General Chat

how long does it take to drive from sydney to perth ?

Added by Graham Brember on 27/10/2004 21:45:48 Depending on the car you will be driving, it could take from 4or 5 days, or it could take for ever. I do know that it takes about 5 hours in jet plane, and that's about how long it would take to fly London to NY. Please take and accept local advise before setting out on the journey....good luck, Graham Brember Didn't you believe him?!

Have been to Oz 3 times staying with family. Everything is 100s of Miles sorry Killos away. Flew from Aderlaide to Alice Springs then drove to Airs Rock about 5 hours there.Left there to late for garage fuel and spent the night in the bush,very scary no transport moving at night.Insurance company do not insure you from dusk to dawn,saw dead kangaroos,camels, cows on the road.But loved it there but everything is a distance apart. Margaret

As it says below, 4-5 days, but I would add: at an absolute minimum! Particularly if you've never driven in Australia before. It is 4,050 kilometres from the centre of Sydney to the centre of Perth. That translates into estimated actual driving time of approx 45-50 hours, but you'd really need to break it down into blocks that you can handle comfortably in each day. An Aussie, used to driving long distances, could do this in four days easy but given the minute (by comparison to Oz) distances you Pommies can handle, I'd be thinking maybe 8 days in 500 km blocks. I used to work for a stock and station agency, so have driven long distances in the bush, and the other factor you need to take into account is that, out in the bush, there isn't that much to break the monotony of the road stretching way out into the distance before you and nothing but red dust on both sides of the road, so being able to concentrate is an essential skill. Also, to do this trip, you have to cross the Nullabor. Between Ceduna and Border Village, you'd be mad not to stop along the way and see things you may never see again, especially the Nullabor Caves (just try to imagine an underground cave 7kms long and full of water!), and, between June and October, the Bight is the place to be to watch Great Southern Right whales frolicking in the ocean. There are half a dozen lookouts along that stretch of the road for whale watching or sightseeing. Between the border and Perth, you'd surely want to stop at Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie. I know of some companies which run specialist Nullabor tours and they take about 10 days to do the trip from Adelaide. If I were you, I'd plan on taking a fortnight! ps I am planning on making the trip myself maybe next year, although from Ballarat, and I think it will be a wonderful journey.