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In {{infobox Country|country = of Australia|map = <map lat='-25' lng='133' zoom='5' view='0' float='right' width='420' height='380'/>|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 = <rating country='au' hitching is okay as anywhere else in Western culture/>|BW = AU}}  In the coastal and “high”-density areas of Australia, as long as you´re between from about [[Adelaide]] and to [[Brisbane]]/[[Cairns]], hitching is much the same as anywhere else in Western culture. Road lanes are wide with very often large emergency stopping lanes, so finding a good stop is not very difficult. But in In the outback you´ll [http://nomadwiki.org/en/Outback_(Australia) Outback], though, you may get more empty beer cans thrown on at you than rides. (I think this has changed a lot; some hitchhikers, however, wouldn't agree with that, having hitched stating that even hitchhiking through the desert can be pretty good, especially with the many trucks and outback many times, DH):'road trains'that are usually going long distances. I have hitched looped the entire coast line country in 2016 with just 1$ starting from Melbourne and including smaller towns passed Sydney ; Brisbane; Cairns; Darwin; Broome; Perth- a single ride from 254 km Perth side of Norseman (last 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. ==Australia, -Specific Advice== Australia poses some interesting and although there are sometimes a long wait unique challenges for hitchhikers. Distances between ridespopulated areas can be vast, by far the majority of Australians live near the sea, I have met some with the majority of those living in the most generous state capital cities. Temperatures can exceed 45 degrees Celsius in summer and welcoming go well below freezing in winter. In many ways Australia is an extreme environment, with some pretty extreme pests, peopleand weather; when it rains, make sure it pours, when it blows up a gale, it howls. But in saying this when Australia or Australians smile upon you, the heavens open up from above and you can find yourself taken in, taken home, and for all practical purposes adopted for life. As long as you remain on the main axes or smaller 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 get need''', temperatures and distances can greatly exceed your expectations. You might find it hard to stay at the edge of road if the sun in hot and there is no shade.Also, if you walk too far from towns, just where as it may leave you somewhere very isolated. A single walker in the highways start middle of nowhere might have a better chance to get picked up because people are surprised or turn from impressed. But make sure that you have a back up plan and enough water to walk back if you don't get a 70 into lift especially if the traffic isn't reliable. Another tip that makes a 100bit more sense than for [[Europe]] for example, or similaris to be very careful about not annoying your host. You could be thrown out of the vehicle by the irate driver 200km from the nearest town.''

<But the most unique aspect of hitching in 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 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 might have six people already jammed in a little car and still squeeze you in. When going to the outback go to truck stops and talk to the “truckies” there. It is a good option as they are driving huge distances at once in places where not many cars pass by. Make sure the town you're going to HAS a truck stop, or you may be in trouble if you are dropped in the middle of the outback, which is similar to the middle of nowhere. ===What to be careful with in the Outback=== 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 lat=can actually be a village with a dozen or fewer houses. Some parts of the outback are so remote that you do not want to get stuck out there hitchhiking! Make absolutely sure you 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 --27here' lng=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 jellyfish) but don'133t worry too much about the other wildlife. Australia has 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 each year so don' zoomt stress too much either! ===Personal experience=== '4' view=I managed from Broome through to Kununurra, Katherine up to Darwin 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 the main highway, is a real bad spot with nothing and no one for a long way. Anyway, give it a go.'0' float=(Amory Tarr) 'right' height=I have had some great lifts with road trains, Australia Post trucks etc etc, though they seem less and less common. 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.'400' width(Dave Hodgkin) ==Hitchhiking with “truckies”='450' country='Australia'/>When going to the outback go 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 you! With a truck stops and talk to them thereof course not going as fast as a car, a you can easily make more than 500 or 1000km at once given the distances between the cities. A lot of truck companies don't allow anyone (but the not all) have rules against drivers carrying passengers in their trucks but if . If you talk to the truckies at stops they are much more likely to wave ignore that rule. The only time truckies truly cannot give you a lift is when they are operating under a dangerous goods license and then, by law they are not allowed to have another passenger in the vehicle. For example petrol tankers, transporting more than one trailer of gas, etc. Not all companies have rules against taking passengers. The truckies Truckies will often take you long distances, from especially if you are willing to stay awake, and help the driver pass the time through conversation. Routes such as [[Adelaide]]/[[Port AugustaPerth]] all the way to [[Darwin]] or , [[Port Augusta]] to Perth, Darwin to [[Townsville]], are frequented by trucks, but if you want to get off the main road, then be prepared to wait awhile. 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 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.I found the most likely truckies to pick up hitchhikers to be the less conservative Aussies and truckies who owned their own company..and of course the "crazy" ones- but they're more fun anyway, right..? I can't count the times I was told "I'd love to take youBUT"... In my own experiences it'll s much more likely NOT to be a trucky that takes you the longest distances == Police & Law == Searching in the Australian law database, Hitchwiki contributors have been able to wait awhile find two distinct law texts. The first one features in the Australian Road Rules and has come up in searches for Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales and Northern Territory, the second one concerns Western Australia only. In theory, the laws say that in most places you're not allowed to hitchhike from a shoulder, in practice however police rarely cares. === Australian Road Rules === 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&#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 [...]

My own experience does not quite agree with the above comment... 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 conclusion: in their vehicles. These rules are normally enforced by larger companiesWA, 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 s illegal to owner/operators, unless stand on long term contract to the shoulder of the highway; however you may hitchhike from a particular company. Unfortunately it's hard for you to know which trucks it will footpath or wont apply to, though you can be confident that the big name trucks like Australia Post, Woolworths etc this is absolutely off the caseshoulder. All A law enforcement officer might not be aware of this does not mean you can't get a ride , though. The source is to be found in a truck in Aus[http://www.austlii. 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 diminishededu. I have had some great lifts with road trains, Australia Post trucks etc etc, though they seem less and less commonau/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/legis/wa/consol_reg/rtc2000113/s259. In fact my first go at driving a road train was on a html?query=hitch across the Nullabor Desert, a truly mad but memorable experiencce of driving 50tonnes of rolling monster across the midnight plains (Dave Hodgkin)%20hike this website].

==Police==Laws regarding hitchhiking come under State not Federal jurisdictionIn practice, I have Australian police are fairly relaxed about hitchhikers. Zenit has hitchhiked some 13000km in all states except WA and Tasmania and has never been arrested and charged with hitchhiking bothered; he has heard stories about police in QueenslandWA being more touchy, though chargers were later dropped (long story)however. Throughout Australia, Keep in mind that it is however 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 30m 30 meters of an intersection, etc. As a rule of thumb remember that Australian Police are fairly relaxed, more In any event choose your hitching site carefully so in the country than the city, but they will get toey if they believe your actions are placing not to place yourself or others in danger. Choose your hitching site carefully, ; as always look for somewhere well lit, with plenty of room to for approaching vehicles to see you well in advance and room for them to pull on to the shoulder with out without blocking traffic . It should be noted that most freeways and motorways (dave hodgkinas opposed to highways)have limited-access rules barring pedestrians or bicycles from entering them.

:''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 troubles trouble anywhere in the eastern states.''

===Australia Particular Advice===Australia poses some interesting and unique challengers ''Wait at petrol stations or truck stops for hitchhikers, distances between populated areas can be vast, by far a ride. This way you won't get into trouble with the majority of Australians live next to the seapolice, with the majority of those living in the state capital cities. Temperatures in inland Australia can exceed 50 degrees Celsius in summer ask people for a lift and go well below freezing in winter. In many ways Australia is an extreme environment, with some pretty extreme pestsyou're close to water, people food and weather, when it rains it pours, when it blows up a gale, it howlstoilet. But in saying this when Australia or Australians smile on youSome service stations don't like hitchhikers hanging around, though so be careful they don't call the heavens open up from above and police on you can find yourself, taken in, taken home and for all practical purposes adopted for life.''

I have been stuck for up ''[[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 3 days in solicit a number ride. Meaning that if they stand on the footpath or away from the roadway they are not comitting an offence. One of places in Australia, (notably Cooperpeedy and Ningin) whilst the main reasons we do stop people standing on the other hand I've been given road hitching a ride is for their own safety and the keys to safety of the family holiday home motorists driving. So some roads are very busy and told its an offence to make myself at home when i get there (In Manjamup stand on the way from Perth roadway and solicit a ride and it is a 40 dollar fine if the policeman chooses to Albany), or taken home give you a infringement notice for a week, nurtered and spoilt rottenthat offence. Whatever " He also said that it is possible to stand on the circumstance you find yourself infootpath and hitch a ride, more than in other countries be preparedwhen there is enough space for a car to pull over.-Let someone know where you are heading Police may stop a hitchhiker and how long till they should next expect ask for an ID, mostly to hear check on his records and WHY he is hitching a ride (is he running away from you-Carry more water than you think you a crime? Is he in trouble? Does he need-Walking out of town, help?). Police officers want to look like your motivatedknow who is going through their area, may leave you somewhere very isolated-Be very careful about so if a hitchhiker is on the footpath and not annoying your host, i've been thrown out of soliciting a ride at a truck by an irate driverdangerous spot, off they will question him about his head on nodoze, for some quite harmless comment, 200k from the nearest town..story but then let him go.''

===When your you are really stuck for a place to stay...=====You know your off the tourist track when you get to For a town with out a backpackers. Most small towns have a town pub that offers pretty cheap accommodation and many have a free campground on teh edge of town or a picnic spot beside a riverride===-Schoolyards, normally there [[Train hopping]] is somewhere discrete under cover, also still possible in most small towns there Australia although this 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 an option to arriveconsider with extreme care. (The primamry school on thee edge of My three day journey from Mt Isa has rescued me to the coast on more than one occasion-Non Returned soldiers areas at Cemeteries, clearky not for the superstitiouscoal trains (pick up a Beanbag, but these sites, tend to have nice soft green grass, and often have free public toilets a tarp and fresh drinking water. The cemetary at the end of thee railway line in Hexam on your way north out of Sydney is a classic, if headed north through shade cloth from Canberra or Melbourne, you can jump the train Op-shop in Campbeltown or Paramater, ride it through to Centraltown, change to few things beat spending the Newcastle line, then swithc to the Hexam line, and get off at the umnaned 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 a pile of the girls toilet coal at Ningin railway station) Church Foyers (3 nights in 20km/h under the foyer of the underground church in Cooperpeedydesert stars :)-Showgrounds on The cargo train across the edge Nullarbor, a trip of towns often have toilets water and a place undercoverlifetime, certainly one of those life-changing adventures.

===When your really stuck for a ride===Jumping railway cars is also still possible in AustraliaHowever, though you did not here it from me-The three day journey from Mt Isa to don't be stupid and jump off when the coast on trains are moving too quickly. One hitchhiker had the coal trains (pick up terrible experience of seeing a Beanbag teenager jump off a tarp and a shade cloth train which came from Brisbane to the Op-shop Sunshine Coast in town, few things bet making love on a pile Queensland and that did not end up well. That boy lost his life simply to save the cost of coal at 20km/h under the desert stars :)-The cargo train across the Nullabor, a short trip of . What a lifetime, my mate Alex did it, certainly one of those life changing adventureswaste.

===When really stuck for food...===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 If you'll ever have to roadkill delights is a fresh kangaroo tail. Make do jump onto rail services just 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 use 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..common sense.

===When 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.

If really stuck in the middle of nowhere, Find more information on Nomadwiki on how to [http://nomadwiki.org/en/Outback_(Australia)#How_to_survive_in_the_Outback.3F find water] and yes to [http://nomadwiki.org/en/Purifying_water clean it does happen and has happened to me]! remember to go into casual energy conservation mode, wander down the road till you find ===For a nice shady spot not place to far from stay or for food===See [http://nomadwiki.org/en/Australia Nomadwiki] as it is more relevant for this website.== Personal experience ==''I have hitched the road edge entire coastline of Australia, and chill outalthough there are sometimes long waits between rides, get up when you can hear a car approaching from either direction, and stand beside I have met some of the road, looking clean presentable forlorn most generous and lostwelcoming people... a "help" sign helps, but many people will slow down, look very innocent, look very unarmed etc, remember Make sure you get to the primary aim at this point is to get out edge of wherever you are, which direction simply does not matterthe towns, just get to where the nearest town. You can live for highways start or turn from a 70 into a month without food100 km/h zone, but you will die without water in a few daysor similar.'' - Author unknown

Yes you can drink your own piss to stay alive''I hitched around 4, no its not pleasant000km in the states of NSW, no i don't recommend itVictoria and South Australia. If you There are stuck on one plenty of Australias mad dirt "long lay-by stop areas along most highways" like the Tanami or the Gunbarrel, a solar still is your best bet. Choose a very sunny location (including Pacific Highway) where cars can easily and Dig a whole in safely pull off the ground as big as highway to pick you have a plastic bag or tarp or tent fly to cover it, (1mx1m up to 1.5mx1.5m, 30-50cm deepI found any highway (especially Pacific Highway), place with a container in the middle decent amount of the whole.. rides side coke can traffic is fine, grind the top off on the road by rubbing around very reliable with average waiting time of 15-20 minutes and around in circles, doesn't take that long when your borednever any longer than 30-40 minutes. Place your pissIn more rural areas and backroads I often encountered as little as 10 cars per hour and sometimes only 1-2 per hour, green branches, fresh road kill (or better just its blood) or anything wet but people living in rural areas are much more likely to pick you up as they know they may be the whole around the canonly car for a while. You can include battery acidThe Australians are very welcoming and hospitable, Radiator water etc. Stretch ur fly/tent/tarp/plastic over on many occasions the top of driver would offer a place to stay for the whole, sealing around the edges night with sand a meal or dirtinsist on giving me 20 dollars for food. Place When hitching in cities, pedestrians have sometimes come to me and again insist upon giving me money for a small rock in the middle of the tarp/plastic/fly so the whole top slopes train ticket further down to above the canroad. I felt very at home hitching here, leave in the sun for 4generosity of the people being overwhelming.'' -5hours. This also works for really muddy shitty water when u have no fire to cook it. Jools 2011

''I have been stuck for up to 3 days in a number of places in Australia has water legislation that makes it mandatory (notably Coober Pedy and Ningin), whilst on the other hand I've been given the keys to share water if you have it, makes it legal for anyone the family holiday home and told to have access make myself at home when I get there (In Manjimup on the way from Perth to any permanent river Albany), or water sourcetaken home for a week, nurtured and spoiled rotten. Whatever the circumstance you find yourself in, more than in other countries, be prepared.'' - Author unknown

Some of my ''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 amazing experiences have included a night wrapped traffic in cardboard in abandoned wheat silo the outback is in the cold of wintermornings, sharing a humpy with blackfellas and rarely any traffic in a town camp on the afternoon. Daylight is your friend for getting rides. Hitch from the edge of tennant creektowns, as inside towns you won't get rides. Truckies will only give you rides if you befriend them, waking up by bashing my head on the underside of they will never stop. Nomads (people with caravans) will never ever give a hitchhiker a dodge van i had crawled under to avoid the rain ride due to their prejudices, so be offered a cupa tea by the occupants, digging my car out of a saltlake when we took a wrong turn fun with two English backpackers as rain clouds loomedthem 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.. This to me is the real Australia '' - [[User:Balupton|Balupton]] ([[User talk:Balupton|talk]]) 4 June 2015 (dave hodgkinCEST)

=''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===

===Highways===