Fuel prices are climbing through the stratosphere (Diesel $1.70 today in Adelaide), and fuel is probably going to be your single biggest expense on a "Big Lap" of oz so I figured I'd pass on these fuel saving tips forwarded to me by Robert Underwood, one of a our long term subscribers.

Hope they save you a few dollars at the bowser.

ONLY BUY OR FILL UP YOUR CAR OR BIKE IN THE EARLY MORNING WHEN THE GROUND TEMPERATURE IS STILL COLD.

Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground, the denser the fuel, when it gets warmer petrol expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening.... your litre is not exactly a litre. 

In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the petrol, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products play an important role. A one degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps. 

WHEN YOU'RE FILLING UP, DO NOT SQUEEZE THE TRIGGER OF THE NOZZLE TO A FAST MODE. 

If you look, you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. In slow mode, you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapours that are created, while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapour. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money. 

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TIPS IS TO FILL UP WHEN YOUR TANK IS HALF FULL. 

The reason for this is, the more fuel you have in your tank, the less air occupying its empty space. Petrol evaporates faster than you can imagine. Petroleum storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the petrol and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. 

Unlike service stations, delivery trucks are temperature compensated, so that every litre is actually the exact amount. 

IF THERE IS A FUEL TRUCK PUMPING INTO THE STORAGE TANKS, WHEN YOU STOP TO BUY, DO NOT FILL UP

Most likely the petrol/diesel is being stirred up as the fuel is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom. 

Hope, this will help you get the maximum value for your money.

Tim Reading emailed me and asked . . .

So what are the absolutely essential pieces of kit that you'll need on an "Around Oz" expedition?

Well of course everyone will have their own ideas on the subject but here is my list as a starting point.

1. Handheld GPS & Hema Road & 4WD Atlas

Over the past year or so we've seen a wave of new larger dash mount style GPS systems but personally I'm still in favour of the smaller handheld units like my

. Why? Because it does a great job in the car AND I can take it out and use it while hiking or in our boat. So it's really three GPS's in one. If you haven't taken the plunge into the wonderful world of GPS then I recommend you do. Knowing where you are on earth is only one of the functions they are good for. They also make a fantastic trip meter that will tell you how fast you are going, how far to the next destination, estimated time of arrival etc. Really handy information on long drives. Another great reason to get a GPS is for getting around cities on your travels. Navigating around the outback is pretty straightforward but try getting through Brisbane or Sydney when you've only ever been there once or twice before!

makes a huge range of maps covering every inch of the continent in great detail, especially the more remote regions. Thankfully they combine a large selection of their maps into their Australia Road & 4WD Atlas. We used the previous edition to this book and it had a thorough workout, being permanently jammed into the drivers door pocket and used frequently. Importantly, the HEMA Map Patrol is continually checking and rechecking roads and points of interest all over the country so the Atlas is very up to date.

2. Tinted Windows

Back in 1992, Jen and I bought our first 4WD, a 1986 Hilux Dual Cab and it was our pride and joy. Unfortunately our budget didn't stretch to tinted windows and on our first big trip we drove up to the Top End in January and we suffered! we were getting sunburnt in the car and ended up with towels wedged into the windows to keep the sun out. Needless to say we had the windows tinted after that trip and it made all the difference. Window tinting is an absolute must if you are going to be anywhere in the top half of the country on your trip.

3. In Car Fridge

You may have a fridge in the caravan or camper but seriously consider mounting one in the car. The main reason is that you may leave your caravan or camper setup somewhere but you almost always have your car with you, so being able to have access to cold drinks, lunch, beer, bait etc. is well worth the investment. On our Big Lap we mounted our

(which has a built in freezer) in the Landcruiser with a dual battery system and isolator switch to keep it running while the engine wasn't. At night in camp we switched it over to 240 volts or generator power depending on what we had available.

4. DVD Player For The Kids

Some people feel that the point of going on a ling trip around australia is to get away from TV, DVD"s and video games. And I would agree wholeheartedly. It's amazing how you really don't miss TV when it isn't there! But . . . consider your kids. They are not running away from the stresses of modern life and will be bored silly staring out the window at relatively unchanging scenery for the 600 odd hours you'll spend in the car on your big lap. Sure there is I Spy and 20 questions but they too become pretty second hand after a month or two. The solution . . . let the kids watch a couple of DVD's on each trip. They'll be happy and you'll get to enjoy the scenery for a while.

There are plenty of options with In Car DVD's these days and the prices are coming down. We installed a

and it performed admirably over many thousands of km of corrugated roads and in some extremes of hot and cold so I am happy to recommend it. Some players transmit the sound on the FM band so you can pick it up on your car radio and pump it out through your stereo speakers. Alternatively, if you get some headphones for the kids you can even have a conversation in the front.

5. Basic Recovery Kit

If you're planning some serious offroad activity then you'll want more than the basics. A winch and one or two Air Lockers will make life a lot easier. However at a very minimum you need a basic recovery kit:

Highlift Jack- with 101 uses including winching and even jacking up the car this is a must.

Snatch strap

- If you get stuck in sand or mud this is the easiest way for another vehicle to pull you out.

2 x rated shackles

- essential for attaching the snatch strap to the vehicles (don't use the taw ball!)

Round nosed shovel

- digging out the car will be the first step to getting you going again - can also be used for frying eggs!

Leather gloves

- will help you use the shovel for longer.

6. Full Medical Kit

Note I didn't call it a

. This is because First Aid kits are generally something you have for emergencies. On a long trip around oz you may have a few emergencies but you'll have a lot more everyday kind of medical dramas so a basic first aid kit is not enough. 

Then add to it . . .  

7. Sat Phone or HF Radio

If your plan is to stick to the bitumen then chances are if you break down you won't have to wait too long for another car to come along and potentially render assistance. 

Off the main roads though it's a different story. A few years ago a German couple drove 50km out to Lake Eyre from William Creek and became stuck in sand. No other cars came along and they didn't know to let their tyres down and several days later they were found dead from dehydration. It happens, so it's best to be prepared.

A Satellite phone is the easiest option as they work pretty much like a mobile phone and generally work from anywhere that you have a clear view of the sky. Call costs are higher than a mobile but for occasional use and emergencies it is easily justified. You can buy a Satellite Phone or you can hire one.

can help you either way  

An HF Radio is the other option and should enable you to get in touch with the outside world from anywhere. They cost more to buy than a Sat phone but have no actual call costs. There is more of a learning curve with HF Radios but like anything else, once you have the hang of it there should be no problems. 
Check out

for more info on HF Radio.

If money were no object I'd have both!

8. iPod

You'll have plenty of time for music on your travels and with an iPod you can carry your entire music collection in your pocket. Buy one before you leave and copy all of your CD's onto it. You can use either a Mac or Windows based PC to do this. There are a few different sizes to choose from but fundamentally they all work the same, just having different storage capacities.

There is a swag of after market gear available for iPods including car kits that will cradle your iPod, recharge the battery and transmit the music to your FM car stereo all at the same time.

Find out more at 

9. 50 Ocky Straps

Ocky straps are those incredibly useful elastic straps with a plastic coated hook at each end. On our trip we fouind that no matter how many we had we always seemed to need a few more. 
Just some of their uses include:

They come in various lengths and weights and you'll want a good cross selection.
The more expensive ones will last longer and are safer because if they snap you could lose an eye so pay a few bucks more.
They do wear out with extended use so play it safe and replace them when they start to fray.

10. Salad Spinner

No I'm not crazy. when we were packing for our trip, Jen and I debated whether or not to include the salad spinner. She said we should but I was adamant we were going to be roughing it and a salad spinner was just a luxury that we could live without. Well, I'm not afraid to admit that she was right. Being in almost continuos summer as we were for 16 months, we ate a LOT of salads and I tried all sorts of ways to get the water off the lettuce including putting it into a mesh bag and waving it around wildly (no wonder people were giving me strange looks!!) - alas nothing worked as well as the humble, but sooo effective, $20 salad spinner sitting quietly in the dark in storage back in Melbourne.

11. Rear View Camera

Consider this scenario - you are travelling around Australia, spending many nights in caravan parks, reversing into camp sites and up to caravanas and camper trailer, lots of small kids around and you are probably in a big 4WD with lousy rear vision. Is it any wonder that we keep hearing about small kids being run over by reversing cars - what a nightmare!!!

The problem is easily avoided with a relatively inexpensive (considering what's at stake) rear view video camera. When we ordered our roof mount DVD player from

, they convinced us to install one of their rear view cameras as well and I'm so glad they did. While the resolution is not high enough to use it to actually align the towbar and camper trailer hitch, it is very easy to see if a small child walks/crawls/jumps behind the car.

The camera is the size of half a lipstick and the screen is cleverly hidden behind a bigger replacement rear view mirror. When you put the gearbox in reverse, the rear camera switches on.

It's simple and effective and very cheap insurance.

12. Woolen Doona

If you haven't discovered the virtues of woolen doonas (as opposed to feather/down) then now is the time. They are much better suited to the expedition lifestyle than the traditional feather/down variety. why? They are very warm, yet cooler on warm nights. They are easily washed in a laundromat washing machine. They never get cold spots when the feathers all bunch up. To some extent, they will still keep you warm if they get wet.

Down is great for hiking sleeping bags because it is very light for the warmth it provide. However, with a caravan, camper trailer, tent or swag a bit of extra weight is no problem and the wool will outperform the down any day.

13. Digital Camera

Dinosaurs, Dodo birds, Tassie Tigers, typewriters and film cameras all have something in common . . . that's right they are all extinct. If you are still clinging to your film camera then your trip around Oz is just the excuse you have been waiting for to spend some bucks and make the move to digital.

Digital cameras these days are fantastic quality and getting cheaper every week. A basic 5 or 6 megapixel with 3 x zoom will set you back only about $200 to $400 while a real SLR of up to 10 megapixel with replaceable lenses will cost around $1200 to $1500 including one or two lenses.

Best of all, you can take the memory card, or the whole camera, into any photo processing outlet (there are thousands) and have just the best photos printed in an hour or two. Most places can also burn all your photos onto a CD giving you a permanent record in digital format.

With a big memory card, say 1gb, you'll be able to take hundreds of photos for FREE!! Then just print the best ones. This will also make you a better photographer because you can see the results instantly and then adjust your technique/setting to make improvements as you go - I

love

digital cameras (in case you hadn't already guessed :-)

Here's my tips for buying a digital camera:

And finally, with a digital camera, you'll be able to drop into Internet Cafes and email your best shots directly to your

(hosted for you by Expedition Australia) where your friends and family can see them and be green with envy at how much fun you are having.

14. Expedition Website

And finally, why would you go to so much trouble to plan and execute the adventure of a lifetime, something you'll be talking about for the rest of your life, and not capture it and share it with your friends and family and other adventurers?

Especially when you can do it for free!

Make sure that before you go you order your own

from us here at

Expedition Australia

- we'll give you your own mini website with a

Home Page

you can edit yourself, a

Blog

and

Photo Album

you can update via email or even mobile phone and we'll even enable people to

Subscribe

to get your blog updates straight to their Inbox.

No doubt you have your own ideas about what are essential "must have" items for an Around Oz expedition and I'd love to hear them.

.

A couple of months ago I was sitting in the Providore (our local country cafe here in Woodside) savouring my coffee while flicking through the local paper and I came across an article about 2 local paramedic women that were planning to walk from Adelaide to Port Lincoln.

I've always been a lover of big challenging walks so the article grabbed my attention. It turns out that Catherine and Bronwyn were planning to walk the 350km in only 8 days, or an average of a marathon a day. That's a super human effort, even for our legendary ambo's.

At about this time I was in the later stages of developing our new website with our Expedition Sites which would enable other adventurers to share their experience with the ExpOz community. It wasn't long before I was having a conversation with Catherine about them being our first official Expedition Website and sharing their amazing walk with us.

Catherine and Bronwyn left Adelaide on Wednesday morning (22/8/07) and you can follow their walk with daily Blog updates and photos at their site

Catherine & Bronwyn's goal in this walk is to raise $15,000 for

, an organisation that helps wayward youth get back on track through challenging wilderness experiences.

I managed to get down to Victoria Square and see them off on Wednesday morning and interviewed them to get the scoop on their mighty hike.

You can watch it here: