Dipping in and out of reception as you drive over a mountain or around a coastline can be unnerving but it's nothing compared to a six-hour drive without a single bar.
A picture of a remote Queensland road sign has caused a stir online for warning drivers there is no signal for 630km.
For scale, that is roughly the distance from Melbourne to Canberra and would take around six hours to drive if you travelled at 100 km/h.
Diamantina Developmental Road, where the sign is found, runs from Mount Isa in the northwest to Charlesville in the south-central part of Queensland.
Diamantina Developmental Road in Queensland. Photo / Google Maps
At 1344km, it is one of Australia's longest roads and is predominantly sealed with a few dirt sections.
After surfacing on the social media platform Reddit, people couldn't believe going that long without service.
Many may struggle while driving through the outback without service. Photo / u/Rd28T
"Hope you packed your satellite phone!" Reddit user @Rd28T captioned a photo of the sign.
The user also posted a picture of safe driving tips which can be found on the road. Tips included staying alert for wildlife crossing the road and driving with the lights on during dusty sections.
The pictures quickly attracted attention from Australians and others around the world.
One user said, despite growing up there, they were still surprised by how rural things can be. "I moved to Perth from SoCal (Southern California) and every now and then I get hit by how remote stuff can be here in Australia," they wrote.
"The distance between some of these towns is literally bigger than a small country," wrote another.
Safety is key on this long road. Photo / u/Rd28T
To the region's credit, there are a few outback towns dotted along the Diamantina Developmental Road.
Quilpie has a population of 595 according to a 2016 Census and is famous for its opals. Windorah has a population of 115 people, Bedourie has 122, Boulia has 301 people as well as annual camel races.
People were quick to comment their thoughts on driving through along the road.
An Australian who had taken a similar but smaller trip through the area said: "Routes like this and the Canning Stock Route just f***ing disturb me. It's so hard to fully grasp the enormity of this country's remoteness."
"See the remoteness and being cut off disturbs you but I would find that ideal for a vacation spot haha," a user quipped back.
Similarly, another claimed it was "awesome out there".
