Don’t go, definitely don’t go north during the wet season. That’s probably what you’ve heard about travelling to northern Australia during the (dreaded) wet season, by opinionated onlookers. Take a deep breath and read on.
This was the opinion I had heard and read online again, and again. Especially for travelling in a 2WD during the wet season. After travelling for over three months in Australia’s top end during the wet season, I’m sharing my experience and some much needed help for others about this journey.
There’s a few things I want to settle first. Aside from my experience over these months of travelling, I’m not a local, what I experienced has been based on the 2020/2021 wet season in northern Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. A season which was meant to be one of the wettest in years.
I’m originally from Canada, which makes my perspective on this more nuanced, to those who don’t live full time up north. Meaning I may notice more interesting and unique factors to travelling north than others might, who see this everyday may miss.
In this guide I’m sharing the facts about travelling in a 2WD in northern Australia during the wet season. General road conditions, how to cope with them and what to do if an unfavourable weather event occurs. There’s also fun extras about road trip routes, which major roads are sealed, how to survive the long drives and more.
Please note I’m not a professional, these things I recommend are what helped with my road trip and could help with others.
Table of Contents
Travelling in a 2WD to Northern Australia During the Wet Season
There’s a lot of reasons travelling to northern Australia during the wet season isn’t ideal in a 2WD. Possible flooding and corrugated unsealed roads are just a few concerns. However, I travelled throughout the entire wet season and never once had a major problem in my 2WD vehicle.
Understanding the dangers and risks of a journey like this is most important to successfully avoiding those issues. See more in the section below for road conditions.
The most important things to understand about travelling in a 2WD during the wet season are unsealed roads, weather conditions and how they interact with each other. In extreme circumstances these may also cause problems for 4WD vehicles—few vehicles are immune to intense flooding.
Unsealed Roads
Road conditions can deteriorate quickly with the certain weather conditions. Driving in a 2WD, it’s important to stick to sealed roads, which is key to getting safely to each destination.
Most unsealed roads in northern Australia are limited to 4WD only, during the wet season. Australia’s pretty organized with this and will have signs on the roads to share this information. If you’re not sure, don’t attempt it with a 2WD—especially if travelling alone.
Some unsealed roads may be accessible for 2WD during the wet season, but its extra important in this time to take note of weather conditions and warnings. Because if a road condition does deteriorate while in a remote national park, per say, you could be stuck for a few days.
Weather Conditions
The other 2WD-related problem for travelling to northern Australia during the wet season is weather conditions. I’ve touched on this a bit, but it’s mainly related to flooding, that goes for both sealed and unsealed roads.
Follow local weather networks and avidly check for updates to avoid any problems. Light flooding may take place, but never attempt to drive through if its unsafe—if you’re unsure, don’t risk it.
The only time I had trouble with flooding, I waited (safely) on the side of the road and within an hour someone with a land rover came by and offered to pull me through. However, I was prepared to park somewhere and camp until the flooding ended.
This sums up the biggest concerns of travelling in a 2WD in the wet season to northern Australia. Make sure your vehicle is mechanically ready for a long journey, but that goes for both 2WD and 4WD all-year around.
Next to this, check out the below section on extra gear to consider, which is important for every vehicle. This will make the journey as safe as possible.
Travelling to Northern Australia During the Wet Season: Road Conditions
Road conditions are the biggest concern to head north during the wet season. There’s also heat and humidity, but those are more concerns about comfort and hydration. In this section I’m going over which problems could arise during this journey up north in accordance to road conditions.
The worst that may occur is light to extreme flooding, which could result in a postponed road trip or prolonged break somewhere. This goes for 2WD and 4WD. Yes, even 4WD vehicles can be trapped and bogged.
The likely hood of an event to this degree happening can differ, flooding to this degree doesn’t usually happen everywhere, every year. It may not happen at all.
To make the most out of your road trip, and to avoid intense flooding, stick to sealed roads whenever possible.
Sealed Road Route in Northern Australia
This sealed road route option is the best bet to staying safe throughout the wet while road tripping. This is heading east to west, so reverse the order depending on your road trip destination.
- Heading East – Townsville to Cloncurry, Queensland: via the A6 (Flinders Highway)
- Cloncurry to Northern Territory border: via the A2 (Barkly Highway) which becomes the 66 in NT (still the Barkly Highway)
- NT border heading south or north at Warumungu: via the A87 (Stuart Highway)
- Heading North – Warumungu to Darwin, NT: the A87 join into the A1 (still, Stuart Highway)
- Heading West – Darwin to Broome, Western Australia: via the A1 (from Katherine, NT is called the Victoria Highway until after Kunumurra, WA it’s called the Great Northern Highway)
How to Check Road Conditions
Sealed roads are unlikely to have as many problems as unsealed roads, but it can still happen. Avoid unnecessary accidents by staying up-to-date with weather conditions, including weather warnings which could trigger floods.
Each state has its own website to monitor road conditions, and these are the best places to check routes—that goes for 4WD and 2WD.
- Queensland: Road Conditions Information
- Northern Territory: Roads Reporting NT
- Western Australia: Main Roads Travel Map
Aside from these resources, major routes (such as the one I listed above) and highways have up-to-date signs with signals for road conditions. This way, if you’re without a reliable cellphone signal, the road signs will say open, proceed with caution or closed.
Travelling to Northern Australia During the Wet Season: Weather Conditions
Weather, especially wet and windy will determine how safe a road trip through Australia’s northern end will be. Not every season is the same, nor every area. This section focuses on staying safe in regards to weather conditions, for road conditions specifically, see the section above.
What is the Wet Season Exactly?
To help understand the problems with the wet season, it’s better to understand what exactly the wet season is, and how that pertains to travelling.
Australia’s north end will receive most of its yearly rain during the wet season. It’s also the hottest time of the year, creating a high humidity rate. The season usually lasts between November to April, but flooding may not clear up until much later. Every year is different as well, some wet seasons start early, or start late and go longer.
The monsoonal rain storms come from north and dip down south, but not all the way. This is why many parts of Australia have a normal summer. Because the storms come from the north end, it can generally be wetter the more north you go, such as Darwin, NT.
The outback (non-coastal regions) which are dry and deserted in the dry season, have grass shooting out of the ground in the wet season. It transforms the landscape to lush and bright green.
Every year the wet season is different. Only local weather information will provide details on when and where flooding may occur. This is why it’s hard to plan the best time for a trip and it’s best to stay up-to-date with weather information, especially for a road trip.
Even though is doesn’t sound this way, the wet season does not mean it rains every day, everywhere—it’s just the season with the most rainfall!
Wet Season Weather Conditions
The wet season in Australia’s northern end isn’t just about rain. It’s also cyclone season, and can bring devastatingly harsh winds.
Cyclone season for many communities means staying up to date with local cyclone plans. For those travelling through or in areas at risk of cyclones, it’s a bit different.
Most importantly, never risk put travel plans above safety. If you’re in an area at risk of a cyclone, talk to locals and engage with tourist information centres, to figure out the best plan.
Doing this will provide the best information on when it’s important to leave an area. There may also be times it’s better to stay somewhere to prevent ending up in a cyclone. And, of course, stay updated on road conditions to prevent getting stuck from a flood before or after a cyclone.
Special Gear for the Wet Season Road Trips
When it doubt, be over prepared. Travelling north during the wet season for the first time may feel like a monumental moment, because really, it is. Being prepared is the best way to have a safe and enjoyable trip.
- Extra fuel containers: these are good in case you get stuck or have to return somewhere and need more fuel. Otherwise it’s a good way to save on fuel, by filling up containers where fuel is cheapest. However, there’s enough points to fill up that you don’t have to have fuel containers.
- Water containers: Save yourself some time and money and get some water jugs. If you have it, keep some water in the fridge for the hot days as well. Water is essential to feel focused and energetic and surviving the hot temperatures of Australia’s north end.
- Extra meals and snacks: during the wet season there’s not as many restaurants open in small towns. Grocery stores also have limited hours. Always carry extra meals to prevent getting hangry! And in case of an emergency.
- UHF radio: I didn’t travel with a radio, but many people do. Either by a connection through their vehicle, or just a standalone radio. They’re used to call for help when there’s no cellphone service around, but it’s dependant on the radio’s range and who else is around at that time.
- Waterproof everything: It’s good to have some extra ways to protect yourself from the elements. Whether that’s an awning, a waterproof tent or just a light windbreaker, get on it. Stay dry when it is raining.
- Light long-sleeve clothing: Aside from just staying dry, make sure to pack some clothes for the hot and humid weather. Long-sleeve shirts, hats, and pants will protect from the sun and biting insects.
For more insect repellent, check out my list of natural mosquito repellents to stay bug free, all-year!
How to Survive the (Long) Drive
In case you’re not sure, heading into the outback means a lot of driving. I mean hundreds of kilometres without cellphone reception. Throughout thousands of kilometres in the outback and northern Australia in the wet season, I’m here to share some tips to survive the drive.
Two words: cold water. Drinking water is the best way to stay focused and energetic during long drives. It might not seem that way because water can be boring to a lot of people, but it’s really the best for your health. Any water is better than no water, but personally cold water helps me survive the heat and humidity. Just like drinking a hot coffee on a cold day.
If you’re picky about water flavour, grab a sustainably-made water filtration by Hydros to get clean and tasty water for the whole drive.
Alternating music playlists is another way to keep the energy up during long car rides. Get a subscription to be able to download playlists and download a lot. I’ll only listen to a playlist twice before I get tired of it, so every time I have service I’ll download more and delete the previous ones. Podcasts are also great as long as they’re not too distracting.
Taking breaks, might seem counterproductive by stopping often, but it’s worth it. The more often you stop, the easier it will be to enjoy the drive.
When you stop for a break, don’t just sit in your vehicle and look at social media. Get out, stretch your legs and drink some water before continuing. Getting fresh air in your body and moving around will help with to focus while driving.
And finally, switch drivers whenever possible. Often I get pretty comfortable as a passenger being able to put my feet up, but once I switch to driving I love it even more. Switching drivers is good for both or all passengers to enjoy the scenery differently and give your mind a rest from focusing on the road.
Is Everything Closed?
There are still plenty of pubs, roadhouses, hotels and restaurants open during the wet season, but not as many as during the dry season. During previous years (not during a global pandemic with closed international borders) the wet season doesn’t provide enough tourism for most businesses to stay open. That’s changed greatly in the 2020/2021 season.
Most businesses that close are in remote areas where they can’t afford to keep staff and may be unable to order supplies due to the quality of roads around. Of course, if a business cannot get supplies, they can’t host guests. Other businesses may close because there was no access for guests to enter the property, from seasonally flooding roads.
However, it was rare on my journey through northern Australia that businesses were closed. Most closed businesses were in touristy areas, which were mainly dead in the wet season, due to lower tourism. Broome especially had few restaurants open, but Darwin had most businesses and restaurants open.
Other businesses still operate, but on a limited capacity rate. This can be due to the pandemic, or just less staff in the wet season. The 2020/2021 wet season had a larger than normal amount of tourism, specifically over school holidays.. Mainly because Australian’s are unable to travel internationally.
More likely than not, if a businesses is in a very remote area in the wet season, it won’t be open. If you’re unsure, call ahead or check on the businesses website or social media always. Applications such as Google Maps rarely shows seasonal closures, so it’s important to check with the businesses instead of being stranded without food or accommodation.
Heading to the Northern Territory? Check out my guide for visiting Kakadu National Park during the wet season, it includes what there is to see, accessibility and more.
