The Canning Stock Route (CSR) is one of the most remote and isolated 4WD tracks in the world and holds its appeal as the "last frontier". Stretching about 1850km from its southern end in
Wiluna, to its northern end at Billiluna Community on
the Tanami Track, there are no towns along the way, no major
services, and a general absence of emergency support.
The route traverses the
Gibson Desert,
Little Sandy Desert and the
Great Sandy Desert and runs through 4 determined native title areas - Tjurabalan, Ngurrara, Martu and Birriliburu and the area around
Wiluna.
Planning to undertake a trip along the Canning Stock Route requires significant planning and research, with fuel, water and food (your basic requirements for survival) being your foremost priority. But there are many logistical issues that you may not yet have contemplated. This Trek Note contains information based on years of research,
feedback, first-hand experience, local and community input and is relevant reading for any traveller - whether travelling solo, in convoy, or in a tag-along group. Note - the CSR has been closed for 2.5 years and only reopened 15th June 2022. We have not yet received information to adjust our content so please
check with the latest documentation provided with your permit or latest traveller reports regarding fuel, track and we'll conditions.
If you do not already have extensive experience travelling remote desert areas and are not fully equipped to handle emergency breakdowns and repairs, then you should not consider driving this route solo. However, if driving with a group, do not travel in large convoys - 4 is considered plenty. Many campsites are small, as are the stops points of interest; larger groups tend to spread out beyond UHFradio signal strength; generally large groups have difficulty travelling at the same speed and can waste time waiting for all to arrive at stop points along the way; passing large groups is a nuisance for other travellers.
This trek can be undertaken in either direction, and doesn't need to be done in its entirety. There are entry/exit points to both the east and west along the track:
- Near Wells 22 & 23 westward on the Talawana Track
- Near Well 24 eastward to the Gary Highway via the Talawana Track
- At Well 33 eastward to Alice Springs on the Gary Junction Road
- At Well 33 westward on the Kidson Track/Nyangumarta Highway
- The southern end can be exited via private station tracks (for a fee) through Granite Peak Station (from Well 5) and GlenAyle Station (from Well 9).
Since the northern end is affected by wet season conditions throughout the Australian summer and often into Autumn, access is totally weather dependent. It is typical for the section Wells 36 - 51 to be extremely boggy and can even become impassable at the
salt lake areas. In times of wet weather, even the southern section can become problematic, with the section between Wells 2 - 5 through Cunyu Station sometimes closed to all traffic.
How to Use this Trek Note
- To download this information and the route file for offline use on a phone, tablet, headunit or laptop, go to the app store and purchase ExplorOz Traveller. This app enables offline navigation and mapping and will show where you are as you travel along the route. For more info see the ExplorOz Traveller webpage and the EOTopo webpage.
Environment
Flora/Fauna
You might be surprised to discover that
the desert supports a vast range of flora and fauna. Although much of the route is classified as sand desert, you'll see many sand dunes that are not only stabilised, but vegetated! Rainfall in the region is erratic with some years recording extremely wet periods that fill salt lakes, ground waters and replenish surface
rock holes so
the desert you experience one year, may
well be very different to the next time you visit.
The most common form of vegetation along the CSR is Spinifex, and all forms of this plant provide habitation for numerous insects, reptiles, small mammals and even birds. The largest eucalypts on the CSR are White gums Eucalyptus victrix (Windich, Pierre, Durba) these grow to 20m, Bloodwood gums of various types including; Eucalyptus opaca, E. chippendalei, E. lenziana and E. deserticola. These grow (to 10m and are found on stony slopes, laterite ridges and on sand plains and is notable by a white stem and often pink or yellow branches.
The Desert Oak (Allocasuarina descaisneana ) is one of the more unusually striking trees that even those with no botanical interest will want to know its name. Often found close to salt lakes (eg.
Lake Disappointment) this tree appears in groves often in the absence of vegetation other than small spinifex hummocks and grow to 12 metres.
The Desert Poplar (Codonocarpus cotinifolius) thrives in the northern section of the CSR, with lush foliage along branches from the ground up along a single brown trunk. Also of great surprise to first-time desert travellers are the vast numbers of flowering plants. Acacias (wattles) of 2-6m are widespread with the Mulga the most prominent species in the station country in the southern section. Travellers will observe changes in vegetation around salt lakes with salt tolerant plants various species of saltbush (Atriplex) and various species of samphire (Tecticornia). The Grass Tree (Xanthorrhoea preissii) growing at
Well 6 are a unique find being the most northerly stand known in Australia.
Amongst the great range of fauna known to exist within the CSR, termites are extensively obvious and their rapid depletion of woods is the reason why Canning's wooden
well formations have lost the battle against time. And when the ants are annoying your
camp try to remember the important role they play in aiding flower pollination. The non-stinging wild bee produces honey cells and their hives are found in tree tops, hollow logs, and
rock crevices. The much larger black bee found north of
Durba Hills, and predominantly north of Killagurra has a ferocious sting. Bees are more active in the cooler parts of the day. Centipedes and millipedes are common and although cause significant pain if bitten are not dangerous. We must mention snakes as the Bandy Bandy, Death Adder and King Brown are known to be present in the CSR region. Over 100 species of birds are reportedly living in close proximity to the Canning Stock Route with honey eaters, finches, doves, galahs, pigeons, budgerigars, and parrots being predominant and widespread although Durba Springs with its almost permanent
water supply is one of the best birdwatching areas of the stock route.
History
The Canning Stock Route was created by Alfred Canning, who was chosen to survey a route for
Kimberley cattlemen to take their stock to the southern markets at a time when cattle tick issues prevented the use of other transport methods. From 1906 to 1907, Canning conducted a full survey from north to south and return and fund a stock route was feasible.
From 1908 to 1910 he led a team to construct the 51 wells between
Halls Creek and
Wiluna a distance of 1850km. Wells were constructed one day's travel apart for a mob of cattle. Extra wells were established in southern parts of the route to accommodate the more limited range of sheep.
By 1929 the condition of the original wells and equipment had deteriorated due to fire, termites and the occasional act of vandalism to a stage where it became imprudent to drove cattle along the route. At this stage, only 5 mobs of cattle and 3 mobs of horses had actually made the trip. In 1929 the Government decided to refurbish the CSR, William Snell led a reconstruction team. He was unable to complete the refurbishments due to excessive temperatures, and so he returned to
Wiluna. The Government, upon receiving complaints about the quality of Snell's work, did not renew its contract with him. They asked A.W. Canning (now 68 years old) to complete the job - a task he accepted.
During WWII (1942 - 1944) the stock route was again refurbished, with the wells brought back into operation in anticipation of an emergency evacuation if the NW was bombed. At the end of the war, shipping of livestock resumed and slowly the stock route fell into disrepair. It continued to be used however, with droving parties completing rudimentary maintenance. It was used for another 14 droves from 1945, with the last being in 1959.
The earliest use of vehicles was by Percy V. O'Brien, Chief Engineer of the Mines Department
Water Supply in Kalgoorlie, travelled up the CSR as far as
Lake Nabberu driving a 8 hp De Dionar in 1908. As four wheel drives become more available, others with business along the route eg. drover support surveyors, government doggers and
well refurbishment, managed to penetrate further into the
sand dune country. However, it wasn't until 1968 that Chudleigh, Wenholz and Kealley completed the first traverse of the Canning Stock Route by motor vehicle. They used Landrovers.
When the fuel dump was established at
Well 23 in the 1980's, travellers intrigued by the Canning Stock Route
heritage and the challenging overland adventure across Australia's most remote deserts, began to travel the Canning Stock Route in greater numbers. Over the past 20 years interest in travelling the CSR built to incredible levels and it is great to have the track reopen again after COVID closures.
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