What’s the best direction to travel around Australia? Clockwise or anticlockwise?
What’s the best way to travel around Australia? Clockwise or Anticlockwise?
Once you’ve made the decision to go, it’s time to get down to some of the more practical aspects of the journey, and probably the first big one you’ll want to consider is which way to turn when you drive out the driveway – will you travel clockwise or anti clockwise around Australia.
You may actually not be planning to travel around the whole country but even so the decision still applies.
Many argue that anticlockwise is best because you will mostly have the wind behind you and if you’re towing a caravan then wind resistance is going to be a big factor in fuel economy.
I have to say that we travelled clockwise and we didn’t have any more headwinds than tail winds so from my experience I’m yet to be convinced of this theory. Please feel free to share you’re own experience in the comments below as I’m interested in finding out if there really is a difference one way or another.
Other factors which are probably more important are when you leave and where you start from.
In order to maximise the weather you want to spend the middle 6 months of the year (April to September) travelling across the north of Australia between Broome and Cairns or visa versa. This is the time of year in the north they call the ‘Dry Season’ when temperatures are milder, generally in the high twenties to mid thirties, the humidity is much lower and rain falls very occasionally so the roads are generally all open. It’s the best time to be there if you’re looking for the milder climate and almost guaranteed access on any roads. It also coincides with winter in the southern half of the country which you are possibly trying to escape from. On our Big Lap we saw no rain at all from about halfway up the west coast until we were almost at the tip of Cape York 7 or 8 months later.
The dry season is also a good time to be in and around the Red Centre (Alice Springs, Uluru etc.) with the daytime temperatures in the high teens to high 20’s and the nights often approach zero degrees. If the extreme night time cold is not to your liking then Spring (Sept-Nov) and Autumn (March-May) are the best times to be in the centre where you’ll be nicely between the extreme heat of summer and the freezing nights of winter.
The other 6 months of the year between October and March is the ‘Wet Season’ in the north which is also called the ‘Green Season’. The weather is much hotter and more humid and thunder storms are generally a daily occurrence. Rivers flood and roads are closed so getting around can be a challenge as well. All of the sealed highways will likely remain open but detouring off to any of the attractions will become a less predictable.
This is a good time to be in the southern half of the country enjoying summer.
But . . . having said that, if you’re up for it, try and get up north in the Wet at some stage because it really is an amazing thing to experience. The heat is unbelievable and the air thick with humidity but the rainstorms are truly spectacular and the waterfalls and rivers and wetlands are all in flood and thick with birds, insects and other wildlife. Many tour business’s and hotels remain open and will appreciate showing you the true spectacle of the northern wet season. You’ll probably find they offer some great deals as well.
Another thing to consider when deciding which way to go is to start your trip with the easier more ‘civilised’ travelling and work your way up to the more adventurous sections as you get more experience.
So when deciding which way to go, consider the weather and the time of year, saving the hard stuff until later in the trip and, if you think it makes a difference, the prevailing wind directions.
The most important thing is to be aware of the weather you’re likely to experience at different times in different places and factor it into your plan so you have the best chance of maximizing the experience.
Find out more about typical weather patterns here:
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/
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Hi. We are leaving Vic early April for half lap for 3 months of Aussie focussing on Kimberies in May. Do we go anti clockwise and possibly face uncomfy hot weather or clockwise and battle strong westerlies. We have 20ft6 van and near new diesel 4×4. Would appreciate your comments.Regards David T
Hi David, good question. I’m assuming you’re going through the centre and via the west coast? In April – June you won’t see much hot weather anywhere along that path. The weather will be pretty much perfect in the Kimberley in May so you can rely on that. I think the bigger question is do you want to be in the south west on your way back during winter where you’ll likely get a fair but of rain and cold, or coming down the centre where it will be cold at night but mild days (mostly).
I think I’d go clockwise and be in the south west in April before winter sets in and be in the centre in June.
For the sake of possibly a few days of head winds across the nullarbor on your way over I reckon missing as much winter as possible would be the better option.
Hubbie and I are setting off caravanning end April to NT and WA for 6 months. Live in Sydney and wondering where to head first. Recently returned from Flinders/Broken Hill region. Do we head that way again? What would you suggest please.
Hi Steve. My husband and I are travelling in south east Asia and New Zealand for a month each before arriving in Oz for another 4 weeks. We’ll be there end of December and plan to spend New Year in Sydney. We’d like to see the Whitsunday Islands, Great Barrier Reef and Melbourne (ideally including the Australian Open). I’m a bit worried about the amount of rain in the north at that time of year. Would it be ok to spend a few days at the Whitsundays? thanks for your advice.
Hi Claire, rain in January in the Whitsundays will be hard to avoid. I was working on one if the resort islands many years ago over Xmas and New Years and we actually had a cyclone come through so spent Xmas mopping up. However this is not the normal situation and the Whitsundays are not fully in the tropics so you’ll be likely to get plenty of sun and it won’t be cold. If I were you I would go anyway and if you get a bit of rain here and there just take it as part of the experience an sit in the bar enjoying another cocktail.
my partner and i are leaving soon we ant to travel anti clockwise any thing we should know and do?
hi guys my partner and i are beginning our journey end of october start of november , we are looking at going north we know its going to be hot and wet season but some beautiful things to see that time of the year .
has anyone travelled north that time of the year before and can give us any information on find work , fuel etc.
regards
stacey
Travelling across the north of Australia during the wet (November to March) is spectacular and not crowded and very hot and humid but you will need to be concious of road closures. Many unsealed roads are closed for months during the wet eg. Cape York, Gibb River Road etc. You may need to be calling ahead to local business’s or checking the road and traffic websites of the state you’re in to see what roads are open/closed.
Any fuel service on a road that is open should still be running. Finding work may be more of a challenge especially in tourism oriented business’s that are running on lower tourist numbers. I’d call ahead to the local Centrelink or other job services and just have a chat to them about what is going.
HI Steve,
we are planning to leave with our young family in February to travel with 4WD and caravan around Australia for the year. WE are complete novices but hope to learn along the way. Wondering if you can give us some advice about an itinerary and where to go first according to weather patterns.
Thanks
Hi Guys, Where are you starting from in Feb?
Hi Steve,
My partner and I are planning a trip exploring the east coast from cooktown to Melbourne over 3 months, we are reasonable well equipt with a hilux and a top end campertrailer even tho we plan to stay in mostly caravan parks, we live on the gold coast and were thinking about heading north in August and heading back down and traveling south by mid September, if we manage to sell our house prior we might take a lot longer, do you have any suggestions or expert opinions for us, and places you recommend or things we wouldn’t have thought of taking? It’s always good to hear from someone with experience!
Hi Rhys,
Sounds like a great trip you have lined up there. August/September is a good time of year to be travelling – not too hot or too cold. If I were to offer some suggestions, why not go all the way to the tip of Cape York? You’ve got a 4WD and camper trailer so you’ll get there easily enough. As long as you’re heading back down from the cape by around October before the rains start you’ll be fine and heading south into spring and summer. As far as what to take, all I’d say is take less than you think you need because you don’t want to spend your time a managing ‘stuff’. You’re on the east coast so plenty of opportunity to buy anything you really need but think ‘less is more’. If I had a favorite place to go on the east coast it would be Airlie Beach. Beautiful little town and a great base camp to get out and explore the Whitsundays on one boat or another. Also make sure you get out to Stockton Beach in Newcastle. Drop into Out of Town 4WD and say g’day to Fred and the boys. Have a great trip.
Cheers
Steve
Hi Steve,
We are planning the trip next year with others. Originally we were going clockwise from Central Coast of NSW but have decided to go anti-clockwise due to weather across the top (we plan to leave late April) as you have stated but also to catch the wild flowers in WA on the way down the coast in Spring.
I enjoyed reading the other comments.
Happy travelling, Geoff
I think you have given a lot of good advice. We have done it both ways, and would recommend doing it a second time the opposite way after a few years. The aspect from the different direction makes it a whole new trip, especially across the top. We were only new at it when we first went in 1996, but soon learned the ropes. Just to feel more secure, only bush camp where there are other travellers who look a respectable type of person. Enjoy.
G’Day Steve,
The wife and I are seriously looking at a trip around Australia; we are in our Mid 40s and are going to sell the house & the business and head off, with no time frame in mind,
Just wondering if you could advise on what average cost of fuel would be to travel our beautiful country? Just a total estimate would be fine. We’ll be in a motor home averaging 12/14 ltrs
per 100km.
We are also considering doing a working trip, picking up a few days here and there, in different towns. Do you think this would be possible?
My wife had a few concerns about being on the road so far away from civilization, ie Crimes on travellers, Have you had any problems or know of any places that we could avoid.
Sorry to be a pain with all the questions, Just our first time doing anything like this.
It would be awesome to catch up with other travellers on or journey.
We are so excited and are looking at starting as soon as we sell
G’day Shane,
Great to hear you’re planning your trip.
If you just travel around the coast you’ll probably cover around 30,000km which at 14 ltr/100 km would be 4,200 litres.
Expect to pay on average about 30 cents per litre more than city prices which are currently about $1.50 ltr, so work on $1.80 ltr.
4,200 x $1.80 = $7,560
I’d probably budget about $10,000 just to be safe.
Casual work can be easy to find if you ask around. Caravan parks in remote areas are often looking for people to help out for odd jobs, caretaking, etc. and they will also be able to point you in the right direction for local seasonal work like fruit picking.
If you have a trade you’ll find it easier.
Crime is not as much an issue as you might think and shouldn’t deter you from going. If you’re concerned about it, just stay in caravan parks with other people around rather than bush camping or roadside stops and don’t leave things lying around where they are easily taken. IN 16 months travelling around the country we lost nothing to thieves even though it would have been very easy to take stuff from our camp, nor did we hear of anyone else.
You’ll have no problems meeting other people along the way. We met literally hundreds. In fact you’ll often keep meeting the same people over and over when you check into the same caravan parks.
Enjoy your trip.
Cheers
Steve
Thanks Steve,
That’s awesome info, we are so excited and would love to send you some photos of our trip, I’m sure you are inundated everyday with other pics,
We’ll keep you update you on how our adventure pans out.
Keep up the great work bud. Love the web site
Shane & Leisa.
No worries Shane. Upload some pics to our Facebook page http://facebook.com/expeditionaustralia
Hi Steve,
Good advice. For some reason, and I have no idea why, I always think of travelling in a clockwise direction. I think at the end of the day, it would depend on how long I was going for, where I wanted to spend my time, and the time of year.
Cheers,
Greg