Need to get into the "real" outback.
You CANNOT get ULP in most remote areas as they only stock OPAL fuel (ULP replacement) so from Ularu to Laverton (Great Central Road) ........1100 odd Km of no ULP..........
OK, you got me on the Laverton Road. No experience. But would you consider the Strzelecki, Oodnadatta and the Tanami as the "real" outback? What about Cameron Corner and Poeppel Corner? Plus many, many other outback adventures. And on a motorcycle? Unsupported? I would
As you say OPAL is generally available and what does OPAL fuel get used for? To replace ULP. My bike ran fine on it. From the RACQ website:
OPAL exceeds all national standards for regular ULP (91 RON) and can be used in all regular ULP automotive applications including two and four-stroke engines. It can be used in outboards too but isn’t suitable for aviation use. Tests show it provides similar performance, a negligible increase in fuel consumption and similar or slightly reduced exhaust emissions compared to normal ULP. It can be safely mixed with regular ULP too.Anyway my argument was that there isn't much difference in the availability of diesel and ULP (or OPAL) in the outback, real or not. For the very, very few times you would need to worry about the non availability of ULP, it should not be a deal breaker in considering a petrol 4X4 (unlike what the magazines and people with limited experience try to tell you).
KB
Edited to add extra content and references