One thing occurs to me re your clock/counterclockwise dilemma - depending on whether your car is a few years out of the factory (I seem to recall you mentioned it was an un- new Ford).

If you go left (ie towards Coober Pedy etc) first, you will be very soon in the real outback, where there really are hundreds of miles between services. So your car will need to be known reliable, and you will need to quickly become used to the concepts of fuel planning etc.

If you go the other way (around the coast to Sydney, then up to Cairns etc) you will be seasoned Aussie travellers by the time you hit the uninhabited areas - in fact the 'sparse' factor will creep up gradually, rather than all of a sudden as it otherwise would between Adelaide and Coober Pedy. Your car will be much more a known quantity too.

As well as that, counter-clockwise means you will be staying in the temperate zones for longer, so that the Summer should have taken a step back by the time you get to the hot & dry stuff (and it IS hot and dry).

The flies always go away on Wednesday 12th April, about 10.30. Until then Aeroguard spray or cream helps a bit, those bobbly-cork hats really don't do much . . . and they are NOT authentic swaggy icons really.

Be prepared for the twilight effect in Tassie - not quite as marked as Scotland, but still noticeable - I was there last week and it is light until about 9pm. Don't miss Coles Bay (East coast).

Enjoy Paul, in humid Sydney