Changes

In the coastal and “high”-density areas of Australia, from about from [[Adelaide]] to [[Brisbane]]/[[Cairns]], hitching is much the same as anywhere else in Western culture. Roads Road lanes are wide with very often large emergency stopping lanes , so finding a good stop is not very difficult.In the [http://nomadwiki.org/en/Outback_(Australia) Outback], though, you may get more empty beer cans thrown at you than rides; some hitchhikers, however, wouldn't agree with that, stating that even hitchhiking through the desert can be pretty good, especially with the many trucks and 'road trains' that are usually going long distances. Because distances are so huge, people are used to drive driving several hundred kilometers and your driver are you will find drivers quite often offering to make a huge detour detours to bring take you somewhere.

==Australia Particular Advices-Specific Advice==

As long as you remain on the main axes or smaller touristic tourist roads you don't have to worry more than in other countries and you can hitchhike as you usually do. Only remember to '''carry more water than you think you need''', temperatures and distances can be very above greatly exceed your expectations. You might find it hard to stay at the road if the sun in hot and there is no shade.As wellAlso, do not if you walk too far from towns as it may leave you somewhere very isolated. A single walker in the middle of nowhere might have a better chance to get picked up because people are surprised or impressed. But make sure that you have a back up plan and enough water to walk back if you don't get a lift especially if the traffic isn't reliable.

Another advice tip that makes a bit more sense than for [[Europe]] for example, is to be very careful about not annoying your host, you . You could be thrown out of the vehicle by the irate driver 200km from the nearest town.

But the most particular unique aspect while of hitching in Australia is the challenge of the Outback. There you can say that you are out of off the touristic beaten tracks and track, which gives a great feeling of emptiness. However some basic survival rules have to be observed as you might get stuck for some reason.For some, hitchhiking throughout the outback is easy. The people can be friendly, especially the aboriginal folks who would might have six people already jammed in a little car and still squeeze you in.

It is written in its own name! The outback is far from everything and "cities" can be very far from each other. What look to be a large town on the map can actually be a village with a dozen or less fewer houses. Some parts of the outback are so remote that you do not want to be get stuck out there by hitchhiking!

Definitely make Make absolutely sure you carry are carrying enough water AT ALL TIMES (3 liters per person/per day would be a minimum). It is very easy to get dehydrated under the Australian sun. If you can get decent water, all the better, but don't bank on it. Most bores are quite brackish tasting and roadhouse taps are heavily chlorinated -- here's to a good liter of fresh rainwater on a sunny 45 degree day! Be aware that phone coverage has a high chance of being nonexistent. (Telstra has the best chance of working by far.) Letting someone know where you are heading and how long till they should next expect to hear from you can be a good idea.

If you're in the tropics, be careful where you swim (crocodiles and deadly jellyfishesjellyfish) but don't worry too much about the other wildlife. Australia has a dangerous wildlife in terms of spiders and snakes so keep it in mind but generally speaking, if you leave it alone, it will leave you alone. Very very few people die every each year so don't stress too much either!

Quite a few truck drivers give at a first the impression of being a bear , but are usually gentlemen in their own way. As road roads are quite wide, it is not rare that they manage to stop for you! With a truck, of course not going as fast as a car, you can easily make more than 500 or 1000km at once seeing given the distances between the cities.

In the eastern states (QLD, NSW, VIC, SA) more than the west (WA & NT), recent changes to insurance costs throughout the western world, have meant that trucks face stricter and stricter insurance limitations, one of which is that they are commonly not allowed to have any unlisted passengers in their vehicles. These rules are normally enforced by larger companies, where all riders sign in at the depot prior to the trucks' departure. If you personally know a driver it is often possible for them to sign you in and take you along to help keep them awake. These rules don't really apply to owner/operators, unless on long term contract to a particular company. Unfortunately it's hard for you to know which trucks it will or won't apply to, though you can be confident that with trucks for the big name trucks companies like Australia Post, Woolworths etc this is absolutely the case. All of this does not mean you can't get a ride in a truck. What it does mean is that our global fear of strangers has gone up here as much as elsewhere, and the amount of trucks picking up 'strangers' is greatly diminished.

In conclusion: in WA, it's illegal to stand on the shoulder of the highway; however you may hitchhike from a footpath or off the shoulder. A law enforcement officer might not be aware of this, though. The source is to be found in [http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/legis/wa/consol_reg/rtc2000113/s259.html?query=hitch%20hike thiswebsite] website.

"''I hitched from Perth to Uluru via the Great Eastern & Central Highways, then north and east via Stuart, Barkly, and Landbrough Highways to Brisbane. Journey took 10 days and 16 rides. Be ready to go by sunrise, as most traffic in the outback is in the mornings, and rarely any traffic in the afternoon. Daylight is your friend for getting rides. Hitch from the edge of towns, as inside towns you won't get rides. Truckies will only give you rides if you befriend them, they will never stop. Nomads (people with caravans) will never ever give a hitchhiker a ride due to their prejudices, so be fun with them to boost your morale. Times for rides were 2 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 2 hours, 3 hours, 3 days, 1 hour, night+morning, 1 hour, night+morning, 1 hour, 1 hour, night+morning, night+morning, night+morning. '' [[User:Balupton|Balupton]] ([[User talk:Balupton|talk]]) 03:10, 4 June 2015 (CEST) I hitchhiked up and down the Stuart Highway and Kakadu National Park and bits and pieces of New South Wales, Tasmania and almost regularly on the remote Tanami Highway. Generally I found it easier to get lifts in remote areas. Especially in the outback and close to Aboriginal settlements. There might be two or three cars per hour on some roads. But chances that they pick you up are very high. There is a great sense of caring. Some Australians are truly paranoid about hitchhikers due to some events in the past. Tradies (craftsmen) are friendly quite often while tourists are certainly less likely to pick you up and Australia is a very individualistic country. Kakadu National Park was hard in the beginning but turned out allright. I just don't like it when there are too many tourists vans driving by. At stages I picked up 10 litres of water and just walked along the road. It seemed to have quite an effect on some people who gave me a lift to find me standing next to the road far away from anything else. In Kakadu you are supposed to stick to campsites for camping though. All in all it is not a walker/hitchhiker friendly national park. All in all Australia is a great country for hitchhiking because a lot of people are open and like to talk. You hear great stories on your way and can learn a lot. Hitchhiking can be truly adventurous here. (Japanangka 14.09.16)