rental cars on unsealed roads
 

We are looking into rental cars to drive from Ayers Rock to Alice Springs this coming September.

There appear to be some places where we might want to go on an unsealed road. (Rainbow Valley for one).

If we rent a 4WD, can we assume that it will be allowed on unsealed roads? Seems like it should be.

The websites for the rental cars are unclear about this--and I'm having trouble getting them to e-mail me back.

Hi Caligirl,
You would think so .. but it isn't always that way, unfortunately.
There is usually a toll-free number for Australian rental car companies, so I think it would be worth your while to call them if you can't get an email response. Tell them your intended itinerary, distances etc & see what they say. If they agree, make sure you get the FULL name of the person you speak with and ask them to confirm in fax/email to you. If they don't want to give you their surname (and some companies don't for security reasons), they will have a company ID number. ("Andy in reservations on 5th March" won't cut it when there's a dispute at the booking counter).

You might have some joy with this website www.drivenow.com.au/DrivingInAustralia
or www.atn.com.au

Hi, when we rented a 4WD in Queensland, there were written guidelines (on the web--read the fine print on the website you are looking at, they will probably have a link) as to where we could and could not go (i.e. not north of Cooktown, etc.) so make sure. If you are the disregard the rules type, then go for it, but we didn't want to be stuck with an expensive dispute on our vacation, so we followed their rules.
Sally in Seattle

.... and if you do disregard the "no off-road" terms & come unstuck, it will invalidate the insurance cover & you'll be stuck with whatever the rental company hits you with for the repair/recovery.

Thank you both. We definitely want to play by the rules. We aren't willing to take the chance that something would go wrong.

I'll check out those websites and keep researching!

Also check 'local' rules such as no driving at night outside of towns in the Northern Territory.