Thread: travel distance around Australia

Having only 5 weeks ago got back from doing just that I think it would be correct in saying "not really".

The reason given by people is that you travel on the outside track on the roads where as if you go the other way it's the inside track. This should mean it is longer, but the reality is more distance is done in detours in to places and in straight runs that it doesn't mater.

What I can say is that you need to pick the time to cross the Nullabor. We timed it badly and drove the whole distance into a terrible head wind. A few weeks later and we would have had a tail wind and spent about 50% less on fuel for that part of the trip.

Some Also say that if you go clockwise by the time you finish your wound up,
But by going the other way you actually un-wind..

Not really sure about that one though...

The wind facter is the same across the Barkley as well

Cheers Ean

Originally Posted by Heggs

If I travel around Australia in a clockwise direction will i travel further than if I travel in an anti-clockwise direction?

I am having a debate with SWMBO and she reckons it wont make any difference

Yes it will make a difference.

It is almost 2 metres further if you are in the outside lane.

It makes no difference how big the object is that you are going around; if you are 5 or 6 metres further out, the circumference will be a couple of metres larger.

I think in the case of your trip around Australia, the difference works out at something like an increase of 0.000125%.

Originally Posted by Heggs

If I travel around Australia in a clockwise direction will i travel further than if I travel in an anti-clockwise direction?

I am having a debate with SWMBO and she reckons it wont make any difference

There has got to be an opening there somewhere for an Irish joke!!!
(with apologies to our Irish members)

I guess it could have been a opening to a joke here but it was a interesting discussion that has caused much debate around our house (maybe a wine or two may have been involved).

But my guess was as vnx205 sugested the circumference of an object is greater on the outside than on the inside, so it would have to be further to go around on the outside.

About 30 metres difference in distance travelled.

based on a 5m difference between inside lane and outside line and a circumference of 13850km.

W

Originally Posted by Heggs

I guess it could have been a opening to a joke here but it was a interesting discussion that has caused much debate around our house (maybe a wine or two may have been involved).

But my guess was as vnx205 sugested the circumference of an object is greater on the outside than on the inside, so it would have to be further to go around on the outside.

But the two of you are both assuming you are driving around a circle. Across the Nullarbor there is no difference either way, because the road is straight or even slightly convex. Only the coastal highways up and down the east and west coast would conform to your circle theory. The section across the top end and the Nullarbor would likely work the other way.

Most roads are also not straight, which will also counteract the effect as you will alternate from the inside to the outside of the circle on each curve.

if you look at highway 1 on a map it is just about a square so the only differance would be on the corners