Things that could make your trip safer and easier

We all need to take more caution when traveling on any outback roads.  Especially in Australia as the towns are very spread out in the northern and central areas.  You could travel several hundred kilometers between fuel stops and in some cases a thousand kilometers before obtaining any mechanical help.

Therefore you need to make sure that your vehicles whether you are traveling in a car towing a caravan or camper or just a four wheel drive.

Here are a couple of things that we bought to make sure we have that added protection if trouble does come our way.

In the above picture I have put these all together on dashboard to show them clearer.  As most people are aware the mobile phones are virtually useless in many areas in Australia.  Once you leave a town and drive out about 5 kilomoters your phone will show "no service".

This is so annoying.  So for our own peace of mind and also for our kids satisfaction we bought ourselves a Spot Messenger (shown in center).  This records our every movement and our friends and family know where we are at any given time.

We turn it on before leaving and turn it off when we camp.  So they can look on our internet link and know where we are.  If we have a mechanical problem we press the help button and our daughter receives a message to say we need help.  She can then activate a tow truck or something similar to help us.

If there is a serious accident then we press the 911 button which sends a message to America who then contact Canberra and assistance is then sent to us.  So if you are thinking of doing a lot of outback travel this may be of use to you.  Plus you can have a record of your trip on your website.

The camera on the left is mounted on the  dashboard to record anything on our travels.  It is a great way to record bad drivers in case of an accident and many city drivers are using now for this reason. We bought it mainly because we were fed up with trying to take movies while moving in the car and we would nearly always take more of the dashboard than anything outside the window.

This also gives you an idea of what condition the roads you travel are like.  Bumpy roads show up real well with the movement.

Lastly a GPS is another essential thing in which to navigate your way around strange cities.  This one is a Magellan Explorist XL which we are still trying to learn how to use. This one does not interact and talk to you  So we also have a Garmin which is interactive and does talk to you.  Explaining where to turn etc especially if you get lost.

No you do not need all of these but they do make long trips more pleasant and give you more peace of mind at the same time when driving in the outback.

Esperance is Western Australia’s Bay of Isles

Esperance is known in Western Australia as the Bay of Isles for its beautiful white sandy beaches. Beautiful scenic views along its coastline overlook the many small islands. Many painters have tried to capture the color of the rocky outcrops with a backdrop to the outstanding blue of the ocean.

Pink Lake is truly a beautiful sight to behold with its dense saltwater that reflects the sunrise and sunset and yes it really is a pink lake.

Esperance is situated 721 kilometers from the Capital of Perth and a four hour drive from Kalgoorlie. Therefore it attracts many travelers on holidays, south from Kalgoorlie to its glorious beaches and fishing resorts.

The Esperance Museum

Esperance can boast that they have part America’s Space project in there Museum after it landed there in the 1970’s. It sits alongside many of their older farming equipment used on farms in the area. Even today, it produces wheat, sheep and cattle from it many farms as well as a healthy living from tourism. Tourists are attracted to Esperance by its beautiful white sandy beaches, and its fishing industry.

Twilight Cove, Salmon Bay are two of the must see beaches of these southern shores; also visit many of the smaller islands around the coast. Woody Island is open to the public via a ferry from Esperance. This area has a profusion of wildlife, as well as sea lions, dolphins, seals, sea eagles and also whales can be seen as they migrate to their southern most breeding areas.

Cape Le Grand National Park is well worth a look and offers the keen walkers a choice of different tracks to enjoy depending on how fit they are you could take a six to eight kilometer trail.

The Great Ocean drive takes a circular loop covering 38 kilometers along the beautiful shores and past the wind farms at Salmon beach. This is one your must see things to do while in this stunning town.

Esperance has a lot to offer the tourist to their town although at times it can be a very windy place even though it is so beautiful.

Crossing the Nullabor Plains

This is the longest straightest roads in Australia, the word Nullabor means no trees. That is exactly what most of this road crossing from one side of Australia to the other is like. This is a very dry barren land in summer and wet and dangerous in winter or after rain. If you are thinking of stopping by the side of the road, off the main bitumen surface after rain then think again. You will sink into the red earth very quick and may become bogged.read more