[Toiman]

I'm moving to Perth, business related.

I'm going to drive it as I need the kms to reduce FBT, but I'm really looking forward to it. No better brand of car to travel that distance. Better fill up the 8mb thumb drive!! Anyone know the best way across for a high speed, less roadtrain adventure?
Have they introduced the point system (for fines) in WA yet?
Any good dealers (BMW) in Perth? Ha thought I'd better put BMW there.

Catchya

[BMW //MPOWER]

Sounds like an epic voyage.
Be sure to post details of your chosen route.
My initial suggestion would be to head south, via canberra, down through SA towards adelaide then across from there. I wouldn't reccomend getting overly creative with the route in some parts unless people have explicitly driven the roads as there is a lot of unpaved or partially paved roads through parts of SA and NSW for that matter.
One thing i would highly reccomend in investing in for the trip would be a car-bra, i know they can be unsightly but they will more than pay for itself 10x over in saving the front end of your baby from a heck of a lot of stone and debris damage that you get driving on those roads.

[astra]

Originally Posted by BMW //MPOWER

Sounds like an epic voyage.
Be sure to post details of your chosen route.
My initial suggestion would be to head south, via canberra, down through SA towards adelaide then across from there. I wouldn't reccomend getting overly creative with the route in some parts unless people have explicitly driven the roads as there is a lot of unpaved or partially paved roads through parts of SA and NSW for that matter.
One thing i would highly reccomend in investing in for the trip would be a car-bra, i know they can be unsightly but they will more than pay for itself 10x over in saving the front end of your baby from a heck of a lot of stone and debris damage that you get driving on those roads.

LSB painter's tape ftw

[GeriFix]

If I was doing the trip, I would probably go down the Newell Highway to Dubbo on the first day, then to Port Augusta on the second day via Broken Hill. The third day would take me to the Nullabor Roadhouse, fourth to Kalgoorlie and fifth to Perth.

I drove from Melbourne to Perth a few years ago. You need to plan your stops according to accommodation, and I would recommend booking ahead to save the hassle of finding a motel after 10 hours of driving. I went to Adelaide on the first day, Nullabor on the second day (that was a very long day), Kalgoorlie on the the third day (that was also a long and very boring day), and into Perth on the fourth (Kalgoorlie to Perth is only about 5 to 6 hours).

From Ceduna to Kalgoorlie there are service stations, and the distance to the next one is sign posted before your reach the one you are approaching. Accommodation is less plentiful. Nullabor Roadhouse is about the only well placed stopping point.

A car bra is probably a good idea, but I didn't have one on my trip and I got no stone chips .... just lots of splattered bugs. I would however invest in some of those whistles (shoo roo) to stick on the front of your car. I hit a couple of rabbits, but there is plenty of evidence of collisions with larger wild life on the side of the road.

Start out early, to avoid driving into the setting sun late in the day. You'll probably see no law enforcement from Ceduna to Kalgoorlie, but they do apparently patrol the road with aircraft (never saw any myself).

They have cops in WA and points earned there are transferable. I got booked in the hills leading into Perth ... it is one of those stupid roads where the speed limit changes from one corner to the next.

8mb won't be enough ... unless you really like the 2 songs you choose to store on it. You can get ABC Radio National reception pretty much all the way accross SA and WA. We found ourselves tuning in when the CD stacker had done 2 cycles.

[BMW //MPOWER]

Originally Posted by GeriFix

Start out early, to avoid driving into the setting sun late in the day. You'll probably see no law enforcement from Ceduna to Kalgoorlie, but they do apparently patrol the road with aircraft (never saw any myself).

Good point, you do tend to find the roos and alike do get a lot more active (& harder to see coming) around sun down, so it's best to be finished driving for the day. That is unless you are good at spotting the roos evil-red-eyes from a good distance.

[BMW //MPOWER]

Originally Posted by astra

LSB painter's tape ftw

LMAO, isn't that just too much trouble for what it's worth?
Also, not too sure how it would go against TOIMAN's black bimmer...
(FYI - for those who haven't seen it http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=58376 )

[Toiman]

Damn, $1700 to truck it. I'll be driving !!

Thanks GeriFix, good route.

How much does a car bra cost? Can you Hire? Anybody know.

[Cadillac]

Mine cost me $450 for an E92 coupe from Car-Bra Australia
Takes only 10 minutes to fit and leaves no marks...worth it on long trips.
For More info Phone: (03) 9469 5366

[VGR00]

That's one long trip..... If you are moving for work I'd be asking the company to pay for the transport across. It's also 5 days of driving and even if you love driving, it still takes a lot out of you. How soon before you leave?? Might have to catch up for a drink / coffee before you go.

[GeriFix]

^ It is a long trip, and it is tiring ... but you do get a sense of achievement out of it; particularly when you crest the hills east of Perth and you get your first glimpse of the city and the Indian Ocean beyond.

[BBQWER]

Originally Posted by Toiman

Damn, $1700 to truck it. I'll be driving !!

Thanks GeriFix, good route.

How much does a car bra cost? Can you Hire? Anybody know.

Wewww, and How much petrol you need to travel from brisbane to perth ? Considering petrol are so expensive now

[BMW //MPOWER]

Originally Posted by Toiman

Damn, $1700 to truck it. I'll be driving !!

Thanks GeriFix, good route.

How much does a car bra cost? Can you Hire? Anybody know.

Did you try TOLL?
They offer some pretty good vehicle transport solutions, namely closed containers at good prices. I got my car shipped from Melb -> Syd when i initially relocated (on the co's tab), was around $600 or so from memory.
As a heads up Autotrans are a big rip off.
If you are considering shipping the car i'd definitely reccomend closed container as on such a long drive cars on the back of car-carriers do sustain substantial amounts of stone damage.

[Bradek]

Congrats on the move over here you're going to love it for sure. +100 on the car bra to minimize damange and having hit a few roos in my time can definately recommend being careful not only at dusk but also sunrise and if it's has just finished raining. Adelaide to Perth when it rains all the roos come to the roadside to drink before it disapears, although this depends on the season and how hot the day has been. Have only recently purchased my e90 so dont know a lot about dealers here but searching the web has pretty much come up empty but i'm sure we'll find someone to sell us stuff. Local BMW dealership seem pretty keen to support and sell so OEM and servicing shouldnt be any dramas. if you need any help when you get here just p.m me.

p.s also be careful of wombats on the way, seen some real wrecks when car /truck meets wombat at high speed.

p.p.s make sure you book accomodation ceduna etc well ahead as limited rooms and if its hot ring an hour ahead and they'll turn on aircon and put beer in the fridge so it's ready when you get there.

p.p.p.s yes we have lots of point and fine demerits and they double on public holiday weekend regularly. thankfully no toll roads and some of the best country drives in the world down south.

[astra]

Originally Posted by BMW //MPOWER

Did you try TOLL?
They offer some pretty good vehicle transport solutions, namely closed containers at good prices. I got my car shipped from Melb -> Syd when i initially relocated (on the co's tab), was around $600 or so from memory.
As a heads up Autotrans are a big rip off.
If you are considering shipping the car i'd definitely reccomend closed container as on such a long drive cars on the back of car-carriers do sustain substantial amounts of stone damage.

There is also a prestige transport service.. I forget who does it, I will look through my papers and see what the name was, but they are fairly priced, and offer completely covered transport and a lift entry rather then a ramp

[BMW //MPOWER]

Originally Posted by astra

There is also a prestige transport service.. I forget who does it, I will look through my papers and see what the name was, but they are fairly priced, and offer completely covered transport and a lift entry rather then a ramp

I think that's the TOLL container serivice i was referring to.

[astra]

Originally Posted by BMW //MPOWER

I think that's the TOLL container serivice i was referring to.

No, I looked it up, they are called CEVA Car Carrying...

they have an online quoting service too, I looked, and it would be around $1200 including insurance coverage etc

http://www.cevacarcarrying.com.au

[JamieA]

The last time I travelled to Kalgoorlie the roos were lined up in a guard of honour. Glad I wasn't driving my car, but one with a sturdy bumper...

I hope you have a great trip though. The longest I have done was Adelaide to Uluru and back, and it really allows you to get to know your car intimately. I have to say that the 3 series is a great tourer and you always feel refreshed at the end of it all, so you can drive very long distances very easily in this car.

[Toiman]

Well the car made the journey in one peice, thank goodness.

To prove I'm here, a quick snap looking at a setting sun over the Indian Ocean.

Hello to all the Perth BMW owners, keep an eye out for "toiman".

See ya'll at a meet/ cruise one day.

[BMW //MPOWER]

Well done mate!
Spill the details!
What route did you take?
How long did the drive take you?

[Toiman]

Nah...I didn't drive it in the end. Just didn't have the time. The car was transported over with Cera Logistics for about $1250. But i was still concerned that it would get damaged ...