Heather Highway and Gunbarrel Highway Conditions

Submitted: Friday, Jul 16, 2010 at 15:37

ThreadID: 80116 Views:2994 Replies:2 FollowUps:2

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Member - Paul T (NSW)

Hi Team

A group of frineds and I will be doing a trip next year and are considering travelling along the Healther Highway (turn off Great Central Highway south west of Warburton, WA) then up to the Gunbarrell intersection turning west and then on up to Mt Beadell stopping at Len Beadells Tree and Plaque.

The question I have is has anybody done that trip in the recent past and if so the condition of the tracks and the approx time it takes.

many thanks for your help and tips.

Cheers

Paul T

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Reply By: Coot - Friday, Jul 16, 2010 at 18:02

Friday, Jul 16, 2010 at 18:02

Just finished this trip but from the other way.
Wiluna to the shire boundary,a way past Carnegie station - super highway.
Shire boundary to Heather hwy - varies from ok to very corrugated.
Heather hwy to Great central road - very corrugated.
Great central road to Kata Tjuta - varies from ok to very corrugated.
Stopped 1 night at Carnegie station.$15/person.Fuel $2.50/L.
1 night at Mt Beadell.
1 night in the bush near Warburton.
1 night near Lassiters cave.
Permits easy to get online but no one asked for them.
Scenery can get a little boring if you can look up at it from watching the road.
Best area I thought was around Mt Beadell,the sandhill areas and around Docker River.

AnswerID: 424229

Follow Up By: Member - Paul T (NSW) - Saturday, Jul 17, 2010 at 15:14

Saturday, Jul 17, 2010 at 15:14

Coot

Thanks for the info it will be very useful in planning our trip.

Cheers

Paul T

FollowupID: 694722

Reply By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Friday, Jul 16, 2010 at 21:33

Friday, Jul 16, 2010 at 21:33

Hi Paul
This is great country and you will have a great time. The drive from the Great Central to the turn off on the Heather Highway is a real super highway, very wide and smooth which lasts for about 50 kilometres. When you get to the junction where the Heather veers to your right and straight on goes to Tjirrkarli, you are back for most of the way to a single vehicle track. You will encounter washaways and good road conditions as well as corrugations. When you make the Gunbarrel, make sure that you check out Mt Samuel.

From there until further west, track conditions will vary greatly from sand to some very good corrugations that are up there with the best.

To make you trip far more enjoyable, make sure that you drop the tyre pressures, slow down, drive to the track conditions and take in the great scenery. The area around Camp Beadell and Mount Beadell is fantastic with many fine locations for that great bush camp. From there until nearly Mungilli claypan, make sure that you are not in a hurry, as this area is the worst of the very bad corrugations, where the track splits in many places from a single track to up to 4 separate tracks, where people have left the main track for a better drive to avoid the corrugations. They are all as bad as each other.

Here are a selection of pictures for what you can expect.

Cheers

Stephen

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