Don’t run out of fuel this Christmas – 10 handy tips if you are on the road during the festive season.
With the silly season upon us it is very important to plan ahead. Whilst most of us are fairly well organised, have started Christmas shopping, finalised holiday plans, a few of us, especially the ones who will be on the road, haven’t given much thought about filling up our tanks.
Who can really blame us? We are all so used to petrol stations being open until the late hours that we forget that its staff also deserve a Christmas break! The consequences? Shorter trading hours at service stations which might leave us high and dry!
You should be fine in the metro area, but if you are travelling anywhere inland or a little more remote, you need to make sure you have enough fuel left, or know where you can get it if you run out.
Tips for travelling during the Christmas break:
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- Google your route. Even if you know where you are going. If you can’t make the journey without refuelling on the way, you can have a look at all the key towns that you will be passing through and whether they have a roadhouse or service station you can stop at.
- Once you find a service station, or even if you have the ‘usual’ station you always stop at, it is worth giving them a call to confirm their working hours during the break. You never know whether your good old service station has had a change of ownership or management, who might have changed the holiday opening times.
- It is always a good idea to take a bit of emergency fuel with you, in case you get stuck or find yourself in unforeseen circumstances, whilst on the road.
- Always plan your trips during day light hours. This avoids accidents with wildlife that come out at dusk and dawn but will also increase your chances of finding an open roadhouse on your journey.
- If you are travelling to very remote locations it might be a good idea to invest in a satellite phone or check your network coverage with your service provider. For Telstra network coverage, click here. For Optus network coverage, click here. For Virgin Mobile network coverage, click here. For Vodafone network coverage, click here.
- Always pack plenty of food and water with you.
- Have your car serviced before you go. It might be very tempting to service your car after your holiday but you never know whether or not you have a hidden problem just waiting to implode. You rather have it fixed before getting stuck in the middle of nowhere.
- If you are going on a long journey make sure to take turns driving so you get a chance to recharge. If you are the only driver it is wise to stay somewhere overnight or take plenty of rest stops. Stop for at least 15 minutes every 2 hours. For a list of rest stops, click here.
- Don’t forget to put together your travel play list on your iPod or CD. Driving is always a lot more entertaining with a bit of music. It also drowns out the kids when they start asking ‘are we there yet?’, half an hour into an eight hour journey.
- Don’t forget to drive safe and enjoy the ride!
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If you are passing by Karridale, Bunbury or Merredin, we operate the following service stations. They are all open during the Christmas period, apart from Christmas day, with reduced opening hours:
[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Karridale Roadhouse” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Karridale Roadhouse: Bussell Highway, Karridale WA 6288, (08) 9758 5009
24/12/2014 Wednesday – Christmas Eve 6 am – 7 pm
25/12/2014 Thursday – Christmas Day Closed
26/12/2014 – Boxing Day 8 am – 5 pm
27/12/2014 Saturday 8 am – 6 pm
28/12/2014 Sunday 8 am – 6 pm
29/12/2014 Monday 6 am – 6 pm
30/12/2014 Monday 6 am – 6 pm
31 /12/2014 Wednesday New Year’s Eve 6 am – 6 pm
01/12/2015 Thursday New Year’s Day 8 am – 6 pm
02/01/2015 Friday 6 am – 8 pm[/toggle]
[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Gull Bunbury” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]
Gull Bunbury – Strickland Street, Bunbury WA 6230, (08) 9721 5279
24/12/2014 Wednesday – Christmas Eve 6 am – 6 pm
25/12/2014 Thursday – Christmas Day Closed
26/12/2014 – Boxing Day 8 am – 5 pm
27/12/2014 Saturday 6 am – 6 pm
28/12/2014 Sunday 6 am – 6 pm
29/12/2014 Monday 6 am – 6 pm
30/12/2014 Monday 6 am – 6 pm
31 /12/2014 Wednesday New Year’s Eve 6 am – 6 pm
01/12/2015 Thursday New Year’s Day 8 am – 5 pm
02/01/2015 Friday 6 am – 6 pm[/toggle]
[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Merredin Roahouse” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Merredin Roadhouse – Great Eastern Highway (Corner Oats St) Merredin WA 6415, (08) 9041 1982
24/12/2014 Wednesday – Christmas Eve 6 am – 7 pm
25/12/2014 Thursday – Christmas Day Closed
26/12/2014 – Boxing Day 8 am – 6 pm
27/12/2014 Saturday 6 am – 6 pm
28/12/2014 Sunday 6 am – 6 pm
29/12/2014 Monday 6 am – 6 pm
30/12/2014 Monday 6 am – 6 pm
31 /12/2014 Wednesday New Year’s Eve 6 am – 7 pm
01/12/2015 Thursday New Year’s Day 8 am – 7 pm
02/01/2015 Friday 6 am – 8 pm[/toggle]
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