Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Be aware that if you're travelling on dirt roads you may not be covered by insurance. Also, most companies' insur-
ance won't cover the cost of damage to glass (including the windscreen) or tyres. Always read the small print.
Purchase
If you're planning a stay of several months that involves lots of driving, buying a second-hand car will be much cheaper
than renting. But remember that reliability is all-important. Breaking down in the outback is very inconvenient (and po-
tentially dangerous) - the nearest mechanic can be a very expensive tow-truck ride away!
You'll probably get any car cheaper by buying privately through the newspaper (try Saturday's
West Australian
)
rather than through a car dealer. Buying through a dealer can include a guarantee, but this is not much use if you're buy-
ing a car in Perth for a trip to Broome. Online, see
www.carpoint.com.au
and
www.drive.com.au
to buy a car.
There are local regulations to comply with when buying or selling a car. In WA a vehicle has to have a compulsory
safety check and obtain a road-worthiness certificate (RWC) before it can be registered in the new owner's name - usu-
ally the seller will indicate whether the car already has a RWC. Stamp duty has to be paid when you buy a car; as this is
based on the purchase price, it's not unknown for the buyer and the seller to agree privately to understate the price.
To avoid buying a lemon, you might consider forking out some extra money for a vehicle appraisal before purchase.
The
RAC
( 13 17 03;
www.rac.com.au
)
offers this kind of check in Perth and other large WA centres for around
$198/220 for members/nonmembers; it also offers extensive advice on buying and selling cars on its website.
The beginning of winter (June) is a good time to start looking for a used motorbike. Local newspapers and the bike-
related press have classified advertisement sections.
Fremantle has a number of secondhand-car yards, including a cluster in North Fremantle on the Stirling Hwy, while in
Perth there's the
Traveller's Auto Barn
(
1800 674 374;
www.travellers-autobarn.com.au
;
365 Newcastle St,
Northbridge) .
Road Conditions
WA is not criss-crossed by multilane highways; there's not enough traffic and the distances are too great to justify them.
All the main routes are well surfaced and have two lanes, but not far off the beaten track you'll find yourself on unsealed
roads. Anybody seeing the state in reasonable detail can expect some dirt-road travelling. A 2WD car can cope with the
major ones, but for serious exploration, plan on a 4WD.
Driving on unsealed roads requires special care - a car will perform differently when braking and turning on dirt.
Under no circumstances exceed 80km/h on dirt roads; if you go faster you won't have enough time to respond to a sharp
turn, stock on the road, or an unmarked gate or cattle grid. Take it easy and take time to see the sights.
It's important to note that when it rains, some roads flood. Flooding is a real problem up north because of cyclonic
storms. Exercise extreme caution at wet times, especially at the frequent yellow 'Floodway' signs. If you come to a
stretch of water and you're not sure of the depth or what could lie beneath it, pull up at the side of the road and walk
through it (excluding known saltwater-crocodile areas, such as the Pentecost River crossing on the Gibb River Road!).
Even on major highways, if it has been raining you can sometimes be driving through 30cm or more of water for hun-
dreds of metres at a time.
Mainroads
( 13 81 38;
www.mainroads.wa.gov.au
) provides statewide road-condition reports, updated daily (and
more frequently if necessary).
