What is the longest drive you've done ?

I've never done a really long drive. So maybe this will be a crazy idea.

We are planning a trip from Brisbane to visit friends in Perth.
If it were possible to drive non-stop it would take about 60 hours using the coastal route Hwy 1.

Obviously that is not possible so we're planning to drive about 4 hours a day so should take roughly 18 days. We will spend 3 or 4 days not driving at all got staying in towns that sound interesting, like Coober Pedy where there are opal mines, you can visit, and wineries in the Barrosa valley. Things like that.

On the way back home we aim to go round the top end of Australia.
This would take 90 hours in one hit as it's longer. But we will take about 30 days to get back doing the same sort of thing.
Aiming to do this in our winter (June) as the trip home through the northern tropics would be too hot and humid in summer. (Top third of Oz is tropical)
Total driving time over 150 hours to circumnavigate Australia.

Has anyone done any long drives like this, any advice, tips etc. ?

View attachment 34968
Similar to yours as started in Darwin and same route via Perth to Sydney. Have to admit I was done by then, first kangaroo I ever saw I unfortunately hit as it jumped out in front of me at night and decided to leave my clapped out car at Sydney airport and head back to civilisation in Indonesia ;-) Too many Aussies for my liking on that continent

Broome and Melbourne for me if I headed back and a cappuccino in Freemantle in between -
 
few years back my wife and i drove from Boston, cape cod, new hampshire, vermont maine then flew to san fran down the pacific highway over to vegas up thru death valley to mammoth lakes.

It was a great trip, every states like a different country in the US
 
few years back my wife and i drove from Boston, cape cod, new hampshire, vermont maine then flew to san fran down the pacific highway over to vegas up thru death valley to mammoth lakes.

It was a great trip, every states like a different country in the US
Some States are like a different planet :)
 
Similar to yours as started in Darwin and same route via Perth to Sydney. Have to admit I was done by then, first kangaroo I ever saw I unfortunately hit as it jumped out in front of me at night and decided to leave my clapped out car at Sydney airport and head back to civilisation in Indonesia ;-) Too many Aussies for my liking on that continent

Broome and Melbourne for me if I headed back and a cappuccino in Freemantle in between -
Bogans everywhere
 
I've never done a really long drive. So maybe this will be a crazy idea.

We are planning a trip from Brisbane to visit friends in Perth.
If it were possible to drive non-stop it would take about 60 hours using the coastal route Hwy 1.

Obviously that is not possible so we're planning to drive about 4 hours a day so should take roughly 18 days. We will spend 3 or 4 days not driving at all got staying in towns that sound interesting, like Coober Pedy where there are opal mines, you can visit, and wineries in the Barrosa valley. Things like that.

On the way back home we aim to go round the top end of Australia.
This would take 90 hours in one hit as it's longer. But we will take about 30 days to get back doing the same sort of thing.
Aiming to do this in our winter (June) as the trip home through the northern tropics would be too hot and humid in summer. (Top third of Oz is tropical)
Total driving time over 150 hours to circumnavigate Australia.

Has anyone done any long drives like this, any advice, tips etc. ?

View attachment 34968

What a trip that would be, I hope you enjoy every bump on the road mate.

Take a baseball bat though because you are sure to come across numerous insects and animals that can kill you ;)
 
I was supposed to go ou to the USA last year to do a cross-USA drive with my son, who was moving back to Pittsburgh from Phoenix. That's 2,100 miles and because he had their dog with him, he wanted to do it as quickly as possible, so the more drivers, the better.

Obviously I couldn't go but his father-in-law flew out from Pittsburgh on Saturday morning and arrived about lunchtime, got in the car then started the drive back. They arrived just over 48 hours later, so mid-afternoon on the Monday. On the Sunday, driving all day in 2 hours stints each, they covered over 1,000 miles, with 500 miles covered on each of the two days either side.

So, looking at some of your stories, what kept you slowcoaches?
 
I was supposed to go ou to the USA last year to do a cross-USA drive with my son, who was moving back to Pittsburgh from Phoenix. That's 2,100 miles and because he had their dog with him, he wanted to do it as quickly as possible, so the more drivers, the better.

Obviously I couldn't go but his father-in-law flew out from Pittsburgh on Saturday morning and arrived about lunchtime, got in the car then started the drive back. They arrived just over 48 hours later, so mid-afternoon on the Monday. On the Sunday, driving all day in 2 hours stints each, they covered over 1,000 miles, with 500 miles covered on each of the two days either side.

So, looking at some of your stories, what kept you slowcoaches?
Haha, I’ve done the Des Moines drive a couple of times straight through, almost 17 hrs. Got pulled over one night 30 odd miles from home, the cop asked me what he could smell in the truck, I said coffee breath and farts. We had a chuckle and he ran from the truck probably gagging
 
At Cedar Hammock in Naples, Florida, 345 yards on a par 4 with a little help from the cart path. Impressed the guys on the green
 
Bill my only advice is DO visit Coober Pedy and the Barossa Valley.

I lived in Adelaide for 5 months and that was a highlight. Long enough journey from the wine town of Nuriootpa to thee Adelaide coast !

At the end of 5 months we took a 2 week Greyhound coach back to Sydney via Alice Springs, Mt Isa, Townsville and Canberra. Air conditioning broke somewhere north of Alice, Hell on earth.
Coober Pedy, where people live in caves it’s so hot. Our hostel was underground. They filmed Pitch Black there. I think the spaceship is still there.
 

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