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{{infobox Country
|country = of Australia
|map= <map lat='-2725' lng='133' zoom='45' view='0' float='right' height='400' width='450420' countryheight='Australia380'/>
|language = English (de facto)
|capital = [[Canberra]]
|map = <map lat='-25' lng='133' zoom='5' view='0' country='Australia' />
|pop = 21,468,700
|currency = Australian dollar (AUD)
|hitch = from {{average}} to {{good}}<rating country='au' />|BW = AU}}In '''Australia''' hitching is okay as anywhere else in Western culture, as long as you´re between [[Adelaide]] and [[Brisbane]]. In the outback, though, you´ll get more empty beer cans thrown on you than rides; some hitchhikers, however, wouldn't agree with that, stating, that even hitchhiking through the desert can be pretty OK.
== When you're really stuck for a ride =Personal experience===Jumping railway cars is also still possible in Australia, (although you did not hear it from me).*The three day journey from Mt Isa to the coast on the coal trains (pick up a Beanbag, a tarp and a shade cloth from the Op-shop in town, few things bet making love on a pile of coal at 20km/h under the desert stars :)*The cargo train across the Nullabor, a trip of a lifetime, my mate Alex did it, certainly one of those life changing adventures
All the following has been taken from [http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/legis/cth/consol_reg/ntctlarrr2006947/sch1.html?stem=0&synonyms=0&query=hitchhike this website]. 236 Pedestrians not to cause a traffic hazard or obstruction:(4) A pedestrian must not stand on, or move onto, a road--::(b) to hitchhike [...]:(7) In this rule: road includes any shoulder of the road, and any median strip, painted island or traffic island, but does not include any other road-related area. The definition of "road-related area" here is<br> 13 What is a road-related area<br>:(1) A road-related area is any of the following::(a) an area that divides a road;::(b) a footpath or nature strip adjacent to a road;::(c) an area that is not a road and that is open to the public and designated for use by cyclists or animals;::(d) an area that is not a road and that is open to or used by the public for driving, riding or parking vehicles. The definiton of "shoulder" here is:12 What is a road :(3) The shoulder of the road includes any part of the road that is not designed to be used by motor vehicles in travelling along the road, and includes:::(a) for a kerbed road -- any part of the kerb; and::(b) for a sealed road -- any unsealed part of the road, and any sealed part of the road outside an edge line on the road '''As a conclusion:''' It is very clearly regulated where you can stand as a hitchhiker and where you cannot. You can't stand on a shoulder, but you can stand on most other kinds of surface next to the road. === Particular to Western Australia === 259. Selling papers and cars, hitch‑hiking etc.:(1) A person shall not, while on a carriageway or median strip::(a) solicit contributions, employment or a ride from an occupant of a vehicle [...] The carriageway is here defined as following: "carriageway" means a portion of a road that is improved, designed or ordinarily used for vehicular traffic, and includes the shoulders, and areas, including embayments, at the side or centre of the carriageway, used for the stopping or parking of vehicles [...] 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 this website]. === Practical Situation === In practice, Australian police are fairly relaxed about hitchhikers. Zenit has hitchhiked some 13000km in all states except WA and Tasmania and has never been bothered; he has heard stories about police in WA being more touchy, however. Keep in mind that it is also illegal to incite a vehicle to stop in a non stopping zone. Such zones include bridges and 30 odd meters either side, road edges with an unbroken white or yellow line, spots within 30 meters of an intersection, etc. In any event choose your hitching site carefully so not to place yourself or others in danger; as always look for somewhere well lit, with plenty of room for approaching vehicles to see you well in advance and room for them to pull on to the shoulder without blocking traffic. It should be noted that most freeways and motorways (as opposed to highways) have limited-access rules barring pedestrians or bicycles from entering them. === Feedbacks === ''It is illegal but I've had police stop twice, once to tell me go back to town and catch a bus (but left me alone besides telling to do that) and the second time the cop gave me a lift about 40 or 50km to the border of Victoria/South Australia.'' ''It's illegal to hitch in no-pedestrian zones like freeways but other places it seems to vary state to state. I don't think it's against the law at all in most places and I've never had any trouble anywhere in the eastern states.'' ''Wait at petrol stations or truck stops for a ride. This way you won't get into trouble with the police, can ask people for a lift and you're close to water, food and a toilet. Some service stations don't like hitchhikers hanging around, though so be careful they don't call the police on you.'' ''[[User:Bernhard|Bernhard]] had a chat with a crime prevention officer from the Queensland police and the officer said the following: "The hitch hiking legislation in Queensland says that a person can not stand on the roadway to solicit a ride. Meaning that if they stand on the footpath or away from the roadway they are not comitting an offence. One of the main reasons we do stop people standing on the road hitching a ride is for their own safety and the safety of the motorists driving. So some roads are very busy and its an offence to stand on the roadway and solicit a ride and it is a 40 dollar fine if the policeman chooses to give you a infringement notice for that offence." He also said that it is possible to stand on the footpath and hitch a ride, when there is enough space for a car to pull over. Police may stop a hitchhiker and ask for an ID, mostly to check on his records and WHY he is hitching a ride (is he running away from a crime? Is he in trouble? Does he need help?). Police officers want to know who is going through their area, so if a hitchhiker is on the footpath and not soliciting a ride at a dangerous spot, they will question him about his story but then let him go.'' ==When you are really stuck...=====For a ride===[[Train hopping]] is also still possible in Australia although this is an option to consider with extreme care.The three day journey from Mt Isa to the coast on the coal trains (pick up a Beanbag, a tarp and a shade cloth from the Op-shop in town, few things beat spending the night on a pile of coal at 20km/h under the desert stars :)The cargo train across the Nullarbor, a trip of a lifetime, certainly one of those life-changing adventures. However, don't be stupid and jump off when the trains are moving too quickly. One hitchhiker had the terrible experience of seeing a teenager jump off a train which came from Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland and that did not end up well. That boy lost his life simply to save the cost of a short trip. What a waste. If you do jump onto rail services just make sure you use some common sense. ===For water===First, make sure you have enough water (3 liters/day/person). Remember that you can survive more than a month without food but that you will die without water in a few days. But if you get really stuck for water, you can still survive ;)First stop moving to keep your energy and relax as much as you can. Find a spot with shadow next to the road and as soon as you hear a car coming from either direction stand up and show you are here. Destination doesn't matter, you just need to reach the first town. You can even have a “help” sign and look as innocent/unarmed/helpless/etc as you can, but mostly cars will stop or at least slow down. Find more information on Nomadwiki on how to [http://nomadwiki.org/en/Outback_(Australia)#How_to_survive_in_the_Outback.3F find water] and to [http://nomadwiki.org/en/Purifying_water clean it]!===For a place to stay or for food===See [http://nomadwiki.org/en/Australia Nomadwiki] as it is more relevant for this website.== Personal experiences experience ==:''I have hitched the entire coast line coastline of Australia, and although there are sometimes a long wait waits between rides, I have met some of the most generous and welcoming people, make . Make sure you get to the edge of the towns, just where the highways start or turn from a 70 into a 100km/h zone, or similar.'' - Author unknown ''I hitched around 4,000km in the states of NSW, Victoria and South Australia. There are plenty of long lay-by stop areas along most highways (including Pacific Highway) where cars can easily and safely pull off the highway to pick you up. I found any highway (especially Pacific Highway) with a decent amount of traffic is very reliable with average waiting time of 15-20 minutes and never any longer than 30-40 minutes. In more rural areas and backroads I often encountered as little as 10 cars per hour and sometimes only 1-2 per hour, but people living in rural areas are much more likely to pick you up as they know they may be the only car for a while. The Australians are very welcoming and hospitable, on many occasions the driver would offer a place to stay for the night with a meal or insist on giving me 20 dollars for food. When hitching in cities, pedestrians have sometimes come to me and again insist upon giving me money for a train ticket further down the road. I felt very at home hitching here, the generosity of the people being overwhelming.'' - Jools 2011 ''I have been stuck for up to 3 days in a number of places in Australia (notably Coober Pedy and Ningin), whilst on the other hand I've been given the keys to the family holiday home and told to make myself at home when I get there (author In Manjimup on the way from Perth to Albany), or taken home for a week, nurtured and spoiled rotten. Whatever the circumstance you find yourself in, more than in other countries, be prepared.'' - Author unknown ''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]]) 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 I hitchhiked around the entire country with $1 in 2016 starting and ending in Melbourne passing every major city and lots of small towns in between during wet season which took about 7 weeks, including a day of not a single offer of a ride up in a tiny town Northern Territory (after 12 hours and sunburn on my hitchhiking arm a local I'd chatted to while getting a flat white and a pie at 6 a.m passed me at 6 p.m and took me home fed me watered me gave me internet, laundry and a lift to the same spot next morning where after 30 minutes I got a ride) and a week of being invited into a local's home. Hitchhiking is my lifestyle, and in Australia especially it is respected as such, even though now, in 2023 most drivers I meet tell me they hardly see any hitchhikers anymore Hitchhikernick - I have visited nearly every nook and cranny of Australia. Pick up times have varied from seconds to 3 days. The longest wait was in Kununurra heading towards Catherine where I waited 3 days with my skis and had to follow the shade of the speed sign at edge of town in 35 centegrade heat, thankfully there were hospitable locals who helped me out until i finally got a lift. I saw stunning places that I never envisaged in Australia. I never had issues with cops anywhere except for Queensland where they do actually enforce the law against hitching, so you gotta be careful and discreet in that territory. Not had much luck with roadtrains, mostly just private cars. Never get on back of vehicle if going through desert unless you want a serious red dusting like I experienced when coming back to Halls Creek from Wolfe Creek crater. Easy peasy to camp, just make sure you have a tent to stop the creepy crawlies and snakes getting you. Surprisingly the kangaroos never jumped on or kicked/boxed my tent whilst I was camping.
== Cities ==
* [[Hobart]]
* [[Melbourne]]
* [[Murwillumbah]]
* [[Perth]]
* [[Sydney]]
* [[Hume Highway]], from Sydney to Melbourne
* [[New England Highway]], from Sydney to Brisbane
* [[Pacific Highway (Australia)|Pacific Motorway]], from Sydney to Brisbane
* [[Princes Highway]], from Sydney to Melbourne
* [[Stuart Highway]], from Darwin to Adelaide
== Links ==
{{States Australia}}
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