|
Chapter
2.
The
Route
Where
you
arrive
in
Australia
dictates
where
you
start
out
on
your
big
trip.
It
also
affects
WHEN
you
start
out.
The
common
factor,
wherever
you
start,
is
which
way
you
make
your
circumnavigation
-
clockwise
or
anticlockwise.
There
are
two
major
aspects
to
consider:
The
wind
may
seem
the
least
likely
factor
to
take
into
account
when
planning
the
trip.
But
you
need
only
one
day's
travel
bucking
into
a
stiff
headwind
to
realise
what
a
significant
factor
it
is.
And
your
wallet
will
feel
the
strain
when
you
pull
up
to
refuel.
The
difference
between
a
30
kph
headwind
and
a
30
kph
tailwind
is
60
kph
of
wind.
When
you
are
bucking
into
30
kph
of
wind,
the
driver
going
the
other
way
is
60
kph
better
off,
windwise.
Compared
with
calm
conditions,
that
30
kph
headwind
could
add
50%
to
your
fuel
bill.
We
went
around
Australia
with
the
wind
behind
us
for
most
of
the
way,
which
means
we
went
anticlockwise.
Up
the
east
coast,
round
via
Darwin,
down
to
Perth,
back
across
the
Nullarbor.
We
struck
headwinds
in
the
run
from
Cairns
back
down
to
Townsville,
and
from
Port
Augusta
down
to
Adelaide.
Two
days
of
headwinds
during
the
whole
trip.
Day
after
day
we
rolled
along
with
the
trade
|
|
|
|
|
winds
behind
us.
On
the
Darwin
to
Katherine
leg
the
weather
was
calm,
and
from
Geraldton
southwards
we
had
a
beam
wind.
The
Season.
Perhaps
of
greater
significance
is
traveling
in
the
right
season.
The
northern,
tropical
sector
of
your
trip
should
be
completed
within
the
period
between
the
months
from
June
to
October.
On
a
round
trip
over
five
to
six
months,
three
of
those
months
will
be
spent
in
the
tropics.
So
there
is
a
leeway
of
an
extra
two
months
where
your
schedule
can
be
shuffled
ahead
or
brought
back,
yet
still
get
you
through
the
tropics
during
the
northern
winter,
which
is
the
non-cyclone
season.
This
means
that
if
you
go
anticlockwise,
you
should
be
heading
through
Rockhampton
(Tropic
of
Capricorn)
anytime
from
early
June
through
to
early
August.
We
left
Sydney
on
May
15
and
our
schedule
was
as
follows:
|
Rockhampton |
June
1st |
|
Cairns |
June
7th |
|
Mt.
Isa |
June
24th |
|
Darwin |
June
29th |
|
Kakadu |
June
14th |
|
Kununurra |
July
23rd |
|
Broome |
July
31st |
|
Carnarvon |
Aug
14th |
|
Perth |
Aug
23rd |
|
Albany |
Sept
14tyh |
|
Adelaide |
Sept
27th |
|
Melbourne |
Oct
11th |
|
Sydney |
Oct
23rd |
Reference
to
this
schedule
shows
that
we
were
in
Perth
in
late
August,
Adelaide
late
September
and
in
Melbourne
in
October.
With
hindsight,
we
should
have
left
Sydney
a
month
to
six
weeks
later,
to
have
enjoyed
warmer
weather
in
the
southern
capitals.
Personally,
I
found
the
northwestern
areas
of
Darwin,
Kakadu
and
Kununurra
too
hot
and
sticky
in
the
afternoons,
but
the
mornings
and
evenings
were
delightful.
|
|
|
page
10 |
|
|
|
|
|
