Surviving The Outback When Your Vehicle Breaks Down
What to do in the event of a breakdown in Outback Australia
Anyone who has travelled in Outback Australia will tell you just how remote the land is. Dirt roads, scrubby bushland, limited petrol stations, few vehicles driving by, and worst of all, scarce to no phone coverage which means no calling and no internet.
If you were to come to a breakdown in your vehicle and you aren’t properly prepared, you may have big problems.
Many qualified mechanics who don’t have the necessary tools on board will use the ‘bush mechanic’ style fix. But not everyone has the knowledge to put this together and get themselves out of the poo!
It’s easy to say ‘be prepared before you leave’ but there’s a good chance that if you’re reading this article, you’re in a sticky situation but lucky enough to still have phone service.
We’ve come up with a Travel Australia Packing Checklist which gives you a wide variety of items to carry with you, and the vital tools you will need to call upon if you were to break down are included in this checklist also.
But, when you don’t have the right tools for the job, or nothing close to making a McGuyver of yourself, and you can’t call for help, here are some safety tips to consider when you’re in a jam!
Safety tips to consider:
*Don’t leave the car – This is an important one. So many travellers who find themselves in the unfortunate event of a breakdown and not being able to fix themselves, tend to think it would be best to go find help. It is a known fact that staying with the car is best, as it’s easier to find a vehicle than it is a person in the rugged landscape.
*Tell someone where you are going and check in with them – this is a no-brainer. If someone knows where you are going and when you expect to arrive, they’ll know you’re safe if you check in with them. However, if you don’t have service and can’t check in with them, they will at least know when to start worrying. But if you don’t let anyone know, how will your loved ones know that you’re in an unideal situation.
*Have plenty of water – as a rule of thumb, always carry 20 litres of water, plus an extra 3 litres per extra person. Water is vital. It is said that we can go for no longer than 3 days without water.
*Ration the water you do have – who knows how long you may be stuck waiting for help to arrive, so it’s best to drink only what you need and make sure everyone is getting enough. Distribute the water evenly.
*Emergency water – if you don’t have enough water reserves, there are a few little tips to possibly help you get by until help arrives.
1. As Outback Australia can get quite cold at night, you can use this to your advantage if you need water. Place a plastic bag at the base of a small tree to catch any dew drops. Funnel them into a drink bottle or cup.
2. Use a clean cloth or piece of clothing to collect the dew from the car bonnet or roof and funnel into a drinking vessel.
3. If running out of fuel wasn’t the reason you broke down, and you still have plenty on board, run the car with the air conditioning on and collect the condensed water drops that fall underneath the car.
4. If you are near a body of water, ie lake or dam, you can use this water in an emergency. However, it is only recommended drinking this if you have something to boil the water in. Make a fire, get the water to boiling point to kill off any bugs and bacteria (which has the potential to make you quite ill), let the water cool and drink as needed. It may not be as nice as water out of the tap, but water is water, right?
*Use lip balm, chapstick or petroleum jelly – if you find yourself becoming dehydrated, use one of these items instead of licking your lips.
*Don’t eat foods that are high in sugar or salt – fresh fruit and veggies are best as they contain their own natural liquids. Eating foods that are high in sugar or salt will only make you thirsty, hence making the water supply drain a lot quicker. It is said that humans can go for up to 3 weeks in extreme circumstances, so food is not as important as water right now.
*Be aware of your surroundings – the outback is home to many vicious and dangerous wildlife that want to bite you. Be for self-protection, or food resource, you are quite possibly on the menu. Australia is home to many deadly snakes & spiders, so keep your eyes open for these also.
*Make an ‘SOS’ sign – if you don’t have service, you won’t know if anyone is missing you and has called in the authorities to send out help. Easily locating you is a good chance of making it out of this situation (and learning a lot from it). Find a clearing if possible, (but if you can’t that’s ok) use any rocks or sticks or break some tree branches to make letters large enough to see from a small plane that may be out on the hunt for you.
*Make a fire – again, there may be someone in a light aircraft or on foot and all-terrain vehicle looking for you, so a fire may give them a good chance of locating you. Find a clearing, or make one yourself so you don’t create a mass bushfire, and burn things that will make a lot of smoke. Gum leaves, unseasoned wood, plastic and rubber. (Burning plastic and rubber is not something we promote, but in the event of an emergency, we do what is necessary.)
*Make the vehicle visible - where possible, move the car into a clearing and open the doors, bonnet and boot. By doing this, you are making the vehicle more visible. Plus, any passers-by will come to realise you are broken down and 99% of the time will stop to render assistance.
*Turn the vehicle's lights and accessories off – leaving these on will kill the battery in no time. If you are broken down for any other reason, you don’t want to add to the list of issues needing to be fixed to get you moving again.
*Prepare for the cold – Although the Australian Outback is known for it’s harsh daytime temperatures, we also need to be mindful of night time temperatures. The weather can turn freezing at night, so here are a couple of tips to help survive the freezing nights.
*Use any blankets on hand
*Know how to start a fire if you don’t have the specific tools to do so
*Cuddle up to your partner
*Do star jumps to get the blood pumping
*Layer up with as many clothes as you have
*Lay a tarp under the vehicle to prevent some of the cold coming up from the ground
*Cover windows if you have items on hand to do so
*Use your mirrors – point your external side view mirrors to face the sky and where possible take your interior rear view mirror off. If you find a small airplane pass above you, the sun’s reflection through the mirrors can be a big help in getting someone’s attention.
*Lay down a blanket or tarp – if you have either of these, lay them flat on the ground so rescuers or a plane passing by can see an unusual large object that may trigger them to looking closer and finding you.
*If you are bogged – there are a couple of items you could use in the event of becoming bogged that just may render the assistance you need.
1. Recovery tracks
*Boards - These are long plastic boards that give your tyres the grip that it needs
*Roll out tracks – Rubber tracks that look almost like a small version of a train line giving the tyres grip.
2. Rubber floor mats – These would work in the same way as the purpose-built rubber tracks to enable your tyres to grip.
3. If you have a milk crate on board and something to cut it with, you could use this to work similar to the recovery boards.
4. Caravan floor matting – this also can be used in the same way as the floor mats.
5. Bush – although not ideal for fear of tyre puncture, you could find rocks or bushes or the like that are nearby to place under the wheels to give it the grab that it needs. If using this method, make sure to remove any parts of plants and bush that may be sharp and make your situation even worse by way of a puncture.
6. Winch – not everyone has one of these, but if you do and you carry the straps with it, you may just get yourself unstuck.
*Utilise the what’s around you – if you have a flat tyre and are unable to pump it up or if it isn’t easily fixable, a bush mechanic style quick fix may help. Jack the car up lifting the tyre in question off the ground. Collect long grass / weeds and push it into the part of the tyre that would normally hold air. It will take a bit of strength, but if done well, it will allow you to temporarily get out of trouble. Drive slowly though. *This one is a little tricky so try it at your own risk*
*Mobile phone service – If the service is scarce, take screenshots of any web searches you have done with tips or how to’s, so when you don’t have service, you will still have the information on hand. But close the apps on your phone when you are not using them, giving you longer battery when you need the phone.
*Call 000 - Even if there is no network service for your mobile operator in the location, you can still dial 000. Any cell network that is accessible will receive your call to 000. To contact an emergency number in Australia, you must be within one of the mobile operators' service areas.
Leaving the vehicle
As we said earlier, it is not advised that you leave the car. But on a road trip with mates, someone may just try to be the hero and head for help. If this is the case, and they can’t be talked out of it, discuss a few things with them, giving them some tips they may not already know.
*Walk slowly – don’t be in a big rush as you will expend more fluids from your body, bringing you to a faster dehydrated state.
*Stay in the shade – The rugged outback can be quite harsh in temperature and you want to avoid dehydration at all costs. Staying in the shade will ward off dehydration longer.
*Take note of the surroundings – Things like certain trees, or the way they are growing ie not straight or different or uncommon to others. Clearings, potholes, bends etc. Taking note of these things may help to remember where the vehicle is once help is found.
*Leave a ‘bread’ trail – Not particularly bread, but something you can use to leave a trail to find your way back. Rip up any rubbish (junk mail, boxes, tissues), place a stone inside and screw up into a ball to keep from easily flying away in the wind. If you do have food, brightly colour items such as lolly wrappers or orange / mandarin peel would be ideal.
*Know your GPS co-ordinates – if you have phone service or manage to get a little time with service, get the GPS co-ordinates of the vehicle’s location, making it easier to find.
It also pays to keep in mind that people who live or work in the outback, or travellers are likely to stop to render assistance. From farmers, to grey nomads, to miners, people from local communities, backpackers etc. We have all been in a pickle at some stage, and it’s natural human instinct to help someone in need.
Before heading off on any adventure, pack smart. Print out or note down ideas and possible solutions, and always expect the unexpected. It may just save your life.
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