Summer holidays usually mean one thing: a great Aussie road trip. Whether you’re speeding up the coast to visit family, heading across state lines or traversing one of Australia’s epic road trip routes for a bit of end-of-year R&R, it’s pretty classic for Aussies to explore some of our most remote motorways in the summer period (of which, in this colossal land, there are many).
While fun and spectacular, these roads also have the potential to be very dangerous. Long stretches between fuel stops, hazardous driving conditions and general remoteness make a number of Aussie roads genuinely threatening in the case of a breakdown.
Car rental company VroomVroomVroom has assessed Australia’s most popular road trips to identify the ten most dangerous places to break down. This list has been measured based on each route’s distance from fuel, healthcare services and mechanics, with summer heat and harsh conditions in the Australian outback making these factors considerably more important.
The most dangerous road trip route to break down (without proper survival supplies in the boot) is Western Australia's Gunbarrel Highway, a route that connects Wiluna in WA to Yulara, near Uluru, in the Northern Territory. This isolated stretch of highway is known for its incredible stargazing, rolling desert dunes and stark landscape, but it's also particularly formidable for anyone who isn't prepared if your car stops working. The nearest hospital is 294 kilometres away, repair services are 449 kilometres away and fuel is 211 kilometres away from you.
In second place is Tanami Road, a wild stretch of highway that crosses from the Northern Territory to Western Australia. On this route, you're 235 kilometres from medical care, 300 kilometres from a mechanic and 243 kilometres from a petrol station.
In third, we've got Diamantina River Road, a long, sometimes unsealed road that takes you through western Queensland. This remote roadie has travellers a whopping 178 kilometres from a hospital, 184 kilometres from a mechanic and 177 kilometres from fuel, meaning that if you break down in the Queensland outback, you'd better hope you're prepared.
The top 10 most dangerous Australian roads to break down
- Gunbarrel Highway, WA to NT
- Tanami Road, WA to NT
- Diamantina River Road, QLD
- Lyndon-Minnie Road, WA
- Birdsville Developmental Road, QLD
- Sandover Highway, NT
- Eyre Highway, WA to SA
- Carnarvon Mullewa Road, WA
- Goldfields Highway, WA
- Carpentaria Highway, NT
You can check out the full data set here.
What to do if your car breaks down on an Australian road?
1. Pack your car for the worst-case scenario. That's a map, GPS, car repair equipment, triple the water and food you think you need, extra fuel, survival gear, and a first aid kit. Bring a snake bite kit, mossie nets and camping gear.
2. Don't leave your car if you do break down. Use your car to protect yourself from the elements. If you have to leave, make that a last resort. Use a compass, the sun or a GPS, and have a solid plan. Avoid walking in gullies or dense vegetation where search parties may miss you.
3. Make yourself visible. Use the car mirrors and parts to reflect the sun to catch a search party's eye, write SOS in large letters on the ground, and do whatever you can to clearly stick out of the landscape.