Extreme Outback conditions can lead to blowouts
The temperatures may have soared to near record-high temperatures in parts of South Australia in recent days … but that’s not stopping some travellers from hitting the scorching Outback.
While locals in remote places such as Birdsville do what they can to keep their cool as the mercury reaches nearly 50 degrees, it seems some tourists are still heading out on the tracks.
Phil Turner and his wife Maz (Marilyn) run the Marree Hotel in Marree said the travellers going out on the Oodnadatta Track in the extreme heat were ‘mad’.
“We say to them, ‘but you don’t understand … grease turns to oil, your vehicle cannot cope with driving in these conditions’,” he said. “And you don’t go driving in 49 degree heat!”
Mr Turner told the ABC that locals describe this time of year as the ‘silly season’ – when road accidents are most likely to occur.
“It’s our accident season. It’s when people get stranded. They break wheel nuts, blow tyres,” he said. “We had a chap in here two days ago, he’d blown four tyres on his vehicle driving around in these temperatures. I mean, you’re running rubber on it (the road) – tyres just can’t cope with that sort of condition.”
· What’s the hottest temperatures you’ve driven in? Do you have a cut-off temperature when you simply won’t drive? What is your worst run of luck with blowing tyres? Comment below.
Any temp above 35c is out, time to park it up, you would be mad to go out in that.
I try to stay home in the December January February times its to hot for me. also a lot of crowds with the school holidays etc