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(the views expressed on this page are those of Australian 4x4 Travel
and
not necessarily those of our sponsors)
Purchasing
a 4wd vehicle for the first time may not have been for the reasons of
going four
wheel driving, or going off road at all for that matter. But then you
start to think about it and you realise that there are a whole lot of
new opportunities and new places to see with this vehicle.
Equally, for people visiting from overseas, there is now a long list of
rental companies that rent out 4wd's and present the foreign traveler
to Australia with the possibility of seeing more of our country than
ever before.
Travelling to, and seeing, remote areas of Australia has never been so
popular and there is every reason why this is so. Many of Australia's
best places have been kept a secret for so long because they are out of
reach for the conventional vehicle traveler. With the rise in 4wd
ownership and the ready availability of rental vehicles, these places
are now becoming more accessible to more people.
This website, for example, has a whole lot of trips and treks that you
can now consider doing, which you couldn't have done before.
We cover the reasons why you should consider driver training, with a
recognised driver training company, before
setting out on our 4wd Driver Training page. But why
then consider a tag along tour when you know how to do it by yourself.
People have their own reasons for doing so, and many of those continue
to travel to remote regions in this manner.
There are many reasons why but we are going to look at some of the more
obvious ones here.
So you've done the right thing, gone along and done the training so you
are all prepared and ready to go on your great adventure into
the
unknown, or certainly unknown for you.
Driver training is one of the best things you can do to prepare
yourself but you must remember that it should be considered as your
basic training. This doesn't only apply to 4wd driver training it
happens all around us every day and we simply take it for granted, we
don't even think about it.
Graduating from university gives you a lot of theory but not much real
life practice, doing military training gives you the battle strategies
but little on what real life combat is like.
4wd training is exactly the same, it will prepare you with the theory
and certainly a fair bit of practice, but in a very controlled
environment. Out in the open and on your own you will start to discover
a whole lot of new situations and obstacles that weren't covered in
training, and neither could every situation be covered.
Any trip into remote, and sometimes dangerous,
areas should always be done in the company of someone who has been
there and done it before, preferably several times.
That experienced person will have practical solutions to these new
found obstacles and practical ways of handling the going when the going
gets tough, and it probably will get tough at some stage of the trip.
Many of the businesses that operate 4wd tag along tours have been doing
so for some while and they have probably done the trip you want to do
many, many times before. They will have all the right connections to
know the latest conditions of the track, permit requirements and all of
the necessary preparation details.
They
almost certainly have vehicles that are well equipped with the
correct and adequate recovery and communications equipment. Some of
which you probably wouldn't consider investing in yourself, and
hopefully won't need to be used on the trip.
Not having the equipment in the first place, though, is a massive
mistake for many of our remote regions and one that could cost you big
time.
The area that you are planning to visit is almost certainly going to
have historical significance one way or the other. There are
interesting relics and remains scattered all over this country and the
tour operator will know where those that are worth seeing are,
and
the stories behind them. Even if you are not interested in history they
have a knack of making them interesting.
Do
you have a favourite, almost deserted, beach that you visit, or an
intimate
coffee shop hidden around the corner that not many know about and
serves the best coffee?
Well you'll find that the 4wd tag along tour
operators also know of these out of the way places, hidden in the
remote areas, that you
wouldn't otherwise see. Or they know of the best camping spots in the
area, and so on, and so on.
As
much of Australia is hidden from most conventional vehicle drivers,
many of the best places are also hidden from the four wheel drive
driver because they are just down this little, easily missed, side
track or just behind that dune that looks like every other dune for the
last fifty kilometers, and maybe the next fifty.
We have had comments from travelers who have visited our website after
they have done a trip and passed comments such as "we didn't know that
this or that was even in the area" or "we knew it was there somewhere
but just couldn't find it".
We are told time and time again, when venturing into remote areas, do
not deviate off the main track. You stand an excellent chance of
getting lost, or worse still break down and now you are in an area that
the last traveler passed through months or even years ago.
Many
have perished in such circumstances. Do not under estimate the serious
trouble you now find yourself in.
Your tour operator will know which of these out of the way tracks can
be safely taken, and which of these tracks have something the other end
that is worth seeing and doing.
There must be a reason why tag along tours are becoming the popular way
to travel to our remote regions, tag along on a trip and you will see
why.
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