# Sydey to Perth - July/Aug 2011



## Scamp (Jul 24, 2009)

Greetings all.

I'm from the Washington DC area and I'm planning a trip to Australia for Summer, err I mean Winter (July-Aug) of 2011.

My son will be graduating high school in 2011 so I asked him: "Where in the world would you like to go to celebrate?"

His response: "How far can I go?"

So I pulled up Google Earth to find the Antipode  (the spot opposite us on the globe) and said to him. "That would be as far as you can go". Technically, the actual spot is out in the Indian Ocean but the closest land to the antipode is Cape Leeuwin (and the lighthouse) along the west coast of Australia. Which lead us to the seed of a travel plan:

Rent a Britz in Sydney and spend a couple of weeks driving along southern/western coast of Australia to Perth with a stop at Cape Leeuwin, and many other sites along the way (Melbourne, Adelaide, Nullarbor, The Bright, etc...)

We have a lot of planning to do with budgeting being first and foremost. I'm hoping to get a lot of inspiration from this site. In return I'll be posting details of our plans, and eventually a trip report, in the hopes that it will help future visitors.



mike said:


> Sounds interesting. How long do you have to spend in Australia?
> 
> Sydney to Perth via Melbourne is a very long trip! Checking out the distances involved should be your first point of action.


Granted, Australia is a big place. So let's run the numbers: 
Days in Australia: 14 
Days for driving: 12 (I'm leaving off two days for things car pickup, airport,etc...) 
Total Distance to Travel: 4,946km (3,073Miles) 
Ave Distance/Day: 412km (256 Miles) 
Ave Speed: 110km (70mph) - 110km is the speed limit in Western Australia and I'm not expecting much traffic outside the cities. 
Drive Time/Day: 3.7Hours (412km/110km) actual driving time. Bump that to 6 Hours/day driving to account for traffic, weather, etc... 
Time for sights: 6hours / day (on average)

If needed we can user one or two days for hard driving days (12 Hours+) to make up time.



Wanderer said:


> Welcone to the forum Scamp and as Mike says, it'll sure be a long trip
> Travelmate - Australia Accommodation and Hotels, Tours, Car Hire, Maps, Australian Travel Guide will help.


The Travelmate will come in handy. We are planning to rent a Campervan (Britz Bushcamper) and camp along the way. Winter temps average between 0 and 18c. Perfect for camping (at least to us).



Wanderer said:


> Not only is it a long way, about half will be across the Nullabor Plains, not much at all out there, and then at height of winter too!


Yes. There is a whole lot of nothing along the way. Strangely, that's a large part of what I'm looking forward to. Also I'm an avid amature astronomer and I'm gussing the night sky in the Nullabor is exceptional.



Wanderer said:


> What about a bit more geometry and going diametrically opposite across the continent, making northern Queensland and/or the Northern Territory a target, July/August a great time for heading that way, tropics in winter.


Can't do it. Visting the antipode (Leeuwin) is the central tennet of the trip. Also I'm looking forward to a visit to the Skylab roadhouse and even the worlds longest stretch of straight road.



Wanderer said:


> For budgeting, keep an eye out early next year for flight specials, July/August being low season months for heading down here and www.mobissimo.com sometimes runs Ads for Qantas and AirNZ.
> 
> In Australia, Cheap Flights, Qantas, Virgin Blue, Jetstar - Cheap Flights & Airfares - Compare Flights at Webjet - Webjet.com.au covers just about all airlines and Regional Express :: Home under products/services/promotions has a backpackers package but mainly for southern states, but one way or another, plenty of cheap travelling options about and a few mentioned on various threads in the travel section.


Will do.



Wanderer said:


> And don't forget you'll need a visa or ETA - Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) - Online Applications cheapest and you can do online.


Duly noted. Thanks.


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