A dash mat would provide the ultimate protection but personally, they don't look all that appealing. My advice would be to use a good dash and trim care product (so many recommendations on the forum, I use Aerospace 303) and then use a sun shade for when you are parked out in the sun. Dashes aren't exactly like they used to be year and years ago. It isn't invincible to damage, but they are certainly more durable to the harsh Australian sun, so I wouldn't be panicking too much about the dash falling to pieces. I used to use a sun shade all the time, but stopped using it about a year ago when I left it in Dubbo and never got around to picking a new one up.