$3000 Per person self drive in your own vehicle or a hire vehicle
The convoy departs Alice Springs heading west along the scenic Namatjira Drive amid the stunning MacDonnell Ranges. We visit the Ikuntji Art Centre at Haasts Bluff. Established in 1992, around 15 key artists today exhibit around Australia and overseas. Past spectacular Mt Edward we continue north to Papunya, which was the birthplace of the modern Western Desert Art movement. Papunya was established by the Government to accommodate Western Desert people, principally Pintubi and Luritja languagegroup people. In 1971, Geoffrey Bardon arrived in a kombi van and encouraged some men to paint a mural on a school wall, and the Papunya art movement was born. Curiously there is no art centre we can visit here! We turn west onto the Gary Junction Road and camp near Kakalyi Bore.
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Sunrise rainbow over desert oak |
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The stunning desert grevillea |
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Aboriginal Rock Art at Christmas Pool |
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Central Australian Ghost Gum |
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Flooded claypan Gibson Desert |
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Pindan Wattle |
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Aircraft hanger in Forrest |
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Long shadows on the Nullarbor |
Day
2
We travel west along the Gary Junction Road past Mt Liebig, Kintore and Sandy Blight Junction. Len Beadell and his Gunbarrel Construction Party constructed the Gary Junction Road in 1960. He named it after his son. We cross the West Australian Border and camp amid the picturesque Dovers Hills.
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We visit the Aboriginal community of Kiwikurra, which was evacuated when it went under water in the 2001 floods. We are entering the Great Sandy Desert and we continue on to Jupiter Well, which is located in a delightful grove of desert oaks. There is a hand pump at the well that was built in the 1960’s by a survey party from the National Mapping Council.
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Along the track we come to Gary Junction, where the Gary Junction Road, the Jenkins Track and the Gary highway meet. We cross the Canning Stock Route and visit the Aboriginal community of Kunawarritji. There is the opportunity to have a shower here. The community also run a small store and there is a telephone. We now travel along the Wappet Road and camp near Lake Auld.
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We top up with fuel at the Punmu Aboriginal Community on the shores of Lake Dora and continue on to view some Aboriginal rock art in the Christmas Pool area at Billy Dunn’s and Jinawanura Caves. We continue on to camp at Rudall River.
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Two days to explore the Rudall RiverNational Park, including the fabled Desert Queen Baths. Rudall River is the second largest National park in Australia, a wonderfully remote wilderness area, with typical Great Sandy Desert vegetation of Feathertop Spinifex and Bloodwoods interspersed with a riverine land system of river red gums and coolabahs.
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We depart Rudall River and travel north to the Telfer Mine Road and on to Carawine Gorge on the Oakover River. We camp here where dramatic limestone cliff faces are reflected in the still water of the Oakover RIver. Here on the edge of the Pilbara, this oasis is a welcome respite after crossing the Western Deserts.
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We travel to Marble Bar, the town that records Australia's hottest temperature. After an obligatory stop at the Iron Clad Hotel and a look around town, we head south through stunning Pilbara ranges to Nullagine and on southward to camp near Newman.
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After refuelling amid the road trains at the iconic Capricorn Roadhouse we travel south along the Great Northern Highway, lunching on the banks of the Gasgoyne River before leaving the bitumen again and travelling along station roads through the northern goldfields. We camp outside Wiluna.
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We arrive early morning in Wiluna. There is the chance for a shower and clean up before a visit to the Tjukurpa Art Centre to check out some excellent Aboriginal Art from local Martu artists. A relatively new centre, there are some great works to view, even purchase. They take cards, and they will ship home for your. We continue south to Leonora to take on fuel and then head to the picturesque town of Kookynie. At the Grand Hotel there is an excellent collection of memorabilia, photos, bottles and antiques from the towns heyday when there was a population of 3,500, with seven brass bands and 11 pubs. We camp east of Kookynie.
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Today we head east through Mulga scrublands past the Aboriginal outstation at Pinjin to the abandoned Dogger’s Camp at Kirgella Rocks. We will take a walk around the rocks, which contain evidence of Aboriginal occupation. From here we travel to Argus Corner and take advantage of the regularly maintained Tropicana Mine access road to head north to Plumridge Lakes Nature Reserve in the Great Victoria Desert.
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We spend a day relaxing and exploring Plumridge Lakes. This fascinating area was first discovered by Frank Hann in 1908. A series of small lakes are interconnected by the ephemeral Gwynne Creek. There are Casuarina pauper communities here, as well as marble gums and saltbush, and the area is renowned for birding.
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We travel from Plumridge Lakes east to the Connie Sue Highway, where we head south onto the Northern Nullarbor. The country gradually opens out, with low woodlands of the stately Acacia papyrocarpa (Western Myall) over Maireana sedifola (bluebush). We travel south on the Connie Sue as far as the abandoned Premier Downs homestead, before swinging north east again towards the Sleeper Camp.
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Todays journey takes us across spectacular rangeland into the Great Victoria Desert Nature Reserve. Rolling plains of bluebush interspersed with hilltop groves of Myall. The country is delightful. We swing south and gradually the trees completely disappear, as we arrive on the true Nullarbor. We travel on to Forrest Railway siding, where we camp for the night. At Forrest there is a museum in the abandoned Meteorological Station that is well worth a look, as well as the huge hanger built in the 1920s to service transcontinental flights. Forrest has a sealed runway capable of landing a 737, and is on the transcontinental railway line.
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We travel along the railway line to the Deakin Obelisk on the Western Australia – South Australian border. Further on we pass the railway siding of Hughes and continue on to Cook, where there is a small store, and the ruins of a POW camp, where 300 Italian internees were employed as railway workers on the Trans-Australia line during WWII. We Camp near Cook. Whilst there is no longer a station at Cook there are still diesel refuelling facilities.
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Today we continue east, stopping at the monuments to the world’s longest straight stretch of railway line (476km). We will pass the abandoned rail sidings of Fisher, O’Malley and Watson, and stop at the spot where the east and west sections of the line were joined on 17 October 1917 before locating Ooldea Well, a place of immense historical importance not only as the location that Daisy Bates lived for 16 years, but also as a camp for Aboriginal people moving through the Great Victoria Desert.
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We leave the Nullarbor Plain behind and enter sandhill country. We stop at the water tower at Barton siding and continue past Mount Christie siding to Wynbring Rocks.
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We follow alongside the vermin proof fence past Lyons to Malbooma and on to Tarcoola, the junction of the Sydney-Perth and Adelaide Darwin railway lines. Tarcoola reputedly has a population of two since the pub, one of only two iron clad hotels in South Australia closed. We continue on past Wilgena and Ferguson sidings to Kingoonya, where there is a pub that’s still open. Kingoonya is reputed to have the widest main street in Australia, but since the railway was rationalised, all there really is left is the pub.
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Day20
From Kingoonya we head out to Glendambo on the Stuart Highway and turn south on the black top. We pass Lake Hart and Woomera before continuing on through Port Augusta and on to our last nights camp at Port Germein Gorge.
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We arrive Adelaide mid morning to drop off at city hotels.
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Passengers download here a triplist to see what you need to bring (.pdf 443k)
Self Drive participants download here a triplist to see what you need to bring (501k)
Suggested Further Reading
Collins Neville (2008) The Nullarbor Plain a history. ISBN 9780958048231
Giles Ernest (1995) Australia Twice Traversed. ISBN 0 85905 206 0
Shephard Mark (1998) Lifetime in the Bush,A. ISBN 1 876247 04 5
Shephard Mark (1995) Great Victoria Desert. ISBN 0730104850
Carnegie David (2003) Spinifex and Sand. ISBN 1404356851
Van Oosterzee P. (1991) The Centre -ISBN 1876622105.
Program Includes:
20 nights camping in swag complete with mattress, fitted sheet, doona, doona cover and pillow
Crockery, cutlery and all camping equipment
All meals commencing with lunch on Day 1 and concluding with breakfast on Day 21
Transport as per the itinerary in a comfortable expedition vehicles equipped to travel the outback roads with experienced driver
Entry fees, permits, visits and entry fees
Use of appropriate reference materials
Support of a motor mechanic if needed for self-drive participants whilst in remote locations
Satellite Emergency Phone Access
Program Excludes:
Cost of transfers to and from Alice Springs or Adelaide
Comprehensive Travel Insurance
Costs of a personal nature
Any optional activities elected by participants
All camping equipment for self-drive participants
Fuel costs for self-drive participants
Costs associated with damage, breakdown and recovery of vehicles used in self-drive transport or costs associated with vehicle preparation for the program.
Self Drive Participants:
You will be required to have a roadworthy, four wheel drive vehicle appropriately equipped for travel in isolated regions. Fuel arrangements and a check list will be communicated to interested participants prior to departure.
Self-drive participants are required to assist by carrying up to three cartons or packages of food for common use and a Jerry can, with water, for use in the kitchen.