Long range fuel tanks can come in handy when it comes to remote touring, especially in Australia, so having a long range tank can definitely help with long distances and being in the remote landscapes. Someone who are experts at remote touring is Gary and Amanda from Travel Outback Australia and they’ve got a Toyota Landcruiser Prado 2014 which has our 136L Sub Tank Replacement. This tank replaces the standard 63L sub tank on the vehicle, so now their vehicle has a combined total of 220L+ capacity, which means remote travel is a breeze.

Gary and Amanda find their long range tank comes in handy with the remote travelling they do. “We often travel quite long distances without refuelling, knowing that we can travel the outback safely, we can keep the weight down where required. Now we can carry 220L+ of fuel, everything weight wise adds up!” Gary says. But don’t think having a long range tank means you never run low on fuel, Gary explains an “uh oh” moment they had when they ran low on fuel, “we’d gone out into the Simpson Desert and done many of the tracks in the south like Rig Road, the Approdinna Attora Knolls Track and Lone Gum, when we returned to the French Line, we decided to go up the geographic centre of the Simpson Desert. Suffice to say, when we returned to Mt Dare, we had barely 20L left after an epic trip.”

There are many reasons why people want to purchase a long range tank, remote touring, comfort knowing you’ll get to your destination, not having to carry jerry cans and things alike, we asked why Gary and Amanda wanted theirs, even when their Prado could carry 150L of fuel standard. “We just found it wasn’t quite adequate in some cases, especially in some of the remote areas like the Simpson Desert. For example, back when Covid hit we were still able to travel within South Australia but couldn’t go across to Birdsville as one of the creeks was flowing due to flooding in the area. The extra capacity meant that we could reach out into the depths of the desert and return to point of departure using the one tank of fuel. Besides, because we drive a wagon, I hate having fuel in the car or adding to the weight on our roof rack.”

Gary and Amanda have been living in and travelling the outback since 1995, Gary is a park ranger in the Alice Springs region, Amanda is an anthropologist and archaeologist but now runs her own cultural heritage management business, so they visit a lot of places and speak to a lot of people. We asked them if long range tanks are a common topic, “if they don’t ask then I tell them! Especially when someone focuses on their possible inability get from point A to point B” Gary says, “I simply don’t worry about it anymore with my LRA tank. I can generally pick and choose where I fill up based on convenience and/or price and focus on the journey” he explains.

With many options out there in the automotive market for long range tanks, when I asked Gary if he was happy with his Long Range Automotive tank, this is what he had to say, “the tank has given no sign of problems and the aluminiused steel construction means it's tough and can handle the varied conditions we drive under. It tucks up well under the rear of the Prado which also means that it's out of harms way should we drag our rear end over any obstacles. Couldn’t be happier!”

Gary and Amanda run their own blog where they write about trip planning, destinations, how to articles and share some of their personal stories and experiences. They are very active on social media, sharing photos and information about the trips they do, it's great knowing that our long range tank can get them to where they need and want to be.

Want to learn more about Travel Outback Australia? Head to their website for an abundance of knowledge and advice. Or follow them on social media @traveloutbackaustralia to stay up to date on their adventures.

Interested in a long range tank for your own vehicle? Head to the LRA Products section, find a tank suitable and get a quote!