Why not get a trailer to carry all your stuff?


You won't need a 4WD unless you head off road or it starts raining and you are driving on dirt roads that have no base.

^^^^ what is that a ride from Cuba?

Kozzie quick answer I reckon 2wd will get you that far. We drove 2wd up from perth to Exmouth too, and could safely get to beach some '4wd' tracks but not others.

Sleeping on east coast difficult, you will get moved on. Best van for stealth would have no windows in back ,tradie type not camper type. Still pretty obvious tho if you're parked up somewhere at 2am.

Basecurve said...

Also dad would pack us up each August school holidays in the EH in the 60s for a road trip to Sydney when alot ofthe Nullabor was unsealed.

Now you would have some good stories from those trips Basecurve?

Yes if you do a rear diff in you can lock the hubs and get home. The clearance of a 4wd is much higher than a 2wd.
80 litres of water min
Long range fuel tanks or 40 litres of fuel spare.
Tools for basic breakdown resolution.Compressor/ recovery gear with spares.
There is No phone reception or help In remote areas of Australia if you decide go go off-road. You will perish quite quickly due to underpreperation.

Lol a 2wd will get you far untill the cyclone/flood warning hit and you realize how isolated you are,Looking at the cats eyes on the road with water over the bonnet even in a 4wd with a snorkel is scary.

Take the Bush in Aus serious Kozzie.


A 2wd is sufficient on tarmac but if you going to skip caravan parks and be camping a 4wd is a must.
If you do get either its a necessity to have Turn key reliability!

Kozzie said...

Hay all, i really need help decideing on what vehicle to buy for a year long trip around australia.

I will be living in it and itll be used to get me to all the hiking gliding kiteing spots around oz.

All the good kiteing (sic) spots are close to major cities, and have an asphalt road leading up to an asphalt carpark right in front of the kiteing (sic) spot.

Anywhere else does not exist. 2WD is fine.

Hi Kozzie,
4wd- although nice to have- is not an absolute necessity.
As long as you use some common sense regarding time of year- and check road conditions before travelling you can get practically anywhere.
Before going anywhere remote- call in at the police station or council office- they can give you a pretty up to date road report.
Get yourself a decent CB (with a good antennae) and ask oncoming truckies what the road ahead is like- we dont mind telling travellers about
dodgy roads, stray livestock, etc.
Something like a LWB toyota van would be ideal, with a roof basket to carry masts, sails, toys, (and if you see the light...landyachts)
Toyota's have the reputation for reliability and parts being available, but mitsubishi vans tend to be cheaper to buy initially.
"Wicked Campers" sell excess campers regularly for around 4 or 5 grand- not sure about condition- but after a lot of bad publicity a
few years ago, they really lifted thier game with maintenance of thier fleet.
As others have said- Gumtree have always got campervans listed by travellers and backpackers selling up before heading back overseas.
Prices seem pretty good.- most decked out and ready to go.

I would also recommend a trailer, 6 x 4, or 7 x 4 box,
if possible- have the trailer fitted with the same wheels and tyres that suit your vehicle- so spares are interchangable.
A trailer will give room for extra stuff like spare wheels, jerrycans, and water, with stuff stored in sturdy plastic crates (milk crates?) and cover the
whole trailer with a tarp so its contents are out of sight.
Keep us posted on your progress!

Stephen.

Yeah, righto pweeds.

Good tyre advice there. On the van they are 215 x 65 R 14s. Lots of volume in the tyre which allows for a wide range of pressures.

Probably a better truck than my van would be one of the later model Falcon RTV utes with a high canopy or a good campa trailer.

They have really good clearance, big wheels, tough suspension and I believe a diff lock.

Here is what one man has to say about his. You might be able to pick one up for $8-10G.

this is what you need ....

cisco said...
Yeah, righto pweeds.

Probably a better truck than my van would be one of the later model Falcon RTV utes with a high canopy or a good campa trailer.

Looked at those to replace the old vs ute. Probably a good unit but you've got to wonder about the design. 5.13 metres long but with a load length of only 1.843 metres ?

About 1.75 tonnes to carry 0.75 tonnes ?

Got to be a better design compromise between that and this.

Kozzie, best bit of advice I can give you is…….

When you are packing to go on your trip lay every thing you want to take out on the garage floor, split it all in half, put half back into your house, then repeat the process leaving your self with about a quarter of what you thought you would take. Security will be a big issue, take nothing of value, other than sporting gear of cause.


I did the around Australia trip about 25 years ago in an standard XD falcon, roof racks and box trailer, petrol price wasn't as much of an issue back then.
Drove into Kakadu one day knowing I wouldn't get very far in the falcon, it was so funny when still on a tar road I got to the first creek crossing that stopped my progress, the water was about 8 feet deep and none of the flash big 4wd's could cross either.

elhucko said... Traveled up the eastcoast in my landcruiser, through the snowy mountains and blue mountains in winter. And up to fraser island. There are plenty of roads u can't drive without 4wd.

Say, Elhucko - Blue Mts can be driven in any car at all.
Have been on many mid-winter overnight bushwalks in Kanangra-Boyd NP, driving via Mt Victoria and Jenolan Caves, in a Falcon or Camry. Similarly for the Snowy Mts on XC ski trips, but did carry chains.

Have you considered the option of using an Avanti Inc 3 commuter bicycle ??

It would go more places than a 4x4, and with lower fuel costs.

Only downside I can see is that it might be a little slower (although still quicker than a Hilux on the open road)

Dont buy a ford there peice of ****.