CROSSROADS

Beyond the capability of your gear, your wish list and your financial resources, the two great determining factors on any extended Australian touring expedition are time and distance.

You never have enough of the former, while the latter is as much a state of mind as a physical reality. If you keep the plot mobile and pointed in the right direction, you’ll get there, eventually. Still, there’s no escaping the fact that every way is the long way in Australia, especially if you’re traversing the country.

In this first story, we look at the three east-west routes: the Savannah Way from Cairns to Broome across the Top End; the Outback Way, from Winton in Queensland to Laverton, WA, via Uluru; and Highway One, from the eastern states to Perth across the Nullarbor.

SAVANNAH WAY

This route, which runs for 3700km across the Top End from Cairns to Broome, is really a destination in itself, and there are many tempting detours as well, so you could take almost 12 months to do it and still have a few “didn’t