How to Prepare Your Car for an Australian Road Trip
My practical pre trip checklist for tyres, battery, fluids, navigation, emergency supplies and the extra gear I carry when heading into the bush, onto 4WD tracks or the beach.
One of the easiest mistakes to make when preparing for a road trip is treating every trip the same. I don't. What I carry for a weekend away on sealed country roads is very different from what goes into the MUX if I am heading into a state forest, onto a 4WD track or down a beach. The further I get from easy access to fuel, phone reception and roadside assistance, the more self sufficient I want to be. My approach is pretty simple. Prepare the vehicle for the drive. Prepare for the terrain at the destination. And prepare yourself in case something goes wrong and help takes longer to arrive than expected. This is the checklist I use for my own Australian road trips, based on what I have learnt travelling in the MUX, driving on beaches and heading into forests and 4WD areas. My basic pre trip vehicle check Before most trips, I start with the vehicle itself. I check: Tyre condition and pressures Spare tyre condition and pressure Engine oil level Coolant level Brake master cylinder fluid level Battery health Headlights, brake lights and indicators Windscreen washer fluid Fuel I also make sure my handheld UHF is charged and that I have plenty of drinking water with me. If I am heading into a forest, onto 4WD tracks, down a beach or somewhere more remote, the list gets longer. The point is not to carry everything you own every time you leave home. Think about where you are going, what could realistically go wrong and how long you might need to look after yourself before help arrives. 1. Start with your tyres Tyres are one of the first things I check. For highway travel, I generally set the MUX up for highway economy, typically around 40 psi, depending on load and conditions. That does not mean I leave them at 40 psi for the entire trip. If I reach tracks where lower pressures are appropriate, I might reduce them to around 25 psi. If I am heading onto the beach, I normally start around 18 psi and can drop towards 15 psi if the sand is particularly soft. Those numbers are not universal recommendations. Vehicle weight, tyre construction, load, speed and terrain all affect the appropriate pressure. The important point is that your tyre pressure needs to suit the surface you are driving on. If you are…