So I'm doing a road trip Bris->Newcastle...

[Hunter]

Well, looks I'm going to do the great australian road trip (no, not the one old people do in caravans, much shorter than that) and going to drive from Brisbane to Newcastle. This will probably be the longest drive I've ever done and I generally have it all worked out including carrying a few minor spares/consumables (e.g. serpentine belt, coolant, oil, etc) but anything else to take/do before I head off? I'm planning to renew/update the first aid kit (yes, I do have one) and maybe buy some of those orange triangle things that some dude goes on about around here . Does the EL Falcon still cook the battery on very long drives (my cousin's EB used to do this and they did lots of country driving)?

I'm heading off probably in a month or two as I need to go to a wedding so I do have a bit of time to get my EL into shape (I would not trust it right now, the wheels could literally fall off due to worn suspension components).

Any ideas on what to do if it breaks down in the middle of woop-woop? Would RACQ membership be of any use in such a situation? I mean as far as I know, in Brisbane metro they only cover the first 25 odd km for free, then its megabucks. If the unfortunate happens and the Falcon shits itself, what options do you have to get the thing home for a reasonable price?

If anyone could help me out that'd be great. There will probably be at lerast two of us (myself and my partner) on the trip so we can break up the driving and we will prob. go to Sydney as well.

Cheers,

Hunter

[banarcus]

Hmm call RACQ. They will then tell you that they are affiliated with the NRMA.

[BIGDOG]

Check out your RACQ membership details. Different membersip types have better benifits. I think with top cover you can get your car towed home for free if it can't be repaired in a short time. Also there are hire car benifits. I know NRMA have a service on ther web site were you can map out and print up a step by step map from GO to WHOW and it is excellent

First long trip ah good on you-Take your time-Be alert-Stop and take a break
Plan on about 10 hrs so don't try to do in 5 or 7 Be sensible.

As the saying goes DRIVE TO ARRIVE is true

Other than that have a good trip

BIGDOG

[Luke Plaizier]

You'll be right.

If it were me, I'd take some detours inland via the hinterland escarpment, get your self to Armidale, then head to Walcha and come down Thunderbolts and via Buckets Way.

Some of the best drives in the country up and down the escarpment. The Oxley Highway is another one from Port Macquarie to Walcha.

Otherwise, to kepp within mobile range and to make the trip quick, the Pacific Highway is a no-brainer. But you can come down the New England highway all the way taking about the same time. The New England is often a good way to avoid the horrendous traffic over Easter and Chrissy/new Years.

And I mean Horrendous. When all of Sydney decides to head north and south, it'll add about 2 hours to the journey just to get north of Karua, or later in the holiday, to head south over the Hexham Bridge. It can be a nightmare.

And I'm a newcastle boy, so I've done the Pacific and New England journeys quite a few times in my lifetime. Even in an old clapped out Corolla years ago, where an extra bottle of water was my best friend.


Lukeyson

[Pedro]

Unless it's imperative to go by car ... don't. It's much cheaper to fly. Jetstar are currently offering fares to Newcastle for $59 and I've flown there a couple of times for $49 with Virgin.

If you have to go by car, don't worry about it. There's no great drama, it's the same as going to the shops, except it takes a bit longer. I've done the Gold Coast to Sydney trip many times in ZL & NA Fairlanes and an EL Falcon, all with lots of K's under the belt and never had any problems. In fact the NA had done 280,000 km's.

[Fairlane]

Hunter man, take the Pacific youll do it easy after Easter. I wouldnt worry about any detours or whatever they wont have signal coverage. Plus on the pacific their are NRMA stations at regular intervals, so you wont be charged an arm and a leg for towing.

In the cool weather on the highway the old falcons really shine and you should easily knock it over in 10 hours. I did the trip several times in my old EL and the only time i had a problem was on a 44 degree day in 04, when the car heated up through Coffs, but on the open road it was all sweet.

[Addz08]

In my EL, i drove straight thorough from brisbane to proserpine only stopping for fuel which took 11hrs and had no probs with the battery over-heating, you might wanna get the car checked out

[eb_5litre]

Dont do the back roads, as stated previously you'll get intermittent mobile coverage, greater distance from NRMA and in some cases completely crap roads (eg Bucketts Way).

[ed taxi]

hey guys like we all say stick to the hway Numero one. joke
hyway is more like a a rd in the uk. bris to balina a good rd,
balina to grafton not so good. grafton to coffs boring. coff to port macq long. port to newcastle good if not the school hols or major public hols/long weekends.
i will be doing it soon my self wife in the xr6 and me in the ef2 giha with trailer on and dog in the back. thats mackay to port macq.

done caboulture to portie heaps zk, xd, mq patrol,festiva, and the mighty ef 2 the only drama was in a dato 260 z but that was losing 5th and reverse. easy fix with right tools.

dont worry its a breeze.
giles

[mrnsx]

take a GPS with you and plenty of coffee

[mik]

some things i`d rather not do on the side of the road like serpentine belts, i bought a newey and fitted it at home before i left, much easier than breakin out the spanners on the side of the road, a good cooling system check and tyre inspection and all fluid levels, should be plain sailing,.......... port macqaurrie awesome place if you have time.

[Bill_R]

Take the Pacific.
Since this is your first trip I'd consider stopping overnight and takign your time and enjoying it instead of jsut going from place A to place B. Woolgoolga is a nice littel place to stop over and not far from Coffs - probably about 1/2 way. There's also a nice little van park (Big River Cravan Park) by the river on the way into Port Maquarie.

The road works at Ocean Shores - Brunswick will annoy you. It's 60 k and watch out. Watch the speed camera going up the hill jsut west of Byron - in particular on the way back when you come from 80 km/h and then down to what seems a ridiculous 60.


What exactly is "wrong" with your car that you are worried about breaking down?

A well maintained car *should* be ok with it. Usual checks of tyre pressure (including the spare), oil, coolant etc. RACQ and NRMA have reciprocal agreements so you are covered but for what and what benefits you get might depend on the level of cover you have - check. With soem cover you can even get overnigh accomodation if you break down when travelling and there is a line for almost any sort of help.

Go for a spin down to Byron or somehwere before hand and get a taste of what you'll expect.

[Creampuff]

Watch for lots of cameras at Coffs Harbour. I drove last year..it took 9 hours with breaks. If unsure of car..hire a car for the weekend,split by 2 it should be reasonable.

[Hunter]

Thanks to all those who replied - appreciate the tips so far, the longest I've driven ever was from Brisbane to Hervey Bay... the caravans and smartarse gits in overtaking lanes speeding up so you can't pass ****ed me off tho!

There's nothing too wrong with my car but I'm concerned that it will pick the worst possible time/place to break down - it generally has provided me with fault-free driving but the one time it did break down was doing 120 km/h down the pacific motorway on the way to the gold coast for a weekend and it blew the radiator side tank open just as I passed Mt Gravatt. Couldn't work out why the truck behind me kept trying to pass :. Had to get it towed home ($70) then get our other (and until then presumed less reliable) car.

We're definately going to split the driving, probably 60/40 and I will be taking the day before off so I can rest up as much as possible. I had also thought today(before reading here) that it would be a good idea to take it on a couple hundred km trip before just to make sure its fairly stable.

Pedro: Flying is still an option but we want to do the road trip for fun . That and I always seem to get seated next to some stinky wierdo on planes :