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|hitch = from {{average}} to {{good}}<rating country='au' />|BW = AU}}In '''Australia''', hitching is much the same as anywhere else in Western culture if you´re between [[Adelaide]] and [[Brisbane]]. In the outback, though, you may 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 good, especially with the many trucks and 'road trains' that are usually going long distances.

== The Outback ==I don't know about others, but hitchhiking throughout In the outback was easy. The people were friendlycoastal and “high”-density areas of Australia, especially the aboriginal folks who would have six people already jammed in a little car and still squeeze you in. I managed from about [[BroomeAdelaide]] through to Kununurra, Katherine up to [[DarwinBrisbane]]/[[Cairns]] and down to Alice. The only time I had to wait more than a half-hour was when I was dropped off on the turn off to Batchelor, which while on hitching is much the main highway, is a real bad spot same as anywhere else in Western culture. Road lanes are wide with nothing and no one for a long ways. Anywayvery often large emergency stopping lanes, give it so finding a gogood stop is not very difficult. If you're in In the tropics, be careful where you swim [http://nomadwiki.org/en/Outback_(crocodilesAustralia) but don't worry too much about the other wildlife. Generally speakingOutback], if you leave it alonethough, it will leave you alone. Definitely make sure to carry enough water AT ALL TIMES (3 litres per person/per day would be a minimum). It is very easy to may get dehydrated. If 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 get decent waterbe pretty good, all especially with the better, but donmany trucks and 'road trains't bank on itthat are usually going long distances. Most bores are quite brackish tasting I looped the entire country in 2016 with just 1$ starting from Melbourne and roadhouse taps are heavily chlorinated -including smaller towns passed Sydney ; Brisbane; Cairns; Darwin; Broome; Perth- here's to a good litre single ride from 254 km Perth side of fresh rainwater on a sunny 45 degree day! Norseman (Amory Tarrlast town West before Nullambor)potentially to Sydney but I got dropped at the turn off for MelbourneBecause distances are so huge, people are used to driving several hundred kilometers and you will find drivers quite often offering to make huge detours to take you somewhere.

In Australia poses some interesting and unique challenges for hitchhikers. Distances between populated areas can be vast, by far the eastern states (QLD, NSW, VIC, SA) more than majority of Australians live near the west (WA & NT)sea, recent changes to [[insurance]] costs throughout with the western world, have meant that trucks face stricter and stricter insurance limitations, one majority 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 those living in at the depot prior to the trucks departurestate capital cities. If you personally know a driver it is often possible for them to sign you Temperatures can exceed 45 degrees Celsius in summer and take you along to help keep them awakego well below freezing in winter. These rules don't really apply to owner/operatorsIn many ways Australia is an extreme environment, with some pretty extreme pests, unless on long term contract to a particular company. Unfortunately people and weather; when it's hard for you to know which trucks rains, it will or wont apply topours, though you can be confident that the big name trucks like Australia Postwhen it blows up a gale, Woolworths etc this is absolutely the caseit howls. All of But in saying this does not mean when Australia or Australians smile upon 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 heavens open up 'strangers' is greatly diminished. I have had some great lifts with road trainsfrom above and you can find yourself taken in, Australia Post trucks etc etctaken home, though they seem less and less commonfor all practical purposes adopted for life. In fact my first go at driving a road train was on a hitch across the Nullabor Desert, a truly mad but memorable experience of driving 50tonnes of rolling monster across the midnight plains (Dave Hodgkin)

== Police ==Laws regarding hitchhiking come under State not Federal jurisdiction, I As long as you remain on the main axes or smaller tourist roads you don't have been arrested and charged with hitchhiking in Queensland, though chargers were later dropped (long story). Throughout Australia, it is however illegal to incite a vehicle to stop worry more than in a non stopping zone. Such zones include bridges (other countries and 30 odd meters either side, road edges with an unbroken white or yellow line, spots within 30 meters of an intersection, etcyou can hitchhike as you usually do. Compared Only remember to some countries, Australian Police are fairly relaxed, '''carry more so in the country water than you think you need''', temperatures and distances can greatly exceed your expectations. You might find it hard to stay at the city, but they will get toey road if they believe your actions are placing yourself or others the sun in dangerhot and there is no shade. Choose your hitching site carefullyAlso, if you walk too far from towns as always look for it may leave you somewhere well lit, with plenty very isolated. A single walker in the middle of room nowhere might have a better chance to for approaching vehicles to see get picked up because people are surprised or impressed. But make sure that you well in advance have a back up plan and room for them to pull on enough water to walk back if you don't get a lift especially if the shoulder with out blocking trafficisn't reliable.

Most police officers won't harass youAnother tip that makes a bit more sense than for [[Europe]] for example, but some cops might tell you that it's illegal is to hitchhike in Australiabe very careful about not annoying your host. Don't show your thumb when you see a cop car, and if they stop, just tell them that you're waiting for a ride share that should have showed up a lot earlierYou could be thrown out of the vehicle by the irate driver 200km from the nearest town.

:''It's illegal to hitch But the most unique aspect of hitching in no-pedestrian zones like freeways but other places it seems Australia is the challenge of the Outback. There you can say that you are off the beaten track, which gives a great feeling of emptiness. However some basic survival rules have to vary state to statebe observed as you might get stuck for some reason.For some, hitchhiking throughout the outback is easy. I don't think it's against The people can be friendly, especially the law at all aboriginal folks who might have six people already jammed in most places a little car and I've never had any troubles anywhere still squeeze you in the eastern states.''

:''Wait on gas stations or When going to the outback go to truck stops for and talk to the “truckies” there. It is a ridegood option as they are driving huge distances at once in places where not many cars pass by. This way you won't get into trouble with Make sure the police, can ask people for a lift and town you're close going to water, food and HAS a toilet. Some service stations don't like hitchhikers hanging aroundtruck stop, though so or you may be careful they don't call in trouble if you are dropped in the middle of the outback, which is similar to the police on youmiddle of nowhere.''

Exact legislation can ===What to be found at Austlii;[http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/legis/wa/consol_reg/rtc2000113/s259.html?querycareful with in the Outback==hitch%20hike WA][http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/disp.pl/au/legis/nsw/consol_reg/rr2008104/s236.html?query=Road%20Rules%202008%20REG%20236 NSW]

== Australia Particular Advice ==Australia poses some interesting It is written in its own name! The outback is far from everything and unique challenges for hitchhikers, distances between populated areas "cities" can be vast, by very far the majority of Australians live next from each other. What look to be a large town on the sea, with the majority of those living in the state capital cities. Temperatures in inland Australia map can exceed 45 degrees Celsius in summer and go well below freezing in winter. In many ways Australia is an extreme environment, actually be a village with some pretty extreme pests, people and weather, when it rains it pours, when it blows up a gale, it howlsdozen or fewer houses. But in saying this when Australia or Australians smile on you, Some parts of the heavens open up from above and outback are so remote that you can find yourself, taken in, taken home and for all practical purposes adopted for life.do not want to get stuck out there hitchhiking!

I have been stuck for up to Make absolutely sure you are carrying enough water AT ALL TIMES (3 days in liters per person/per day would be a number of places in Australiaminimum). It is very easy to get dehydrated under the Australian sun. If you can get decent water, (notably Coober Pedy and Ningin) whilst on all the other hand Ibetter, but don've been given the keys to the family holiday home t bank on it. Most bores are quite brackish tasting and told roadhouse taps are heavily chlorinated -- here's to make myself at home when I get there (In Manjimup a good liter of fresh rainwater on the way from Perth to Albany), or taken home for a week, nurtured and spoiled rottensunny 45 degree day! Be aware that phone coverage has a high chance of being nonexistent. Whatever (Telstra has the circumstance you find yourself in, more than in other countries be preparedbest chance of working by far.-Let ) Letting someone know where you are heading and how long till they should next expect to hear from you-Carry more water than you think you need-Walking out of town, to look like your motivated, may leave you somewhere very isolated-Be very careful about not annoying your host, I've been thrown out of can be a truck by an irate driver, off his head on NoDoz, for some quite harmless comment, 200k from the nearest town..good idea.

== When If you're really stuck for a place to stay... ==You know in the tropics, be careful where youswim (crocodiles and deadly jellyfish) but don're off t worry too much about the tourist track when you get to a town without a backpackersother wildlife. Most small towns have a town pub that offers pretty cheap accommodation and many have a free campground on the edge of town or a picnic spot beside a river* Schoolyards, normally there is somewhere discrete under cover, Australia has dangerous wildlife in most small towns there is green grass, and even toilets and drinking water, just set your alarm early and get out before 7:30ish when cleaning staff etc may start to arrive. (The primary school on thee edge terms of My Isa has rescued me on more than one occasion.* Non Returned soldiers areas at Cemeteries, clearly not for the superstitious, but these sites, tend to have nice soft green grass, spiders and often have free public toilets and fresh drinking water. The cemetery at the end of thee railway line snakes so keep it in Hexam on your way north out of Sydney is a classicmind but generally speaking, if headed north through from Canberra or Melbourne, you can jump the train in Campbelltown or Paramattaleave it alone, ride it through to Central, change to the Newcastle line, then switch to the Hexam line, and get off at the unnamed station for free, right next to the best cemetery I have ever slept in, right next to the princess highway.* Many remote areas have shade structures as bus shelters, these can provide quite a comfortable nights sleep, as can late night train stations (spent my time on the floor of the girls toilet at Ningin railway station) Church Foyers (3 nights in the foyer of the underground church in Coober Pedy).* Showgrounds on the edge of towns often have toilets water and a place undercoverwill leave you alone.Very very few people die each year so don't stress too much either!

== 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 beat making love on a pile of coal at 20km/h under the desert stars :)* The cargo train across the Nullarbor, a trip of a lifetime, my mate Alex did it, certainly one of those life changing adventures

''HoweverI managed from Broome through to Kununurra, don't be stupid Katherine up to Darwin and jump off when the trains are moving too quicklydown to Alice. The only time I have had to wait more than a half-hour was when I was dropped off on the terrible experience of seeing a teenager jump turn off a train to Batchelor, which came from Brisbane to while on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland main highway, is a real bad spot with nothing and that did not end up well. That boy lost his life simply to save the cost of no one for a short triplong way. What Anyway, give it a wastego.'' (Amory Tarr)

If you do jump onto rail services just make sure you use ''I have had some great lifts with road trains, Australia Post trucks etc etc, though they seem less and less common sense. In fact my first go at driving a road train was on a hitch across the Nullabor Desert, a truly mad but memorable experience of driving 50 tonnes of rolling monster across the midnight plains.''(Dave Hodgkin)

== When really stuck for food... Hitchhiking with “truckies”==I have been helped out when stuck in a small town, by the Country Womens Association, best scones of my life, nothing beats hunger to increase the flavour of jam and creamI've eaten my share of roadside fruits from passing orchards, and cooked my share of roadkill, the smell quickly gives away the freshness or otherwise. The best introduction you'll ever have to roadkill delights is a fresh kangaroo tail. Make sure the tale is still flexible and the smell is only of dirty fur, not the smell of old meat, Kangaroos are hit by trucks everyday in Aus, so this is not as uncommon as it sounds. Hack off the tale as close the rump as possible, do this by cutting all the way around the tail, through the fur, then levering and breaking the tail between two vertebrate, nit as hard or messy as it sounds. I recommend dragging the roo off behind some bushes before you start this process as mad hitchhikers wielding knives under the full moon, does not do much for our reputation.To cook the tail, first build a large fire over some clean ground, preferably riverside sand, though well above the water table, when the fire is at full blaze, singe all the fur off the tail, scraping it clean with the back of a knife or a sharp rock, repeat this a few times as it takes a while to sear off all the fur, being careful not to over cook or burst the skin as this is the wrapping material for cooking. Let your fire burn down till it has strong hot coals and the ground below has started to really heat up (30-40mins depending how much of a fire you made) scrap the fire off to one side and dig a whole in the sand where the fire was using a stick, bury the tail about 15-20cm below the surface (check, but this area should already be nice and hot by now)and return the fire to above. Re-stoke the fire and cook for a further 40mins till the fire dies down. letting the fire die down slowly will allow the Tail to really cook through nicely. Scrap the fire out of the way and dig up the tail. You will know when it is done, if the fat is sizzling and the skin is starting to split in places, if still not done, roll over and cook for a further 20-30mins. The amount of fat and grissle in the tail ensures that this is one of the few parts of the roo that its hard to actually over cookSnake is also a great introduction to roadkill, choose a fresh wet smelling snake, chop off the head and squashed bits, cut open along the belly and degut, sew the stomach back together with thin twigs and cook as per instructions for roo tail above. the same goes for most lizardsNothing beats the total delight of fresh billy tea boiled in a discarded coke can, fresh damper and road kill under a full moon beside the road...

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

A lot of truck companies (but not all) have rules against drivers carrying passengers in their trucks. If really stuck in you talk to the middle of nowhere, and yes it does happen and has happened truckies at stops they are much more likely to me! Remember to go into casual energy conservation mode, wander down the road till ignore that rule. The only time truckies truly cannot give you find a nice shady spot lift is when they are operating under a dangerous goods license and then, by law they are not allowed to far from have another passenger in the road edge and chill outvehicle. Truckies will often take you long distances, get up when especially if you can hear a car approaching from either directionare willing to stay awake, and stand beside help the road, looking clean presentable forlorn and lostdriver pass the time through conversation... a "help" sign helpsRoutes such as [[Adelaide]]/[[Perth]] to [[Darwin]], but many people will slow down[[Port Augusta]] to Perth, look very innocentDarwin to [[Townsville]], look very unarmed etcare frequented by trucks, remember the primary aim at this point is but if you want to get out of wherever you are, which direction simply does not matteroff the main road, just get be prepared to the nearest town. You can live for a month without food, but you will die without water in a few dayswait awhile.

Never ever decide 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 short-cut across a paddock particular company. Unfortunately it's hard for you to know which trucks it will or fieldwon't apply to, stick though you can be confident that with trucks for the big name companies like Australia Post, Woolworths etc this is absolutely the roadcase. If bitten by All of this does not mean you can't get a ride in a snake or even if you trip over 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.I found the most likely truckies to pick up hitchhikers to be the less conservative Aussies and sprain truckies who owned their own company..and ankle in of course the middle of a field"crazy" ones- but they're more fun anyway, there is no guarantee that right..? I can't count the times I was told "I'd love to take you will BUT"... In my own experiences it's much more likely NOT to be found by anybody before a trucky that takes you have dried out and desiccated like a dead-dingos-donga!the longest distances

Other than that, you can get away with drinking just bout any water if you can boil it for a good 10-15mins. This includes, roadside puddles, brown sludge from underground, radiator liquid. As an old blackfella friend of mine once said, when looking for water Searching in the outbackAustralian law database, simply head down hill and when you get Hitchwiki contributors have been able to the lowest point dig a wholefind two distinct law texts... this works really well if there are any large hills or rock outcrops around, but for me, is a tad harder when The first one features in the whole landscape appears flat Australian Road Rules and I'm bloody thirsty.... either way my advice still stands... stick to the road, the road is your friend. its actually pretty hard to get lost has come up in the desert or outback, you really have to try hard. a cursory glance at a map should tell you which way the nearest roads are before you head out to wherever your headingsearches for Victoria, by walking only ion the early morning or late eveningQueensland, you can easily know if your walking generally east west north or south simply by the sun angleNew South Wales and Northern Territory, then rest during the day and the night and head for the nearest decent roadsecond one concerns Western Australia only. In theory, the heat of the day, semi burying yourself laws say that in the sand under the shade of most places you're not allowed to hitchhike from a tree helpsshoulder, but gets boring. Sorting gravel into different colored piles loses its attraction after a few days as does plying god with the ants..in practice however police rarely cares.

All [b]in all, you will probably never need the above tips, but if your not on the edge of your comfort zone, your not trying, and for me being stuck in the middle of nowhere and learning to chill and enjoy, is the true zen of Hitchhikingfollowing has been taken from [http://b]Some of my most amazing experiences have included a night wrapped in cardboard in abandoned wheat silo in the cold of winter, sharing a humpy with blackfellas in a town camp on the edge of Tennant Creek, waking up by bashing my head on the underside of a dodge van i had crawled under to avoid the rain to be offered a cuppa tea by the occupants, digging my car out of a saltlake when we took a wrong turn with two English backpackers as rain clouds loomedwww.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/legis/cth/consol_reg/ntctlarrr2006947/sch1.html?stem=0&synonyms=0&query=hitchhike this website]. This to me is the real Australia (dave hodgkin)

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&#8209;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 (author 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 (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.

* [[Pacific Highway (Australia)|Pacific Motorway]], from Sydney to Brisbane

* [httphttps://maps.googlevisa-worldwide.com Google Maps/ Visa to Australia] supports finding routes in Australia  == Nomadwiki & Trashwiki == {{nomadwiki}}