I will be driving my car with my wife to Uluru for 10 days from Victoria. I enjoy driving so long drive won't be a problem for me. I would like to go cheap by camping in my car(Seden). I will turn the back seat into bed by putting bedding into the backseat. I tried sleeping position with my wife at home in the car and it is cozy and somehow comfortable for us. By looking at the weather in a couple of week, it will be around 1°C at night. I do not think it is a good idea to turn the engine and heat on. What do you guys think of engine running with the heat on?
Camping at Uluru by Sleeping in The Car with The Engine on for Heat
supercheapguy on 23/06/2018 - 09:51
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3 faults lead to that happening.
As long as you are in an open space I don't think it would be a problem, I used to a truck driver and when away we slept with the engine on for AC.
yes this is the first thing that popped when I googled but I dont thing it is the case here
I wouldn't want to leave my keys in the ignition at night nor waste fuel by leaving the engine running.
Given that you'll have two people within a confined space, I'd think you'd be warm enough with some wool blankets and a sleeping bag.
@Scrooge McDuck: yeh I got mattress top(relatively thick) and padding(same thickness as my mattress top) and two quilts to keep us comfortable. I won't leave my engine running as it will be problem if something goes wrong with my engine.
If you would like to know more about fuel consumption/wasted have a look at this
@supercheapguy: my friends just camped at uluru last weekend. Tent, sleeping bag each and a quilt. They had a great time!
Did you actually try sleeping for an entire night in the back seat with your wife? It's one thing to find it cozy when trying it quickly, and quite another to have to do it all night for multiple nights. I've slept in and lived out of a sedan for a two month stint, and had to wake up during the night every few hours to stretch my legs out.
You wouldn't want to have the engine running continually for the heater, but rather run a burst for a little while every now and again. Cars change temperature quickly though so you'd be better just having a few decent blankets and trying to sleep as much as possible for the night.
yeh I am a short guy so is my wife. I could stretch my legs like my home bed. Not as comfortable as the bed but I think I can do it. I will be using two large mattress pads. It should be fine I reckon
If your wife is a short guy, it should be fine. I find sleeping in the car uncomfortable but im 6'3
I'm Brian and so is my wife
Or you could just pay for a motel like everyone else…
Why are you driving your own car and paying fuel? You could just hitch hike, why pay for stuff when you can avoid not to.
Commenting doesn't mean one is triggered or not moving on. It takes like 3 secs to write. No need to get so defensive, like you said, its the internet, take it easy.
I don't know the reason why you are on ozbargain. Ozbargain is essentially for people who tried something to avoid paying full price and get bargained.
Ahh you're a newbie, perhaps you should visit this page https://www.ozbargain.com.au/wiki/epic_threads to help you broaden your understanding of a community social forum.
If you don't agree, you're also welcome to ignore and move on. You don't own this thread.
Yo It's the internet on the forums, not your house, anyone can say what they want within forum guidelines.
If you don't like it and want to control what people say, maybe stay away from social media.
to avoid paying full price and get bargained.
This is correct but it doesn't mean trying to avoid paying for everything. By your logic you should live in your car because it is cheaper than renting/owning a home.
Why pay for food when there's plenty of tenderised roadkill you could eat
I get where your coming from. You try to ask a genuine question, and you get idiots making pointless comments that detract from the conversation. You can report the post to mods as 'offtopic', but short of that not much you can do. I recommend just ignoring them
@outlander: yeh man. People should just scroll through if they do not agree. It is not like I am asking just say whatever you want regardless of what you think of my opinion
It is not like I am asking just say whatever you want regardless of what you think of my opinion
No one needs your permission to. You ask what you want, others comment as they wish. You seem to think you're the boss of the thread… Well you're not. Have some sense of humour, Ozbargain is more than just bargains fyi :)
@supercheapguy:
So triggered lol.
Oh well at least you are providing good entertainment.
But seriously - I am not sure if you can just sleep in your car at Uluru as its aboriginal land, not general public space.
If you go to a campsite it will be ok.
https://www.ayersrockresort.com.au/accommodation/ayers-rock-…
You know you have to pay sometimes, right? ;)
The point of ozbargain is finding good deals and saving money, not seeing who can be the tightest arse in the county. There’s a difference between paying less for something and trying to live the life of a hobo.
If you are a real Ozb, why not stay home and camp in backyard? :)
I've slept in my car a few times and the best tip i could give is to take a hot water bottle( and lots of warm bedding).!
You'll need a cheap camping stove to heat / boil the water which you will have anyway if you are planing on doing any sort of cooking on the road.
It will work out lots cheaper than running your engine for several hours at a time ( also could leave you stranded if you do not have a good idea of how much your car will use idling for 9+ hours) or through the entire night.
if you are camping near others it would be pretty inconsiderate to have an engine running overnight, undoubtedly it would be very intrusive imagine if your neighbour run a generator all night to keep their RV warm .hot water bottle ✔
camping stove ✔
warm bedding ✔
I wont be running the engine all night however I will be turning on and off for a few hour.
thanks for your comment
Lol @ turning engine on and off for a few hours.
Seriously - the hot water bottle is a great idea. I use that at home to sleep without a heater. All you need is a hot water bottle and multiple quilts to keep the body heat in. Plus you're with your wife, two people in a confined space would heat things up I'm guessing?
There's no campground inside the national park itself you would have to use the one at Ayers Rock Resort, 15km away, anyway.
https://parksaustralia.gov.au/uluru/plan/where-to-stay.html
There is a hostel at ARR with low cost accommodation and you'll get to use the hot showers and toilets too.
Seriously, some ideas…
yeh however they are sold out for the time I am planning to go there.
So change your dates or book earlier next time.
@supercheapguy: Part of getting a good bargain is planning ahead. It's a popular sight. You seem wedded to your sleeping in the car idea even before you investigated all the facts and options so you get salty when people mention snags.
@supercheapguy: Hahaha, are you the king of the world? Seems like you want to silence everybody who tells you something you don't like to hear. I have no interest in changing your mind, I just lay out the facts, you are free to ignore. Your wouldn't even have known about NP hours and entrance fees if you hadn't started this thread.
lol this guy. You don't need to comment on other opinion if you do not agree. I will ask what I want. You only give comment if you have any advice on what I think. Not to change my view of things.
I agree. You have excellent ideas which can't go wrong.
@PJC: Actually winter is the best time to visit Uluru for at least a couple of reasons: It's cooler in the daytime, and the days are shorter, which means you don't have to get up so early to catch sunrise at Uluru. Even so, we had to be ready for pickup in the hotel lobby at 0530, also to be near the head of queue at gate opening. And even earlier for the trip to Kings Canyon. But winter still has a couple of months to run, and there are lots of accommodation options. Even campgrounds if he wants to sleep in the car but they'll charge him for the spot anyway.
It'll be cold at night in summer too, just less so, because it's so far inland with no large bodies of water nearby.
I suspect OP had an idea of driving up to the Rock and parking there overnight. That might have been possible decades ago. I hope the various informative replies have disabused him of that notion.
low cost accommodation and you'll get to use the hot showers and toilets too.
No, OP says this is OzBargain. Why pay for hot showers and toilets when you can wash yourself with the windscreen spray and crap in the glovebox?
Rear of car is not only uncomfortable, you could do some serious long term damage to your back. TBH if you are considering having to keep your engine on all night for heat (btw make sure to have your windows open slightly), it might just be cheaper to bring a tent and find a camp site. If the nearest campsite is 15km away … is 20mins really that big of a deal to drive. You might not be allowed to park overnight just anywhere … many national parks have guidelines and rules about that. (was in a motorhome in New Zealand, was so tired, just stopped in a roadside carpark for a nap, and a ranger was banging at the door in the middle of the night asking me to drive off or I'll be fined), so better to check first.
Your wife is bound to need amenities even if you dont. The ensuing divorce would cost you more! :P
Having said that, let us know how your trip goes when you're back … I havent had a chance to cross Uluru off my bucket list yet
Rolling the window slightly ✔
I will be making my backseat flat and sleep. By looking at all the comments above, I will bring a tent to stay on the camp site. Yeh I just talked to her and amenities must be considered.
I dont mind driving 20 mins as I like driving. I will definitely let you guys know how the trip went after I am back. Thanks for your commentIf you have powered campsite, could bring a good heater from home, and run it as much as you like , as no power bill, like at home
Yes I am planning of taking my oil heater from home and socket power strip to charge my electronics
Windows cracked open so i dont die. No engine, warm bedding and an under heated bed pad somehow on. battery pack? Generator? For me, if u could figure that out. It would be perfect.
yes I will have two phones,my phone and my wife and ipad with large amount of data for gps etc. iPad battery usually last quite long for just doing browsing and navigation. I think it would be perfect. I will be staying with my own tent at camp site at Ayers rock by reading at others' comments. It will have to be powered camp site as it will be cheaper for us to cook our own food.
Are you judging your iPhone/iPad battery life off your regular usage or based off multiple hours of navigation usage in areas where mobile phone reception is weak. I know when I travel into country areas rather than around the city that my phone battery decreases at a faster rate even without using GPS as my device is spending more time searching for network towers, etc.
I have car charger but I hardly use it when I drove to QLD from VIC last time. It was iPhone 5. Usually it is kind of straight forward as there aren't many roads to get to Uluru. The way I use my gps is set gps for the destination and turn it off when I am driving 2 or 3 hours(200 km or 300 km) for the same road. I won't be using my phone it is just for back up purpose and l will be using just for gps purpose only as I got a camera to take photos.
yes I will have two phones,my phone and my wife and ipad with large amount of data for gps etc. iPad battery usually last quite long for just doing browsing and navigation.
How is the battery life of your wife?
my wife's phone lol
Wives are expensive, maybe leave her at home to keep costs down.
Non-powered campsite about $42.50 per night.
Fuel cost (as per fuel spy) $2.135 per litre. Idling car uses about 0.5l per hour, depending on car, so for 8hrs this would be approx $8.50.
As previously mentioned, tent, mattresses, sleeping bags, blankets etc would be more comfortable. You may need to pay for a campsite even if you sleep in the car.About 30 years ago I drove from Adelaide to Darwin with a side trip to Uluru with the wife in a Corolla, we had a trailer and therefore took the large tent, camp stove, gas lanterns, chairs etc. The drive can be boring it is 1600km from Adelaide and 2300km from Melbourne. Probably need 2 overnight stops each way, we’ll a old person like me would. Coober Pedy is an interesting place for an overnight stop, drive guides should be available from RACV or from the RAA in SA.
yeh I always think it is cheaper to leave the car idle. I enjoy driving so long drive should not be a problem for me. However, I will be using my car(flat backseat with comfortable bedding) to take the most out of a power nap .
Firstly, you will have to spend your nights in Yulara, not near Uluru. The Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park closes overnight (from usually an hour after sunset and an hour before sunrise) and no vehicles are permitted to stay within the park.
I’m not sure if you’ll get away with sleeping in your car anywhere in Yulara, but you can certainly try. Though it’s very populated so people may see you in the car and you may get asked what’s going on. I’d probably advise moving your car to different car parks every night. (There’s pretty much a car park at every accomodation option and in the town centre).
As others have said, there is ample accomodation in Yulara, including campgrounds and hostels at the cheaper end of the spectrum.
Also note, the hostel toilets and showers are just open all the time without requiring a key, so there would probably be nothing stopping you from using them. But you didn’t hear that from me.
Oh and while you are there please do yourself a favour and see the Field of Light. Now there is no way to do this alone, you will have to book a tour. But it is worth it, and I wouldn’t suggest anyone miss it.
Damn. I did not know about Yulara and park operating hours until now. I will definitely need amenities for my wife and thanks for your information bro :)
Sleeping in a sedan is never comfortable. A station wagon with a mattress in the back would be doable. A cheap double swag would be a better option than the back seat of a car. I have one of these and it's good to sleep in. Add a mattress topper to make it more cosy. Under $200.
https://www.4wdsupacentre.com.au/products/swags/deluxe-doubl…Leaving the car engine running would annoy other campers in some places. Many camping areas don't allow generators, for example. I'd say thos areas wouldn't allow you to run your car all night either. From experience, cars get very, very cold at night without the engine running. A swag would be warmer.
I know it will not be the same as the bed at home but I will make it close. I will only be using my back seat to take a nap and I will buy tent as it will be the cheapest option to stay at camp sites
The true, free ozbargain way would be to capture, slice open & gut a feral camel and sleep inside its skin Bear Grylls style.
haha that's not something I would do though
someone has been watching too much star wars :)
It was actually Empire Strikes Back.
Kathleen Kennedy will shortly be slicing open the carcass of Star Wars and sliding in for warmth while chanting to herself:
'the Force is female, the Force is female.'
And what's the internal temperature of a tauntaun?
Luke warm.
Uluru is best at sunrise and sunset. So be prepared to get to the NP gate early to join the queue. There are different viewing areas for sunrise and sunset. You can also look up the park fees while you're researching that.
thanks for the tip. I would like to see that.
Exactly this^^ OP, you'll want to give yourself plenty of time to get through, find a park, walk to the viewing platform etc. Make sure you grab a multi-day pass, because you'll probably need the first day to get yourself oriented and work out your plan of attack for the following day(s).
My GF and I visited there a couple of years ago, also sleeping in the car, but we were sleeping at a rest stop 40km before Yulara, getting up before dawn and driving in to the national park from there. We were actually using the showers and toilets at Curtin Springs Roadhouse (we had a meal there one night as well, which was quite an experience!), which is also a campground you might consider on the way there.
The following page has a few details about the drive there and where you can stop along the way - ignore the first part coming from Alice Springs - the part relevant to you is from the Erdlunda Roadhouse.
thanks man. It is very useful.
dm01 has the right advice. I think you'll run into some issues trying to car camp in Yulara proper. It's effectively an accommodation / service town and tiny to boot. A car idling overnight is going to be noticed by either staff from a hotel or the local police.
Rest area 40km east of Yulara is your best bet or free unpowered camping at Curtin Springs if you don't mind being further away from Uluru with facilities.
Not sure if you're planning to spend 10 days at Uluru itself, but if you are I think that's far too long. You'd be better off doing 3 days there and a week elsewhere. Check out Watarrka NP / Kings Canyon or other spots in Tjoritja / West MacDonnell NP.
Tinted car windows, just in case you get frisky.
I am gonna have curtain for the windows to block out the light from outside to get a good sleep
I do love a "good sleep"
I really don't think its a good idea to run the engine all night. How about your insulate your car/roof somehow perhaps? At least I think at night, if you cover all glass surfaces with silver reflective sheets/emergency blankets/windscreen shades, you will be able to reflect whatever heat your and wife generate back into the car. Double sleeping bag for 2 people sharing body heat and another doona and you should be fine.
Try it for a night at home and compare the temps where you are and where you are going, will be the best way to find out.
yes you are right. I will be trying at home next week to get the feel
Heat? Oooh Mr fancy pants over here. I've literally never slept with any kind of heating beyond a blanket and never had a problem, this is Australia not Canada. If you're trying to save money why even bother with the heat? Sleeping bags are so warm you'll sweat out in the open bush on a winter night here. Seriously though, just crack a window for air and you're good to go.
yeh bro in case it gets too cold. I just posted that to see people have done similar things like running engine on for longer period or not
Engines aren't really meant to idle for excessive periods. It causes the oil to become diluted with fuel and can also consume a large amount of oil as it gets sucked into the combustion chamber by the high vacuum from idle.
Also, your battery won't be charged properly from the alternator, as the alternator will have to increase the current through the field windings to create a large enough magnetic field to produce any current at the idle RPM.
Which as an end result will also wear out the carbon brushes in the alternator and it won't work properly anymore either.Pretty sure in most car manuals there is a notice to not to not let the car sit there idling for more than 20 mins.
I like the idea of the hot water bottle, get a couple of thermos bottles, fill them with hot water where you can get some and put it into the hot water bottle at night when you need it. The water should keep pretty hot in the thermos for a long time.
Also the flux transducers may pop off, leaving large amounts of tappet residue on the front bearing screws. If you don't have a bi-fold electron plate, it could get ugly.
yeh I personally think it is good for the engine however I thought it won't make any big damages to the engine. I will not be running my engine as it is too far of a place to break down my engine
Soft Aussies! 1C is not that cold! Car should be a few degrees warmer than a tent. Just wear thermals and be mindful of. Opening and closing the car. Only run the car when you wake up to stay warming up for the day. A big feed of beans at night if that fails….
Car should be a few degrees warmer than a tent.
Actually a tent will be far warmer. The steel and glass in a car gets cold very fast whereas a tent is designed to keep body heat inside quite effectivly.
Temperature in car increases and decreases very slowly but temperature in tent is a lot faster to increase and decrease
Just get yourself an adventure kings double swag. Cheap and comfortable as anything. I have used mine at 0 degrees no problem, just sleep with a nice sleeping bag.
Yeh I will be looking into swag as many people recommended that.
buy a cheap tent, take lots of bedding, pillows, a mattress to get you off the ground and possibly some foam to insulate between the ground and mattress.
sleeping in a car is uncomfortable and will be colder than a tent as you cant share body heat properly. Also the condensation in a car gets significant.
at least take some damp rid if you plan to sleep in the car
yeh I will be bringing thick padding. Thanks :)
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seriously?
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/The-dangers-of-sleep…