Hi! My gf and I are looking looking to make this drive but wanted to see if its something safe to do at night. This will be be our first time road tripping the west coast and we've heard night time driving can be a bit sketchy/dangerous. For reference we will be driving a compact suv.
Thanks in advance!!
Sounds good yeah seems like general consensus is dawk/dusk is worst so maybe I'll wait till it gets dark!
It is when the roos and Emus are most likely to be wandering around and on roads.
If you dont have a telstra sim, get a prepaid one just to have best coverage if you suffer a break down or other issue and need to look up advice or check ooen times for potential services that sort of thing. You likely wont be stuck alone very long, i mean Idian Ocean Drive is always busy with usual commuting traffic, national route 1 is ginna be lousy with your more heavy industry side of things, mine site workers and trucks and even the Midlands Rd route youll get someone going by in a none too concerning amount of time.
Just give the heavies a lot of respect for their size and mass, drive to conditions AND to your level of comfortable confidence cos nothing gets more people in trouble out there than driving country roads with an unjustified confidence, they arnt freeways out there and they can just be unforgiving to habits borne from only ever driving in the city/metro.
Dont be too ashamed or anything to pull over at a rest stop and take a 20min kip if you find yourself getting fatigued, things like not recalling the last x kms of driving, excessive yawning, difficulty or lag in your eyes focusing from far to near and back and ESPECIALLY if you start getting microsleeps. Just stop, rack the seat back, and set yaself a 22 or so min timer (give ya self a couple mins to drift off). After that, get up walk around for a few mins to give your circulation system the message and get the brain juices flowing a bit. There's a good reason DoT and Main Roads both strong urge car drivers to limit driving to 2hr stints at most then to have a rest. Sure, HVL holders are expected to do 5hrs tops then break, but they have things like fatigue management procedures and logs.
Lots here, but im taking the opportunity to give you the key points for broader travelling if you ever do more of it. The roads outside of the city lights reach can be daunting and deadly, so just always give it that respect.
Edit: oh just a fyi just occured to me, be aware if you intend to drive around the outskirts of Gero, that that is where the REALLY BIG road train network starts on the coastal routes. South of Geraldton youll have you standard 36.5m long road trains, East and north of Gero, it bumos uo to 54.5m long network, thats quad trains. If you have to do overtakes, just remind yourself they will take a lot more road to get past and the trailers will swing more wildly at the end.
Thank you so much for the write up really appreciate it!! Will definitely be very mindful of my mental and physical state throughout :)
Why do you say it’s sketchy/dangerous? It’s no different than driving in any other country area in Australia.
The only thing you have to watch out for is kangaroos, mainly around sunset. When you see the reflection of their eyes in your headlights slow down a bit, they won’t jump in front of your car until you get to them. Don’t swerve to avoid them.
I have done this drive at night without any issues at all, and only saw one or two kangaroos.
I've heard the animal activity is very lively at night so that was my main concern, thanks for the tips :)
Main tip here is don’t swerve if one jumps in front of you. Brake and hit it. That’s what insurance and air bags are for. More people die swerving off the road into trees or rolling their cars than do hitting animals. And a car is not worth your life.
Also I don’t remember what the technique is called but when you brake, as soon as your tyres lock up and you start to skid, release the brake then slam it on again. Repeat as many times as possible before you hit. It’ll slow you down faster than just riding a skid with your foot down.
Is your described brake pumping still applicable for modern cars with ABS? Cause what you are talking about is essentially what ABS does.
Gonna be honest…. No idea. Learned it in a defensive driving course over 20 years ago. And thankfully never actually needed to use it.
There is lots of animal activity but I think it’s heaps worse a bit further North where there are lots of feral goats as well. Just take it easy, be attentive, the speed limit is the maximum you can drive, not a mandatory minimum.
I do this 2x week for the last year on the inland road(its easier then the coast road)
Watch for the slower speed signs on the bends, normally roos between eneabba and dongara but it's been goats lately, if you can stop at sunset for halfa(animals like to feed then), and just chill behind trucks and grey nomads, there is plenty of overtaking lanes.
Inland as in Nat. Route 1 or Midlands Rd?
I'd reccomend Nat. Route 1 (brand highway)
Ocean road(Indian ocean drive) for coastal views, more congestion and is semi-closed atm for much needed upgrades
Nat. Route 1(brand highway) for a quick easy carefree trip on a good road.
Midland road(bindoon-moora road) to see actual farms and farm towns, deffinatly a few rural patches of un-improved roads
My best advice is to get behind a semi or a road train and drive behind them dusk to dawn. Whatever would have hit your car will be cleared by your mate ahead of you.
Yes there’s a risk of animal strike (mainly Roos) but no more than any regional area. The road is fine, think one of the cataby servos is still 24 hour but really you’re better off taking your own road snacks anyway.
Thanks for the reply! I'm a big snacker so I'll def stock up on road snacks :)
Definitely go Brand highway instead of Indian Ocean drive. Indian Ocean drive has a lot of sharpish, blind turns that can be rough during the day at high speed let alone at night. Brand highway is safer. Just my opinion
A light bar, even a small one, is a big help on high beam. Avoid dawn and dusk. Sun rising /setting can be blinding and animals are out. Clean your windscreen well. Use the dimmer to reduce instrument light and improve vision. Edit. Consider buying better headlight bulbs.
Just chill out behind a roadtrain.
Hi I live in Geraldton I thoroughly recommend driving on Brand hey as it's far safer roads than Indian Ocean drive. Cataby has 2 x 24/7 roadhouses, eneabba has a great roadhouse and public toilet. Warradarge has a good roadhouse, but closed at night. The only real danger is roos.
Try not to drive at twilight when visibility is low amd roos are extra active if not confident driving rurally. Otherwise you'll be fine- drive the the conditions
You won't be in danger from crime, but roos can be a problem. I drove in the dawn light recently, in the bush, and had three instances of kangaroos crossing the road in front of me.
I'd wager approx 1 in 20 chance of having a close call with a roo. 1 in 100 of hitting one. Just drive slower when the bush is close to the road / not much visibility. Avoid dusk and dawn though. Much higher chances then.
One in 25 of hitting one.
Have hit 4 Roos. All during the night.
Wait for sun to set.
Don't swerve for roos. Slam brakes and horn.
I don't see why not. If it's just to Geraldton, then you'll be right. We took a little sports car around aus and drove from Broome to Perth in 1 trip, so we went past Geraldton at night. There were a lot of cows, and we saw the biggest fkn roo we've ever seen, but it was overall a fine drive.
Edit: this was last year
If you can avoid the coastal road and do the inland drive it is much safer. Lots of people driving tired on the coastal road I think (although not sure why it has so many fatal crashes)
Yes but drive slower, keep headlights up and watch the periphery of the road.
A roo on the road will ruin your car. A cow on the road will ruin your life.
Yep, drive within the limits of your headlights, if this means going 80 so be it.
And not just the forward throw. You need to be able to see the periphery of the road.
I had a cow materialise out of seemingly nowhere once. Scared the absolute crap out of me. I was going 70 and damn glad I was, even though it wasn't quite on the road and I could've easily stopped anyway.
Honestly as first time drive, do it daylight, avoid dusk/dawn due to kangaroos. If you know places by sight n knowledge then yes. I'm from country WA, so I'll drive at night anywhere but I wouldn't let my partner at night past metro... N he's been here for 15yrs....
Literally did it last night, including dusk, after the 4 hours from denham before. It's a bit shit over dusk, but it ain't that tough. Keep the car straight, it ain't rocket science.
Take Indian Ocean Drive rather than Brand Hwy. theres a national park just south of IOD that can be super crowded with roos at night - sometimes its ok, sometimes, as someone who drove that road for a living, id be floating between 60 and 90ks drifting across the road to avoid em all
Isn't there a big sections of the Indian Ocean drive closed at the moment for road works. I thought most people where taking the brand highway now which is why it's slightly more chaotic then normal
Brand is better regardless of time, unless youre unfamiliar with bush driving like OP.
The 90k limit suits foreigners better
Roo strike will be the only minor problem you may face. Should be fine - if you sit behind a road train (there should be plenty on the road) they'll give extra protection against the roos. Take the Brand Highway the whole way up.
Do it all the time as there’s less people on the road. Just be well rested and stay alert. Snacks are a must and have your podcasts/playlist/audiobooks preset so you don’t have to distract yourself then you’ll be all sweet. You will miss seeing all the sideways trees though
Take the Brand highway and you’ll be fine.
If you're nervous just sit behind a road train and coast up and let them clear the way.
I did this drive at night once.
Only thing I saw was someone driving along on a flat tire, the orange glow from the rim grinding the road I could see from a kilometre back.
Geraldton - Perth = Roos. But doable. Carnarvon - North = cows, goats, Roos etc. it’s crazy.
Did this drive after dark before - high beams, good playlist to keep you up. Slow down if you feel the need to. Its a pretty cruisy drive, hope you have a great time
Sure is so long as you have good headlight
Safe as houses, but the sun can be blinding in the hour up to it setting and as with anywhere in Australia, the roos can be a hazard. Remember, don't swerve to avoid.
Loads of kangaroos and goats after dark. I drive it early morning normally but have a light bar & spotties.
I'd recommend taking Brand highway over Indian ocean drive due to the road works.
Thanks for the reply! Are high beams not enough? It'll be a rental so not sure if we'll be allowed to add any lights
You’ll need to verify that your rental contract permits driving outside the metro after dark. Not all do, due to the animal strike risk.
Lots of people do it but you won't see an animal until it's too late with only high beams.
If you've hired a 4WD you'll be fine. Drive slower and be constantly aware of your peripheries. If the trees/bushes are close to the road be very alert and slow down more. You need to be very aware of your surroundings at all times which is why extra lights help but aren't essential. You should try to be aware of about 15-20m either side of your car if you can. Keep your eyes out for the reflection of eyeballs in the bush and if you see them slow right down until you pass them. High beams are essential unless you're following or approaching another car. I would strongly discourage driving anything low and without a bullbar.
Really depends on the car and the type of headlight it uses, my current car (VF2 SS) has old halogen lights and the high beams are pretty useless, my old BMW with Xeons were much better.
Cassowaries are active along the tourist drive too
If do see cassowaries on the Brand take a photo and sell it to the media. Cassowaries only occur in far North Queensland and Papua New Guinea.
Haha ok maybe they're emus?
Heaps of people will say no, but if you stay alert and drive safe, of course you can do it. Roo and animal activity is highest at dusk, so he wary. Use highbeams when possible. Don't drive tired. It's only 4.5 hrs.