Before you set out on an outback track, sit down and prepare the drive. Read your guide book carefully and compare with your map. I used a pocket calculator to calculate distances and plan for turn offs and checkpoints.   Sometimes it is very easy to miss a turn off out in the bush. Having prepared a paper with the number of kilometres to various checkpoints helps a lot.

LOCAL ADVICE
Always seek local advice. Ask about road conditions at service stations and out at homesteads or from fellow travellers that you meet in caravan parks or at the pub.
  The police: Most guide books recommend you to talk to the police. They never seem to be very interested and are generally very uninformed about road conditions. They always send you to the Shire.

MUD MAPS AND
VERY, VERY LOCAL ADVICE
The best maps of them all are the "mud maps" that the locals draw in the sand in front of you, accompanied by advice like:
  "And when you get to the fridge, turn left!"
  Believe me, if they say you should turn left where you find the fridge, you really should. ;-)
  Improvised road signs like two painted arrows on a stone, branches or plastic bottles over a pot hole, also make finding your way in the bush very interesting.