NT Roads ?

Hi all,
Just wondering what the situation REALLY is in relation to big vehicles v slow vehicles on the NT highways?
I hear lots of stories about road trains etc giving small or slow vehicles a hard time out there as I'm planning on driving Jessie (1929 Inter) back from Alice Springs via Tennant Creek and Charleyville etc.
Never having driven those roads this seems like a good place to ask those who have ?

PhilD
GuddayM8

In a word
COMMON SENSE

Jist dunno if sense is so common anymore
LOL

Try drive n useing your mirrors
if U C a vehicle cumm n up from the rear pull over n get rid of m
(try not to do it if there B vehicles gunna clash from opposite direction)
As the vehicle from Bhind is gunna back off put the lefty on as tho u gunna
pull over n stop but soon as the vehicle passes U can keep @ it without
stoppin providing there aint no others follow n

Ifn U Get my Drift
Cya
[ch9787]

Phil

DeedleDave will have a lot to say about this as he travels a lot in his truck.
Once you get out on these roads you will find that most people leave all the hassles of modern life behind them and they will all wave and be polite, one suggestion would be to have a small UHF radio with you and it wont be long before all the truckies out there know that you are about.

Trevor

Commonsence and courtesy my friend will get you home without any drama.
Keep an eye on your mirror and pull over well ahead of a biggen and they will give you a toot of appreciation.
There will be the odd muppet that will get cranky but dont let that bother you. Its your road to.

Basil

There are a LOT of road trains on the Stuart Hwy, despite the claims all the road freight was going to go to rail, once the new line went in.
When I was touring around the NT last Winter and the Winter before, I was seeing an average of maybe 10-12 road trains an hour on the Stuart, going both ways. They are nearly all triples, and they don't hang around, and they hate getting slowed down.
Like all major hwys, there isn't enough passing lanes, and the caravan traffic is high.
Basils advice is good, be courteous, and give the biggies a run, even if it means you have to pull over on a hill to let them through. A UHF radio IS a worthy investment.
Nothing worse than having to wash off a heap of speed for someone who's crawling along, when you've just cranked up 100 tonnes to hwy speed.
The Stuart is no place to be sitting on 60-70 kmh, when the NT section has a speed limit of 130kmh, and many people use it to the max.

Onetrack

60-70 kmh is wishful thinking try more like 50-60 in Phil's 1929 little Inter.

Trevor

Phil dont panick is the big trick,just give em all a wide berth, and saturday is about the quietest day to travel, leave at sparrows fart, u should be in t/c around 2.00pm ,camp the night,leave at sparrows fart again, will put u in The isa just after lunch, that way most of the r/t's will be coming toward u, done this run a few times in RTHOF Flintstone picking up some of the trucks out the back of the RTHOF :, Trevs right on about gitting a uhf and take lots of h2o with you, golden rule in outback if u run into trouble STAY with your vehicle.

NO worries mate!!!

I drove the parts truck ... 78 terrier, perkins P6, loaded up with The Brother's furniture from Palmerston at top speed 85 kph. mostly 75 - 80.
NOT a bad word from any-one, and often met and talked with some RT drivers in the servos (meal times etc) and all were friendly, some even curious about the truck and, said it was cool that we were actually doing it... (the trip)

My tip is that most'll enjoy seeing the old jigger doing such a trip.

Hi Phil

Bet you didn't expect an answer from over here.

I drove the full length of the Arnhem ( twice) and much of the Stuart in Nov last year, in a Ford Falcon.

The RTs are wonderful. Just give 'em the space they need.
I would be more worried about the V8 Utes on the Stuart and the Toyotas driven by the indigenous on the Arnhem.
Also look out for road kill



The best bit of road I found was the Marrakai trail which cuts across and joins Stuart to Arnhem.



No traffic there !!!


Cheers
RS

Phil

With my parents doing a lot of trips in the caravan and sometimes 100's km without phone reception i purchased them a "mini EPIRB" about $300 they take it with them on every trip for those just in case times. If you no someone that has got one that they are not using just throw it in as a backup.

Trevor