Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Insurance Alert
Damage to a rental car caused by an animal (hitting a kangaroo, for
instance) is not covered by car-rental companies' insurance policies, nor is
driving on an unpaved road—and Australia has a lot of those.
Tips
companies will demand a minimum 4-
or 5-day rental. Give the company your
itinerary before booking because some
routes, such as the ferry across to Tas-
mania, or in a four-wheel-drive motor-
home's case, the Gibb River Road in
the Kimberley, may need the com-
pany's permission. Companies may not
permit you to drive their two-wheel-
drive motor home on unpaved roads;
Apollo, Britz and Hertz do not, while
Maui does allow two-wheel-drive
campers to travel on unsealed access
roads to recognized campgrounds.
ON THE ROAD
GAS
The price of petrol (gasoline)
will elicit a cry of dismay from Amer-
icans and a whoop of delight from
Brits. Prices go up and down, but
roughly, you're looking at around
A90¢ a liter (or US$2.20 per U.S. gal-
lon) for unleaded petrol in Sydney,
and A$1.20 a liter (or US$2.45 per
U.S. gallon), or more, in the Outback.
One U.S. gallon equals 3.78 liters.
Most rental cars take unleaded gas,
and motor homes run on diesel, which
costs around A90¢ to A$1.20 a liter
(US$2.20-US$2.45 per U.S. gallon),
depending on your location.
DRIVING RULES
Australians
drive on the left, which means you
give way to the right. Left turns on a
red light are not permitted unless a
sign says so.
Roundabouts (traffic circles) are
common at intersections; approach
these slowly enough to stop if you
have to, and give way to all traffic on
the roundabout. Flash your indicator
as you leave the roundabout (even if
you're going straight, as technically
that's a left turn).
air-conditioned driver's cabins, but not
all have air-conditioned living quar-
ters, a necessity in most parts of the
country November through March.
Four-wheel-drive campers are avail-
able, but tend to be small and some
lack hot water, toilet, shower, and air-
conditioning. Minimum driver age for
motor homes is usually 21.
Australia's biggest national motor-
home-rental companies are
Apollo
Motorhome Holidays
(
&
1800/777
779
in Australia, or 07/3260 5466;
www.apollocamper.com),
Britz Camp-
ervan Rentals
(
&
1800/331 454
in
Australia, or 03/8379 8890; www.britz.
com),
Hertz Campervans
(
&
1800/
33 5888
in Australia, or 08/8271
8281; www.hertzcampervans.com.au),
and
Maui
(
&
1300/363 800
in Aus-
tralia, or 03/8379 8891; www.maui-
rentals.com).
Frustratingly, most local councils
take a dim view of “free camping,” the
practice of pulling over by the road-
side to camp for the night. Instead,
you will likely have to stay in a camp-
ground.
For a two-berth motor home with
shower and toilet, Britz's 2003/2004
rates range from A$114 and A$230
(US$74-US$150) per day, over a 5- to
20-day rental period. For a four-berth
with shower and toilet over the same
period, you are looking at between
A$211 and A$297 (US$137-US$193)
per day. Rates vary with the seasons.
May and June are the slowest months;
December and January are the busiest.
It's sometimes possible to get better
rates by booking in your home country
before departure. Renting for longer
than 3 weeks knocks around A$15
(US$9.75) off the daily rate. Most
