Northern Territory Warnings Or Dangers Tips by 1+1

Water crossings

If you don't know how to do it, don't do it!

Water crossings can become a very expensive and painful exercise if you don't know how to do it and/or don't have a car suitable for it.

Vehicles designed for off road travel usually have breather tubes which allow air movement but take the air from higher up, hopefully above the water level. Diffs and gearboxes get very hot while driving. Suddenly plunging into water causes the air to cool and contract within them thus sucking in extra air through whatever it can, but obviously not below water level. If below, it's water that gets sucked in. Afterwards, wet brake pads don't work until they dry - you don't have brakes.

A vehicle moving through water pushes up a bow wave in front and the water level is a lot lower behind it, ie the engine compartment. If the car stops, or goes too slow, the bow wave collapses and floods the engine compartment - big trouble!

At night obviously if the water is too high the headlights will be under water and therefore no light.

Another consideration is the speed of water flow. In still water I'll attempt one metre depth if necessary. Running water 0.8 metre is my limit. Of course if the water is going extremely fast then it could be considered impossible and not attempted. Mine is a high clearance vehicle with a smaller side profile which allows more water to pass under without pushing against it.

A final consideration, although just as important as the rest, is the bottom of the water crossing. If it's bitumen or concrete which hasn't been damaged by flood water then so much the better. Sand can give way in the swirling water and you'll dig yourself in. Mud or clay can make you sink deeper and loose traction. Rough rocky bottom can also be difficult. The only sure way to know what it's like is to wade across first to test it out. Of course you risk getting swept away and drowning, or else being taken by a crocodile.

WATER CROSSINGS ARE A DANGEROUS BUSINESS!

Other Contact: Police Stations, Roadhouses

Phone: 1800 246 199 (in Australia only)

Website: http://www.roadreport.nt.gov.au

Wet season roads

Even major dirt roads can be very difficult during the wet season, not just rough tracks. On a cambered road, if there is a high clay content in the road base, the vehicle can just slide off the road despite your most valiant attempts to keep it on the straight and narrow. Usually the tyre treads get packed with clay, pick up grass, and 'voila' - no traction! Always carry a winch. If travelling with other cars, a snatchem strap is the best for getting another car out of trouble.

Tropical ills

Malaria and Dengue Fever aren't considered problems in the Northern Territory. The only people with those problems contracted them elsewhere. However, there are a couple of other potential illnesses, as the sign indicates. It pays to take precautions.

Crocodiles

You could say that more people are killed on roads than by crocodiles. That's actually true. But people take unnecessary risks. After the death last year (2002) of a tourist in Kakadu, another person was killed by a crocodile just the other day south west of Darwin. The signs are explicit enough.