Overlanding: the only way to authentically experience Outback Australia. Overlanding is self-reliant travel in remote destinations where the journey is generally the principal goal of the trip. This means days spent forging your way through creek crossings, bumping along heavily corrugated dirt tracks and kicking up clouds of red bull dust. Evenings are spent setting up camp, cooking up a bush dinner and sleeping under the breathtaking night sky.

Think the Outback is just a whole load of nothing? Think again. You will pass through some of the most barren yet beautiful scenery imaginable. Incredible rock formations, pristine beaches, natural cooling waterholes, vast salt lakes and a diverse range of wildlife (from kangaroos, camels and emus to snakes, eagles and dingos) can all be found in the Outback.

 

Route

Choosing Your Route

The first step in your planning process is obviously deciding on a route. There are plenty of great overlanding books available that suggest and describe routes (we used ‘4WD Adventures’ by Hema Maps) as well as a plethora of information online. I have written about our overlanding expeditions, which you can find here (Red Centre).  There are infrequent opportunities to resupply with fuel and food in the Outback, so it’s crucial you know where these stops are and the distance between them.

Permits

A lot of tracks (such as the popular Mereenie Loop road) require permits – make sure that you know how and where you can purchase these before you set off. As a general rule: any track that goes onto Aboriginal land and most tracks that go through National Parks will require a permit. You can find information on permits here.

Road Conditions

Each state provides up-to-date reports online about road closures and conditions. You can find a handy list of these websites here. Remember to check on road conditions before you start your expedition: there is little-to-no signal in the majority of the Outback. Most tracks also have a signpost at either end letting you know if the road is open or not. However, not all tracks have these signs, and just because a track is open does not necessarily mean it will be in good condition. Finally, talk to other travellers! They are generally a friendly bunch who are more than happy to swap information on routes and conditions.

 

Vehicle

Although some unsealed Outback roads are passable in a 2WD, these journeys will be more fun and safe with a 4WD. Additionally, a 2WD will limit you to the more tame tracks and only then in good conditions. Having a proper 4WD set up for overlanding is the best way to get the most out of your expedition, regardless of the route you have chosen.

For visitors to Australia, or those who don’t own a 4WD, you can rent suitable kitted-out vehicles. But be aware: most car hire companies will not allow you to take their cars (even 4WDs) on unsealed roads. You must find a company that specifically allows this. We used Wicked Campers, which we found to be less expensive than the other companies.

Vehicle Considerations

• 4WD – necessary for proper overlanding.

• High clearance – essential on rough ground. 

• Off road tyres – light truck tyres are best.

• Snorkel – after rain, creeks can run fast and deep (remember to walk through any water you intend to drive through first – if you can’t walk through it, don’t attempt to cross it in your vehicle)

• Recovery gear – jack, spare tyre (many people bring two), compressor, traction mats for sand and mud, shovel.
  

• Air conditioning – to keep the heat and dust out.

• External jerry can holder – more on this later.
  

 

You may want to consider underbody protection if the ground you will be covering is particularly rough, and a winch for rescue. Auxiliary lighting on the exterior of the vehicle will make setting up camp in the dark much easier and driving in the dark a bit safer.

 

Camping Gear 

The most important part of overloading is having somewhere to sleep! There are an abundance of sleeping systems available from the traditional swags to fully electric roof tents. Your choice will depend largely on how much you are willing to spend. 

When it comes to cooking, you must embrace simplicity. The best thing to use is a two-burner gas stove.  This will allow you to boil and fry with relative ease without having to light an open fire and accidentally setting fire to your bush camp. To enjoy the Outback sunsets and your delicious bush dinners, you will want a lightweight, easy to set up camping table and comfortable chairs. Make sure these can be stored easily within your vehicle and expect them to end up covered in red dust!

This is not an exhaustive list – feel free to vary according to your own style. Many people use an off-road trailer, caravan or campervan, which come with their own set-ups. However, these may limit you on some of the more difficult tracks

 

Supplies

Water

You should carry at least 6 litres of potable water per person, per day though you may need considerably more than this for washing and cleaning. You can buy 10 litre boxes of water from any major supermarket (and many roadhouses) or you can fill up your own containers. Water purification is pretty much useless as there is very little ground water for most of the year. 

Food

The food that you choose to bring will largely depend on your cooking set-up. If you don’t have a fridge in your vehicle, be aware that not all roadhouses offer ice. You will need to bring long-life and dehydrated foods.  We brought a mixture of quick and easy dehydrated meals, and fresh meat and vegetables. You will be surprised how much you can cook on a gas stove! Make sure you being enough fuel for your stove as this won’t be available outside of towns.

Fuel

I strongly recommend carrying extra fuel in externally stored jerry cans . This will save money (unsurprisingly fuel is very expensive out in the middle of nowhere) and allow you to drive longer stretches where there are no fuel pumps.

However, this is not always an option! We planned to carry jerry cans of fuel, but upon picking up our hire car that it did not have anywhere to store them. We briefly considered putting the jerry cans in the back of the car, but some quick research assured us that this was a terrible idea (petrol vapour = explosions!). Instead, I spent the first few legs of the journey meticulously calculating the fuel consumption of the car fully-loaded in order to determine how many kilometres we could safely cover between fuel stops…

Stuff

Here is a quick checklist of items that I used to make sure we had everything we would need (but nothing more!)

• Fly nets – in the Outback, there is either wind and no flies or flies and no wind. Even in Winter, we were frequently swarmed by the annoying little critters.

• Suncream and sunhat – absolutely necessary, regardless of season. The thinned ozone layer above Australia allows in more UV radiation. This means you can get sunburnt even when it’s not overtly sunny or hot. I recommend using at least factor 30. 
  

• Good boots – if you want to go bush walking, bring a pair of decent hiking boots. These also reduce the chances of getting bitten by a snake or spider. 

• Baby wipes – these will be your best friend. The desert dust gets everywhere. 

• Emergency communication device – some people choose to use CB radios, but these are not a failsafe as they only work if there’s someone within 10km to communicate with. We carried a satellite communicator (the Garmin inReach). EPIRBs and sat phones can be rented from some of the car hire companies. 

• Alcohol! – if you want to relax in the evenings with a cold beer or a glass of the local red wine, bring it with you. There are very limited opportunities in the Outback to purchase alcohol. Be aware: some Aboriginal communities have alcohol restrictions in place.