a 100% based on where the car docks.

iirc the car will be shipped to Perth, but if the car is shipped to Sydney then it will change things slightly :)

This trip is a massive......a mean MASSIVE trip for me, so not wanting to get it wrong i'm preparing for it a little earlier.

I did the nurburgring trip (euro trip) and i planned that from april to octorber when i done the trip.

so same again plenty of planning and enjoying the times.

I sincerely hope i meet most of you guys when i'm over coz it shall be a waste of bring a good old Vauxhall over to aussie (opel) terrirtory :D

I know Jake (KingOfAstra) will be helping me and if not spending a lot of time with him when i';m in sydney.. but i'd be more that happy if everyone helpped make it an awsome trip

Steve

[Calibrated]

no brisbane = fail.

fail for you too btm.

[rjastra]

Isn't shipping your car over a tad extreme?? LOL Just rent a car here!

A few hints... use planes to cover long distances... we do :)

Land in Perth, drive around a bit. Fly to Melbourne then plan a circuous route to Brisbane dropping in on Sydney on the way.

2 weeks is not really enough time to see much doing a road trip in Australia.

I am driving to Adelaide in Jan (from Sydney, via murray river) and all up the trip is 11 days with stopovers and sightseeing.

[Astra VXD]

no brisbane = fail.

fail for you too btm.

Maybe, depending on where the car is shipped


Isn't shipping your car over a tad extreme?? LOL Just rent a car here!

A few hints... use planes to cover long distances... we do :)

Land in Perth, drive around a bit. Fly to Melbourne then plan a circuous route to Brisbane dropping in on Sydney on the way.

2 weeks is not really enough time to see much doing a road trip in Australia.

I am driving to Adelaide in Jan (from Sydney, via murray river) and all up the trip is 11 days with stopovers and sightseeing.

yeah it does seem a bit too much but the point is i'm taking the car around the world as much as possible.

i was planning this ages ago but to go to america but then decided to make it Aussieland coz it would be just a bit more adventurous.

It shall be an expensive trip with shipping of the car etc, but in fairness its what i'd rather spend my money on...

My ideal bedroom would have a wall dedicated to the car each single picture of the car with a different background, whether it be the nurburgring, bruges markt, las vages strip, Australia's Uluru etc etc, its just a goal i would like to achieve and if i don't do it not, i never will.

Steve

[Greg K]

hey Steve! i applaud you wanting to fullfill your dream.

be prepared for many hours driving, and to me the travel time would have to be short in order to spend longer time at the desired destination... however, im getting the feeling that your more after the journey, rather than basic sight seeing.

our country is huge, and driving border to border is an extreme effort (considering your trip will only be for 2-3 weeks). may i suggest extending your trip to at least 3 weeks because i dont want you to go back home saying "i just spent 60% of my time, in another country, in my car"!

when are you planning on coming out???

[Astra VXD]

thanks :D

well based on the information that i am being told from car exporters.

i'm trying to work out what is my cheapest option but right now from the emails i've had from the several companies i'm best to get the car say shipper over to fremantle (perth) then taking the one long ass trip along the stretch of aus and then getting my car back home from the either the Brisbane or Adelaide port (depending on which route i take) therefore i am only spanning aus once and so i have more time doing things and checking out the sites.

The fast areas of aus are simple but desireable so what i would do is travel most of the plains at night therefore giving me more day time sightseeing.

checking by google it should take me about 3.5 days of driving so 84 hours of driving spread that over say for instance 2 weeks (336 hours)

which is roughly 6 hours a day, which is nothing :) i do that everyday here lol

obv i will have the days where i will drive like 10 hours a-so i can have days where i'm doing more sightseeing etc.

but most inportantly its the drive... i love to drive but at the same time i like to see and be part of the culture :D

Once i get a more defined answer from the exporters i will know exactly how i will pan out my trip, but for the time being...


give me your suggestions of places to go... must see etc :D


1. Uluru
2.
3.
4.


Steve

[sooty]

If you dock in fremantle, head a little way south to bussleton and check out the pier(1 mile long) and water there ;)

[alts]

Change your trip and just come up to Queensland.
Great Barrier Reef, snorkelling, etc.

Far better weather and beaches than...
*pfft* Melbgayourne and Vicgaytoria.

:)

[imay]

I'd go so far as to suggest that Mr Google has never driven across the Nullabour! Perth to Adelaide takes around 36 hours (road train timetable) and that's not stopping to go "ooh aah" at anything. Then you have that distance again to get from Adelaide to Sydney with a lot more towns and other things to see on the way.
This is a BIG WIDE country mate. Again, not wanting to put you off because your plans sound awesome, but take all the advice from guys on here that have actually done it. There's plenty to see, plenty to do. And what you miss out on this time, you can catch next time around.
You could easily land your car in Fremantle and spend all the 2-3 weeks you have allocated just travelling the mid-north coast and lower south of WA and still see hardly any of it!

Best advice I can give: Pick out what you really want to see and do and go from there. There is way tooooo much to recommend in this small space, but I'm sure the guys on here will be able to offer suggestions.

Again, good luck with your plans. I will try to add advice or suggestions as this thread continues, but you really are take an awful big bite, so please keep that in mind.

[MatsHolden]

Good luck with the trip! Great scenery to see throughout Australia. Won't get into the 'my state's better than yours' because there is something good in each state or territory. Just hope your car is up to the EXTREME driving conditions you will be facing, especially the temperatures. Coming from Scotland to desert Australia will be a big shock to it! Also marking out a trip on a map is very deceptive to when you actually start off driving. Especially when you get out to the more remote areas and there's just horizon all around, no buildings, no roads, no people.

[btm]

I'd go so far as to suggest that Mr Google has never driven across the Nullabour!

they have, check out google maps!

[imay]

they have, check out google maps!

I meant actually physically getting into a car and DRIVING it, not some computer animation followed by a computer calculation of expected time it would/could take. HUGE difference between the two.
If you've driven the Nullabour you'd know exactly what I mean. Well worth the effort, but be prepared for hundreds of kms of dead straight road with nothing ahead but the horizon followed by more of the same! It is amazing how daunting it is, after you've been behind the wheel for the past 4 hours, cresting a rise and seeing nothing ahead but the ribbon of bitumen disappearing into the horizon and nothing but barren flat landscape either side as far as you can see. Something to really be experienced before you can comment.

[btm]

I meant actually physically getting into a car and DRIVING it, not some computer animation followed by a computer calculation of expected time it would/could take. HUGE difference between the two.

If you've driven the Nullabour you'd know exactly what I mean. .

was meaning street view google maps ;)

but yes, i know exactly what you mean. have driven the nullabour twice now. once even with my 3 wood driver and 20 golf balls. spent over half an hour at one of the sections of the 100m cliffs :D

[Snotty]

surely it would only be a matter of time until you get the imprint of a roo in your bonnet if your doing the majority of driving at night?

shoo roos may help

[sadavidsriturbo]

WOW :eek: sounds like fun and a big nightmare at the same time.... well i am from Adelaide and cant really recommend much??? It would be safe to say that there is not much around here aside from the winery's and hills scenery but if you need or want anything pm me and ill try my best to help

[TheOperator]

surely it would only be a matter of time until you get the imprint of a roo in your bonnet if your doing the majority of driving at night?

shoo roos may help

Good point i was about to say the same thing, driving at night is a risky business!

Most people in Australia tend to run by the rule of ceasing driving once dust starts in outback ;) Mainly because hitting a big Red Roo at 100km/h won't leave much of your Vauxhall!

[Huhness]

surely it would only be a matter of time until you get the imprint of a roo in your bonnet if your doing the majority of driving at night?

shoo roos may help

Shoo Roo (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/SHOO-ROO-SONIC-ANIMAL-REPELLER-BLACK-NEW_W0QQitemZ380073516036QQihZ025QQcategoryZ6763QQ tcZphotoQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262)

Alot of people swear by these. They won't make the animal run away but alerts them and they will just sit there and listen. Roos are otherwise known to see you coming and either bolt away from you or straight towards your car which would probably end your road trip.

[Snotty]

Shoo Roo (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/SHOO-ROO-SONIC-ANIMAL-REPELLER-BLACK-NEW_W0QQitemZ380073516036QQihZ025QQcategoryZ6763QQ tcZphotoQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262)

Alot of people swear by these. They won't make the animal run away but alerts them and they will just sit there and listen. Roos are otherwise known to see you coming and either bolt away from you or straight towards your car which would probably end your road trip.
they seem to have mixed opinons, i have no idea, i dont drive bush and dont intend to

[Vectracious]

Change your trip and just come up to Queensland.
Great Barrier Reef, snorkelling, etc.

Far better weather and beaches than...
*pfft* Melbgayourne and Vicgaytoria.

:)

And be prepared for your IQ to drop to single digits - Queenslanders suck the intelligence right out of you. It also looks like they're very homophobic up there too - but most stupid people are.

:)

[glider]

And be prepared for your IQ to drop to single digits - Queenslanders suck the intelligence right out of you. It also looks like they're very homophobic up there too - but most stupid people are.

:)

theres too many country folk out up here ;)

[Snotty]

And be prepared for your IQ to drop to single digits - Queenslanders suck the intelligence right out of you. It also looks like they're very homophobic up there too - but most stupid people are.

:)

they wont let you drive into the state unless you have chrome rims anyway so your safe

[Astra VXD]

Yeah its a big treck :)

see how you describe that long straight road for miles and miles... that is one of the things i am most looking forward too haha.

do you know how hard it is up here to get a straight bit of road for say at least a mile :O?

haha

i was talking to my mate about this the other day and i was thinking, if i brought back my car with a massive dent on it or some sort of damage and people are like WTF! i'd be excited as hell to say i hit a kangaroo haha!! its not as if we come across one of those everyday up here in rain land.

there are 3 places i am definately going.

1. where the car docks... really have no choice
2. Sydney
3. Uluru

but based on my trip route (which may change depending on where the car is shipped to i'm looking for places that are on the way or not too far from my route that i can go see :D

Steve

[Astra VXD]

this is going to be more than likely my trip route

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w39/sallen01ws/TripRoute1.jpg

Steve

[imay]

Could be wrong here Steve, and I'm sure I'll be corrected if I am, but there's not a lot of bitumen between Kalgoorlie and Uluru via your planned route. Bitumen from Uluru to Adelaide.
When I say no bitumen, I mean the roads can be rough, VERY rough. Stone/rock damage is an almost certainty from passing traffic. Other things to watch for is bulldust. This is not just an Aussie expression of disbelief: it's when the road/track breaks up and the ensuing "hole" is filled with very fine, talc like dust, that gets into everything. These holes can vary in size from dinner plate to car/truck size, with varying depth. If you are unused to travelling these roads, you come across these patches quite unexpectedly and it's easy to suffer huge damage (to your car and yourself!). Rollovers are a common ailment from hitting bulldust. Carrying plenty of water and fuel (plus spare parts) is a definite necessity as there is very little (read NOTHING!) in the way of help or services in this area. An emergency locator beacon is highly recommended by the authorities. I'd not do it unless my "guide" was experienced.
Then, of course, the road/s can always be closed due to incliment weather (sudden rain/floods), in which case you can find yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere for days.

If you REALLY want to go to Uluru, your'd be better off starting from Darwin and coming south and picking up the rock on the way to Adelaide (allow 4-7 days), then carrying on over to the east coast (Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane) via inland or the Great Ocean Road (another 2-4 days to get to Sydney depending on route).

Keep the ideas coming and we'll all help where we can.

You are a VERY brave man my boy! Good luck.

[btm]

Could be wrong here Steve, and I'm sure I'll be corrected if I am, but there's not a lot of bitumen between Kalgoorlie and Uluru via your planned route
none. there is a stretch of 1200km where you dont even see a petrol!

we had to carry 3 jerry cans in our diesel 4WD!

[Nem]

this is going to be more than likely my trip route
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w39/sallen01ws/TripRoute1.jpg
Steve

That route's not going to happen in a 2WD. That trip goes through Docker River on the NT side of the NT/WA border. Its aboriginal land harder to get into by 4WD than most places and permits are likely to be required. No accomodation either unless you bring a tent and good luck finding somewhere you're allowed to pitch it.
In a 2WD you're pretty much going to have to stick to the tarmac which will be highway 1. And there's no way you're going to enjoy everything if you think you're going to have it done in two weeks. It took me three weeks to do a touristy trip down the west coast from Darwin to Perth albeit via the Gibb River road.

I worked for NT government so I really know what it takes to get into some of these places so I'm not being an ass hat or anything. The good thing about your planned itinerary is that there's jack shit to see most of the way so you might actually get it done if you spend your whole trip behind the steering wheel.

Read this (http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/guyryanmorgan/westnorth/1151981940/tpod.html) blog about someone doing the trip. 4WDs are a must.

[Astra VXD]

thanks for all the info peeps, its what i need as i have never really seen any roads in australia before so i'll need as much help as possible.

if you have other suggestions put them forward, as said i am plannin this trip i've not planned it so anything you can help me get things going smoothly would be helpful.

one of my biggest idea would be to see the Uluru rock but if it means i need to miss it out this time then so be it :(

Steve

[btm]

one of my biggest idea would be to see the Uluru rock but if it means i need to miss it out this time then so be it :(


you can definitely get there mate, just have to head north from adelaide, through coober pedy and then up to the rock - its all sealed

[imay]

As I mentioned earlier, the rock is certainly impressive to see (if the local tribal elders/guardians choose to allow it to be opened to the public on the day you happen to be there - which can also be a problem) however if you are planning for only 2-3 weeks, I'd miss it and spend that time checking out some of the more accessable landmarks.

Jeez you could spend a week in Sydney and not get to see half the harbour
- a day or 2 just checking out the SA wineries (if you are so inclined) and associated scenery
- spend a day getting burnt to a crisp on some Queensland beach (mind you, all states have magnificent beaches, not just Qld!)
- a week on the Great Ocean Road (Victoria) and beyond Melbourne on your way up the coast to Sydney through the rainforest around Eden
- the Victoria/NSW Alpine region any time of the year (except when there's a bushfire ravaging the ranges!)
- whale watching on the Great Australian Bight (dependent on the time of year - October-November from memory) and the magnificent cliffs that stretch for hundreds of kilometers
- Wave Rock in southern central WA (stuck in the middle between Perth and Kalgoorlie about 2 hours off any main road!)
- get lost (not literally) in Kakadu National Park in NT
- big game fishing (why would you?) off the north Queelsand coast
- Great Barrier Reef (anywhere from just above Brisbane to the top of Queelsand . . . and beyond!)
- a lap of Mt Panorama (at road speeds, of course, but still impressive when you consider the speeds the V8 Supercars travel it!) at Bathurst, NSW
. . . . and of course, don't forget our jewel that no one tells anyone about . . . TASMANIA! Ah! Retirement here I come! Absolutely magnificent . . . any part of it!

[Astra VXD]

/\/\/\ wow :D /\/\/\ thanks thats just what i'm looking for :)

also need to pop along to Brocks Skyline as well to pop a little message on it :)

Steve

[alts]

- spend a day getting burnt to a crisp on some Queensland beach (mind you, all states have magnificent beaches, not just Qld!)

That is a lie, although Bondi could be a good contender, if you like crowds.
Head up to Townsville and go for a swim, if your game. Look out for crocs though.
:D hehe

[Vfan]

Steve,

go to racv.com.au
search for royalauto page (members magazine)
links to pdf pages can be found here:
http://www.racv.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/Internet/Auxiliary/news+%26+events/royalauto/

the last (Dec08/Jan09) issue has a feature article on top 10 drives across Australia (starting from page 23)

might be of use
cheers

[ROCCO]

and be prepared for your iq to drop to single digits - queenslanders suck the intelligence right out of you. It also looks like they're very homophobic up there too - but most stupid people are.

:)


ohhh fing snap...cop that beyatchs!!!

[EL BURITO]

That is a lie, although Bondi could be a good contender, if you like crowds.
Head up to Townsville and go for a swim, if your game. Look out for crocs though.
:D hehe
we have good beaches on the west coast Scarborough is good as well as Mulaloo and then there are some nice stretches down near secret harbour

[poita]

come to bundaberg, we have good rum :D

[ASTRAY]

i havent driven all of australia, hardly any really, ive been from syd down to melb and back via hume hwy, melb to adelaide via ballarat then back to melb via great ocean rd.
also driven syd to port macquarie many many times.

the below is just my opinion and i mean absolutely no offense to anyone or any town/s... please dont take offense.
this is based on your 2 week plan

victoria...
if you are heading between adelaide and melbourne at anytime, go via great ocean rd. this is absolutely the "must do" way to go for scenery and has some real fun roads, all sealed bitumen roads.
the dandenongs area is nice, but because of your time limit id forget the forest driving in vic cos theres plenty of forest driving between mid nsw and qld. albeit hwy roads.

south australia/adelaide, yeah it has the type of roads your after between adelaide and w.a, but all the eastern states have the same to offer that adelaide has, minus the huge desserts.

western australia, never been there, but the place looks very beautiful in spots. considering the time itll take to get from there to adelaide though, i wouldnt bother.

northern territory/darwin/uluru, never been there but i can understand you wanting a pic of your car with uluru in the background, itd look magnificent, but other than that i dont see any use of going to the northern territory, itd be good if members would meet you there for pics etc, but even darwin to uluru is a long drive and i dont think many members would drive down because of the distance. my suggestion, dump uluru.

qld/brisbane, best approachable via nsw, excellent beaches etc, never been to qld, pretty much the same as nsw except more coastline. id make qld part of your trip though.

nsw/sydney, loads of sights to see yadda yadda yadda.


my suggestion,
if you must go to adelaide, get your car shipped there, when leaving drive along the coast as much as you can.
when you get to victoria make sure you follow the great ocean rd, when in melboure check out the rialto tower its the tallest building in the southern hemisphere (syd tower is taller but only cos of antenna)
once your finished in victoria head north via hume hwy, this will take you into nsw,
check out ettamogah pub, its on the right hand side of the hwy. this is an excellent aussie icon... :D
you could stop off and check out canberra, canberra will give you a good idea of the aussie history etc if you visit the war memorial etc etc, parliment house is also there if your interested in politics (im not)
backtrack to hume hwy
when heading further north via humehwy you have 2 choices, either keep heading north via hume hwy, or hop onto the illawarra hwy which will take you east coast to wollongong area, plenty of beaches etc but many are polluted from mining activity, but the scenery is worth the drive.
when you reach mt ousley area you can either head up mt ousley to head back to hume hwy, or you can keep going straight to head towards the hustle and bustle of sydney itself.
note, hume hwy via mt ousley does still take you through the hustle and bustle, but a much less stressful way traffic wise.
when finished in sydney make your way to the pacific hwy, if possible do this part of the trip in daytime, the pacific hwy is regarded as very dangerous in regards to fatal crashes. even in daytime please keep your head lights on.
visit newcastle if you like, but it will remind you of sydney in the traffic sense.
visit port macquarie if you like, cos i live there and you can crash (sleep) here if you like, we have great beaches etc, we are a tourist destination town, so you might like it. most importantly, free accomodation :D at my place lol.

head back to freeway (10mins away) and keep heading north, theres a place called the big banana in coffs harbour, its on the main rd but if you park your car and walk to opposite side of the rd you could get a pic of your car with a big banana lol.


continue up to qld yadda yadda yadda, ill let a qlder tell you of the attractions up there.

mate ive got a "road atlas of australia" here, if you like i can scan every page and email to you or something.

or even better, buy one, itll honestly be your best friend. has maps of almost every rd you will need, and they have special pages for tourist attractions/ sight seeing etc.
heres one here
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Gregorys-Road-Atlas-of-Australia-3rd-Edition_W0QQitemZ200273330692QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU _Non_Fiction_Books_2?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

just make sure you get one that isnt more than a few years old, as alot of hwys are being changed to make them safer.
anymore help needed , please feel free to contact me.

ps, i also have loads of tourist maps here (i collect maps from everywhere i go) i can send you one of nsw if you want one.

honestly mate, australia is huge compared to the countries you are used to, i think i seen somewhere that australia is bigger than all of the european countries put together.

heres a "to scale" comparison for you.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s33/jaysastra04/My20Tra1.gif

[Astra VXD]

awsome mate :D

cheers for that.

any help in regards to maps ect would be appreciated.

landmark icons i'm looking for :D, anything that will make me go wow!

don't mind driving one of my best past times, so if it takes 5 hours straight driving... even better :D

Steve

[kaoshunter]

Jaysastra,

Whoever told you the south coast beaches were/or are poluted, you've been miss informed, I come from the south coast and believe me the are far from poluted. Just my 2c

[lampshade]

Be prepared for a lot of paperwork if you do bring your car "Down Under" a temp 12 month export of the car involves the same amount of paperwork as a permanent export, oh and you will have to put up 10% of the value of your car incase you leave/sell it here.

I paid £1200 one way when I brought the Vxr here in shipping fees but $1000 to a shipping agent $250 to have the car cleaned by quarantine $500 for an engineers report etc etc the cost is endless but nothing when compared to the paperwork just to get Aus DVLA to give permission for the car to be shipped. (and even then they insisted on me being here before they gave permission for the car to arrive even thoe it was already on the boat)

Personally I would hire a Monaro like Total Vauxhall did when they came here, but then again I shipped my car here too:D

[Astra VXD]

i can't rent a car :(

too young

Steve

[ASTRAY]

Jaysastra,

Whoever told you the south coast beaches were/or are poluted, you've been miss informed, I come from the south coast and believe me the are far from poluted. Just my 2c

been there plenty, ever since i was 5 up till even now i still go there sometimes.
i should have explained deeper, not deadly or sickly polluted, but yes definately polluted to the point that the sand is a grey sticky muck and the water turns filthy as soon as you scoop 1 hand full of sand.
not to mention the stench of the muck too.
but please dont get me wrong, again i should have explained further, its prob just most beaches from stanwell down to port kembla or round abouts. some coves in between are prob protected too.

[sooty]

i can't rent a car :(

too young

Steve

I'm almost certain you can rent a car from 18 here...surely you're not younger than that...are you? :confused:


The minimum age to rent an Avis vehicle is 25 except for some locations in the state of New South Wales where there is no minimum age. Exceptions may occur where due to Avis contractual agreements. In all other states, in certain situations or at certain locations, the minimum age may be 18 or 21. In all States, drivers under 25 years of age are only permitted to rent car groups X-D. In some instances a surcharge may apply for renters under age 25.
Just an example, that doesn't really tell you anything..lol



The minimum renter age without surcharge is 25 years for Mini Manual (Group X), Economy Manual (Group A), Compact Manual (Group B), Compact Auto (Group H), Intermediate Auto (Group C), Standard Sedan (Group S), Hybrid Car (Group G), Fullsize Sedan (Group D), Fullsize Wagon (Group E), Minibus (Group T), Luxury Sedan (Group F) and Premium Sedan (Group P).

Drivers aged 21-24 years may be eligible to rent subject to an age surcharge. Age surcharge is $27.50 per day including GST (Airport Concession Recovery (ACFR) maybe added subject to rental location).
Looks like 21 is the age to be...

[Astra VXD]

I'm 19, but i'll be 20 when i come over :D

Steve

[tuzinski]

australia is big, 2 weeks will not be enough to go anywhere
england is the size of nsw, so driving in aus will get your car get massive k's aka miles :p

[PaulyJ]

IF you are to do this, you will need advise not from us, but from an experienced travel agent in Australia.
I know you have a dream to do this, but you may need to think more realistically about this. Jon (lampshade) bought his car over, and it cost him a lot. You will need to do that twice (return trip).
To do what you want, I'd say you'll need atleast a month for the trip to be worthwhile. Spending all that money just for 2 weeks is really pointless in my opinion.
You could probably do it in 2 weeks, but it'd be a "Oh look WOW ok lets go" kind of trip. You cant do that here.

I laughed when you mentioned you'd be happy (or whatever) to go home with a roo dent and say "That was from a kangaroo". A kangaroo is not like a dog. You hit a dog, you get some damage, you fix it.
You hit a roo at 100km (62mph) in an Astra... bye bye Astra.

Ian (imay) is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to this, I'd talk to him about it.
His been-there-done-that experience is unbiased (almost... ;)) and will help you a lot (not saying others here won't, as they clearly have so far).

All the best with organising this trip. Make sure you stop and say hi (or atleast give us a wave) when you pass through each of the states.

[kaoshunter]

been there plenty, ever since i was 5 up till even now i still go there sometimes.
i should have explained deeper, not deadly or sickly polluted, but yes definately polluted to the point that the sand is a grey sticky muck and the water turns filthy as soon as you scoop 1 hand full of sand.
not to mention the stench of the muck too.
but please dont get me wrong, again i should have explained further, its prob just most beaches from stanwell down to port kembla or round abouts. some coves in between are prob protected too.

Wollongong is where I come from, I lived there for 28 Years, and last time I check most of the beaches have yellow sand, 3 months ago, unless you've seen something I haven't

[kaoshunter]

australia is big, 2 weeks will not be enough to go anywhere
england is the size of nsw, so driving in aus will get your car get massive k's aka miles :p


I remember in 1986 my olds took a trip around Australia in a Torago of all things it took them 5 weeks and they still didn't see verything they wanted, what you need to work out is what are the Major things you want to see first, and then you work out your driving line and then you add little things in between, this also depends on what time of the year you are looking at coming out too, because since your in England now, it gets mighty hot over here in some parts of Australia

[btm]

Wollongong is where I come from, I lived there for 28 Years, and last time I check most of the beaches have yellow sand, 3 months ago, unless you've seen something I haven't

i'm with you buddy. the gong's beaches are fantastic! almost as good as the shires ;) :p

[ASTRAY]

Wollongong is where I come from, I lived there for 28 Years, and last time I check most of the beaches have yellow sand, 3 months ago, unless you've seen something I haven't

im just speaking from what ive seen in the past. yes the sand on the shore is yellow, in some parts. but sand is moved around alot by tides and waves from watercraft. walk into the water and wriggle your toes around, then you will see what i mean about the muck. in some beaches it will even stick to your feet! 1 area for example is windang. its the worst one ive seen.
some beaches i havent visited for over 8yrs, so i just done a search and found this.
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/beach/ar0708/illawarra.htm

also one from the csrio
http://www.publish.csiro.au/?act=view_file&file_id=NB94043.pdf

and one from the illawarras very own illawarra mercury (a local newspaper)
http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/news/local/news/general/wollongong-waters-not-so-crystal-clear/1397092.aspx

more,
http://www.savelakeillawarra.org.au/lakewake.html

i didnt know there was faecal matter in the water, and it isnt what i was talking about, but yes the beaches around the gong area are polluted, whether it be 10% or 43%in one case mentioned in this link.
mate, the gong is one of the most beautiful areas i know of, earlier in this thread i said the great ocean rd is a "must do", and i will now say that the coastal drives around the gong are just as much of a "must do", because it is, its just a real shame the authorities dont look after the gongs natural wonders as well as they should.
i will now stop discussing this in this thread because the thread is something astra vxd started to help him with his trip. not a thread to discuss pollution. if you wish to discuss this further please feel free to pm me. i will be heading south again at the end of january and will be more than happy to drop into the gong and take photos of the muck i describe.

please understand i wasnt trying to "slag" wollongong, i was just stating facts :)

[imay]

Hey Steve, things seem to have gone a little quiet here for a while, so thought I'd post this to give you some idea of what sort of "damage" you could be doing to your Astra IF you happened upon a 'roo on the open road at highway speeds. . . a little more severe than hitting a dog or other smaller animal . . .

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm268/imxgu/deadroo.jpg

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm268/imxgu/roosmash.jpg

Still not trying to discourage you from venturing to our great land, but think long and hard about bringing your bus over . . . and when you do come . . . please, drive very very carefully.

So, how are the holiday plans coming along?

[Astra VXD]

yeah seen that on another forum :D


yeah sorry its been quiet, basically got most of the do's and don'ts from you helpful people.

but i've been oding some digging around and i've found out a few other nice things about the trip etc etc.

but the now things are just getting planned atm nothing booked.

already started saving hopefull i should have around 4K+ when its near the time so that should cover me.

I think in the end i will be taking a MONTH, yes a month :)

so 4 weeks to see aussie-land.... superb :D

keep your eyes peeled.

Steve

[poita]

awesome steve!
when you decide on the path of your trip, please let us know.

would be a good excuse for mini-meets all around the country while you are here!

[Astra VXD]

oh yeah deffo,

i'm a big car enthusiast (didn't think you would tell with me taking the car to australia and all :P) so i love meeting up with people.

so the route will be laid out so i could meet as many people as possible.... just so i can say 'g'day mate' :D :P

also when i leave i'll have about 99% of you all speak scottish words haha!!

Steve

[mania]

Sounds like a great plan Steve - personally I'd love to take a car of mine to the ring one day.

I have no idea what the legalities will be bringing it to Australia though - if you need to pass a full compliance test you'd likely have to remove your rear lights (unless they've passed ADR testing...), raise the car a bit (most states require 10cm to the lowest point), remove the DTUK box (again, ADR's - always ripping aftermarket ecu's out of imports, interceptors/boxes would be similar - hide it well won't be a problem), some states could also be picky on the bodykit. HID's/non Hella/OEM projectors if fitted would also have to be removed. That's what usually happens for japanese imports, hopefully they treat cars just visiting differently - as I'd love to see the vxd ;). Check legalities first though - would hate for customs to hold the car for the entirety of the trip.

Pleased to see you're planning on coming to Perth! Shame you won't have time to visit the sights here though ;) - Rottnest is great. Should be a great road trip - look forward to reading the write up. :)