
The Tanami Track is a classic Outback Drive
Linking
Alice Springs in the Northern territory with
Halls Creek in Western Australia, the iconic Tanami Track stretches for around 1050 kilometres, with more than 800 of that being dirt.

Where the Tanami Starts on the Stuart Highway

The single lane bitumen road all the way to Tilmouth Well

Always check road conditions before proceeding

Tilmouth Well

Tilmouth Well

Changing scenery after leaving Tilmouth Well
A single strip of bitumen leaves the Stuart Highway and is like this all the way out to Tilmouth
Well, a distance of just under 190 kilometres and from there on, the corrugations set in. This is also the only place along the drive that has caravan park facilities and after that, you will be
bush camping for a minimum of two nights.

The turn off into Yuendumu Aboriginal Community

The turn off into Yuendumu Aboriginal Community

Mount Doreen Ruins

Mount Doreen Ruins
Along the way, old highway’s camps make a great place to pull in off the track and enjoy the solitude of our Aussie Outback. One place that is a “must”
camp location is along the
Sturt Creek, not far from the Billiluna Aboriginal Community, that also sells fuel.

Old Nissan Hut at Mount Doreen Ruins

Track off the Tanami leading to an old road maintenance camp - a perfect place to camp away from the main road

Old maintenance camp are clean and flat

The Tanami is known for its corrugations - so be prepared

Large Termite mounds along the Tanami

You will be surprised who you will meet along the way

You will see the road trains coming a long way off

Traditional Aboriginal burn-off way off in the distance

Tanami Corrugations
Depending on which way the wind is blowing, you are better to stop and get off the road when you see one of the many Road Trains coming towards you, as you can not see through the wall of dust and you would not want to meet another vehicle head on through the dust cloud.

You are better to pull over and wait until the dust has settled before continuing
If travelling solo, you must be fully prepared, as there are no facilities along the drive and the only phone service is within a very small radius of the Tanami Gold
Mine. For this reason, I strongly urge all Outback Travellers to carry a PLB as a minimum piece of safety equipment, while a satellite phone or
HF Radio will give you contact in an emergency with the outside world.

Balgo Aboriginal Community Turn Off

You will see lots of Traditional Burn Offs

This is the WA / NT State Border Marker and the mess left by thoughtless travellers

Elevated area off of the main track

Into elevated country off the Tanami

Changing scenery along the drive
One lot of
old ruins along the drive are the
Mount Doreen ruins that are around 320 kilometres west of
Alice Springs, but if you do not have a detailed map, you will pass them by without even known where they are.

Fuel is available from the Billiluna Aboriginal Community

The Art Centre is worth a look if it is open

Billiluna Footy oval with a solitary Boab tree
As this is all traditional Aboriginal Lands, you may encounter traditional turnoffs and the smoke in the distance fills the sky, making it look like rain clouds. The only detour along the way is the famous Wolfe Creek Crater which are around 170 kilometres south of
Halls Creek.

Sturt Creek with its magnificent gums make a perfect spot to camp
If there was one just place for a very special
bush camp, it would have to be on the banks of
Sturt Creek which is just perfect. As you head further west the scenery greatly changes and the flat countryside gives ways to rolling hills and a few telltale signs let you know you are close to civilisation and you are at the end of this interesting drive.

Our best camp along the Tanami at Sturt Creek

The only detour off the Tanami is out to Wolfe Creek Crater

The track out to Wolfe Creek makes the Tanami look like a walk in the park

Old abandoned property on the way to Wolf Creek

An old work caravan that would have been towed to each remote camp

At the start of the Crater walk

The impact site down in the crater

Standing on the crater rim

Back on the Tanami and improved driving conditions

the flat terrain has now given way to hilly country the closer you get towards Halles Creek

Changing scenery closer to Halls Creek

Roadside sign close the end on the Tanami

The end of a great drive and back onto bitumen south of Halls Creek