I met up with a party of tourists whose vehicle had broken down. After I had got the car going I asked them if they had plenty of water, and they told me that they had 2 gallons, about 9 litres. For three people to have only this much water, when they were in such an isolated area, was utterly foolish and dangerous. If, say, the car radiator leaked and had to be refilled, it would need 18 litres, leaving the travellers with no water and a half-empty radiator. Nobody should ever take the slightest risk of getting into this situation.
Many people are very careless about their water requirements in the outback.
I have found, as a general rule of thumb, that they often have a water jar or a plastic container holding less than 15 litres of water. They would take this amount if they were going on a trip to the beach or the hills, and when they are heading off to Ayers Rock, they take no more. You must check the car. I have often come across stranded drivers who say, 'I've had this car for three years and it has never given me any trouble. They have always driven on bitumen roads, where it would not matter if their cars were not working 100 per cent efficiently.