Gun Barrel Highway Warburton to Wiluna

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shakergt

shakergt

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Has anyone done the Gun Barrel from Warburton to Wiluna? If so is there anything worth seeing along the way? Also I you did it recently how was the road?
 
you go there for the drive, nothing else really
I have driven sections of it about 25yrs ago, but not the full length. My view on 'anything worth seeing' is biased coz I just love the wide open spaces & driving for the hell of it. But there is no shortage of SFA to see :p
Its not an exciting drive or overly interesting. JMO
 
Ded Driver said:
you go there for the drive, nothing else really
I have driven sections of it about 25yrs ago, but not the full length. My view on 'anything worth seeing' is biased coz I just love the wide open spaces & driving for the hell of it. But there is no shortage of SFA to see :p
Its not an exciting drive or overly interesting. JMO
Click to expand...
Same/similar...
Petty sure it's a 4x4 track in places if recall correctly.
 
yes it definately was a 4x4 track back when we did it. Not a road for 2WD, Dont know if any of has ever been upgraded, but I doubt it.
We did it in the dry, but Ive heard of people getting stuck along there when it rains.
 
This was what it was like back in 2005, wettest year since 1923. Yes, wide open spaces but enjoyed the scenery and the night spent at Carnegie Station.
1561622524_archivepotos850.jpg


The abandoned section of the GBH from Giles to Warburton was very interesting, with views of the Rawlinson Range part way.
 
shakergt said:
Sounds good I love getting out there and seeing SFA. We have a great country with so much to see and explore
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on a trip to Newman my mate & I discovered red road trains (covered in red dirt) heading north .... we figured they were taking truck loads of red SFA to dress the countryside in :lol:
on a serious note, our outback is a beautiful place :Y:
 
You only need a permit for a part of it (and some access to it), and at times they close the track. Can be pretty scratchey on your vehicle, rough, muddy, fires close it at times in summer.

Canning Stock Route
A permit is required to travel the Canning Stock Route. Permits and route information are available for Wells 5 51 exclusively at this website: http://canningstockroute.org.au/ . The permit includes an information pack that contains advice on preparing for your journey, information on cultural and natural heritage and advice on looking after the Canning Stock Route.

Gunbarrel Highway
The Gunbarrel Highway only requires a permit to travel through the closed area within the Ngaanyatjarra Lands. Travellers need to call the Ngaanyatjarra Council at their Alice Springs head office on: (08) 8950 1711 for travel permits for the Gunbarrel Highway. See also Permit Information at this website: http://tjukayirlaroadhouse.com.au/

Great Central Highway
The Great Central Road forms part of several Aboriginal Use and Benefit Reserves and the Ngaanyatjarra Lands. Permits are required from the Aboriginal Lands Trust (ALT) for any travel on the Great Central Road, and from the Ngaanyatjarra Council for those parts within the Ngaanyatjarra Lands. Travellers should visit the Aboriginal Reserves section below for information on ALT permit requirements, and contact the Ngaanyatjarra Council at their Alice Springs head office on: (08) 8950 1711 or visit: http://www.ngaanyatjarra.org.au/permits/getting-permit
 
Top info goldierocks as I was not aware that you need a permit for the canning stock route. The central highway and gun barrel I was aware of. When the central highway eventually gets tarmac all the way to the border I wonder if that will still be the case
 
shakergt said:
Top info goldierocks as I was not aware that you need a permit for the canning stock route. The central highway and gun barrel I was aware of. When the central highway eventually gets tarmac all the way to the border I wonder if that will still be the case
Click to expand...
I think it is actually two permits for the Canning stock route, as it is with the Great Central Highway. There are also restrictions about going off the track (but as with most things, it is always a good idea to ask the local people if you have a specific reason, as once on side and they know you, they will sometimes be OK about things). There is some maintenance done (the indigenous people were putting in toilets at the northern end when I drove the track two years ago), and there have been a number of drivers who have done the wrong thing in the past - clowns who damage petroglyphs and rock paintings should be shot, and leaving your rubbish around is a sacrilege in such a remote and beautiful area. However the locals do want to encourage driving of the track and income through their town stores (e.g. Parrngur and Kunnawaritji). There are limited places that you can leave the track if your vehicle is in trouble (the southern stations, Parngurr to Hamersley, Kunnawaritji to Hamersley) - distances are great, it is impossible to tow on most of it, and it is a vehicle graveyard. You MUST have sand flags - dune after dune, day after day - much more than the Simpson. Carry ample water - many of Canning's wells have collapsed and there is almost no other potable surface water on the track outside the two communities (lakes are salt). It is 1,650 km of 4x4 driving from Wiluna to Billiluna, and takes weeks not days. You need about 1,100 km of petrol in one stretch if in a petrol vehicle (and consumptions can run at 28 l/100 km for petrol). No-one should drive it in a single vehicle - I would suggest 3 as the minimum - sometimes it will be fairly easy, other times really hard work, especially around the lakes except in the middle of the Dry. You need to be able to get yourself out of trouble and not depend on others. And keep clearing the spinifex daily that catches under your vehicle (there was a 4x4 still burning and gutted when I was last there, and it started a bushfire over hundreds of sq km). Watch how you drive the corrugations - your battery plates can collapse (both batteries collapsed on one of our vehicles). It is no longer necessary to get petrol drums dumped at the dump site - you can get it in Parrngur.

I imagine that once it is sealed the permits will go for the Great Central Highway - it is still a bit of a grind (although six years since last I drove its full length). I had a moan to the rangers in Uluru and they said that it was really them who wanted the permit system, because they are the ones called out when someone gets into trouble, and they need to keep tabs on the movement of people. I think you get 3 days to drive the WA part and 3 sdays to drive the NT part, which is more than enough time for a slow drive and lots of photography etc (it is scenic I find, especially close to the border).

Hope that helps.
 
Nightjar said:
If you are applying for a permit just say you are sight seeing, don't mention a camera. ;)
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I don't recall any such information being required - it was automatic, rapid (on-line) and inexpensive from memory.
 
shakergt said:
Has anyone done the Gun Barrel from Warburton to Wiluna? If so is there anything worth seeing along the way? Also I you did it recently how was the road?
Click to expand...
roads pretty good at the moment out there shaker......
 
Hey Nightjar, from the package on your canopy, methinks that you were on an archaeological expedition and you are taking an exhumed mummy back to the Perth museum.....lol
 

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