Outback Way

The Outback Way extends across three states for over 2,750kms; from Laverton in Western Australia, through Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, to Winton in Queensland. Seven interconnecting roads and highways make up the Outback Way route including the: Great Central Road, Tjukaruru Road, Lasseter Highway, Stuart Highway, Plenty Highway, Donohue Highway and Min Min Byway.

In an announcement by the Federal Government on 21st February 2022, "The Government is committed to sealing the entire 2,720 kilometres of Outback Way". The Australian Government has allocated funding to cover 80 per cent of the total upgrade costs with state and territory governments providing the remaining 20 per cent. Obviously this will take time, but the WA Government under Mark McGowan has announced the 800km seal project in WA will take 7 years to complete. So if you're keen for an outback adventure, now is the time to travel this route before it changes completely.

This Trek Note covers the route as it is currently - effective 2022. There have been many small sections that have been gradually sealed or are regularly graded by the NT section has been notorious for the worst corrugations and lack of maintenance and the Plenty Highway section currently remains one of the great outback 4WD routes that is still relatively easy to traverse with an offroad van without sand dunes and other complications.

The trip itself is home to an impressive collection of sites and places of interest for travellers. These include iconic scenery such as Ayers Rock, the Olga’s, Peterman and MacDonnell Ranges. Travellers can also indulge in a range of activities like bird and wildlife watching in the numerous waterholes, nature walks through mulga scrub and oak forests, viewing indigenous art galleries at selected communities, gem fossicking, and geo-caching - a fun world-wide GPS activity, which involves finding hidden caches (34 in total, around 80kms apart) along the route.

There are many places where you can top-up on fuel or provisions, or even stay overnight. Yulara and Alice Springs have a variety of accommodation facilities; Winton, Boulia and Laverton have motel, hotel and caravan park facilities, whilst most roadhouses en-route provide campgrounds suitable for caravans and camper trailers. To travel the entire Outback Way requires no less than 3 to 4 days of daytime travel (travelling at night is not recommended), although typically 6 to 7 days of daytime travel is required to stop and enjoy a majority of the highlights of central Australia.

Environment

The interesting thing about the Outback Way is that the route passes through ten uniquely identified bioregions. Each of these regions are characterised with a unique combination of flora, fauna, geology and landscape characteristics. The ten bioregions are: Great Victoria Desert, Gibson Desert, Central Ranges, Great Sandy Desert, Finke, MacDonnell Ranges, Burt Plain, Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields, Channel Country, and Mitchell Grass Downs.

Laverton to the WA Border has been fully upgraded and is now a well formed, graded, gravel road. The WA Border to Kata Tjuta is unsealed with sections of rock-sand limestone or red desert sand with some occasionally rough corrugations, ruts and soft sections on dune rises. Some of the river and creek crossings have dry, soft surfaces that are susceptible to seasonal flooding, so exercise caution after rains or during the wet season.

The roads joining Kata Tjuta to Yulara, Yulara to Alice Springs, and the Alice to Gemtree are all sealed bitumen, dual lane, main road or highway standard. There are intermittent rest bays and 24hr overnight stops. Gemtree to Ongeva River is sealed, however further eastward to Boulia consists of unsealed road, varying from sandy, limestone, gravely-rock with sections of corrugations, occasional rutted-lanes and unformed surfaces. Again, some of the river and creek crossings have dry, soft surfaces that are susceptible to seasonal flooding, so exercise caution after rains or during the flooding season - November to March. The section of road approximately 100kms before and after the NT/QLD border can sometimes be badly corrugated as a result of truck traffic, the rocky substrate and dry conditions. Boulia to Winton is sealed bitumen, single lane, susceptible to flooding at major river crossings especially within the channel country. This section should not be driven at dusk, dawn or night due to the presence of wildlife.

History

The Outback Way was coined by five local Shire Councils, who in 1997 formed the Outback Highway Development Council (OHDC) to promote the development of a third strategic link across Australia. The main aim was to establish the Outback Way as a transcontinental route, whilst promoting social, economic and cultural interests. The roads within the WA section between Laverton and the WA/NT border (known as the Great Central Road) has now been significantly upgraded and is a fast gravel road suitable for caravans with no corrugations however the NT section is still significantly rough for caravans with heavy corrugations.

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It is paramount that your vehicle is in good working order before departing since the corrugations along unsealed roads can increase the wear and tear, thus contributing to breakdowns. Vehicle repair services are quite limited along the Outback Way and should not be relied upon.

Predominantly, there are towns and roadhouses every 250 to 350kms along the Outback Way that provide fuel supplies, with the exception of Jervois and Boulia, which is around 460kms. It is therefore precautionary to monitor your fuel usage, and/or carry enough fuel in reserve, such as in a long range fuel tank.

Most of the roadhouses and community-owned fuel stops stock a range of frozen meat products, fresh produce and general groceries. Ensure you carry enough water supplies, especially since the days can get rather hot.

The variation in temperatures along the Outback Way can require clothing for ‘all seasons’. These can include; sun protection gear like hats; light loose clothing for the day, and warm clothing such as thermal underwear for the cold nights.

It is essential that traveller’s have good maps of the Outback Way and the surrounding region to safely travel the route. A sound idea is to plan ahead, consider the attractions you would like to visit, and where you would like to stay overnight.

Permits

Part III of the AAPA Act, stipulates that transit permits are legally required for any person visiting or passing through an Aboriginal reserve unless they are of Aboriginal descent; a member of either House of Parliament of the State or of the Commonwealth; or is a person lawfully exercising a function under the AAPA Act or otherwise acting in pursuance of a duty imposed by law.

Transit permits are required when travelling on roads over Aboriginal lands such as the Great Central Road, Tjukaruru Road and most of the roads-tracks leading off the Outback Way between Laverton and Yulara. The Great Central Road actually requires 2 sets of Transit Permits because there are Aboriginal Communities on both sides of the border (NT/WA) and each state has its own Aboriginal Lands office and issues its own permits.

Permit Application Process

Permits are free, however you must complete a written application form and wait for it to be stamped and returned to you with an approval stamp. It is a legal requirement that each vehicle carries the permit during travel on Aboriginal Land.

The application forms will require the names of all persons entering the land, with a nominated principal applicant who must also give their address and phone contact details. You will also be required to provide vehicle make, model, rego number and state. Note, one permit per vehicle. You will also need to describe the specific route to be taken whilst on Aboriginal land (ie. Great Central Road) and give an estimate of dates (maximum 21 days). Finally you must provide a reason for requesting access to Aboriginal Land, eg. "holiday transit en-route from Alice Springs to Perth".

Generally, the ALT can process applications in 24 to 48 hrs and it is the experience of the ExplorOz Team that they can be processed on the same day if travel is on the Great Central Road with no deviations.

Fuel Usage

Diesel	ULP	LPG
4cyl 389 litres	4cyl 448 litres	4cyl 554 litres
6cyl 425 litres	6cyl 502 litres	6cyl 487 litres
8cyl 425 litres	8cyl 459 litres

Best Time To Visit

The Outback Way is best travelled during the cooler months from April to October. Warm, dry, sunny days are common during these months, although nights can be cold.

Where to Stay

Services & Supplies

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