Great Central Road

The Great Central Road is the most accessible route linking the Red Centre to Western Australia and is well travelled by tourists throughout most of the year. The area however, is remote and the road weaves through extremely remote desert scrub country with very limited facilities and attractions for travellers. This is predominantly land occupied by aboriginal communities. It is advisable to travel in a 4WD vehicle, although a 2WD vehicle will make the trip. The track section in WA has been dramatically upgraded right through to the border and is now good gravel with no sand or bulldust. However, the NT section is considerably worse and although generally ok for trailers including caravans the corrugations are unpleasant. The route also passes directly into Aboriginal communities in the Central Reserves and it is a legal requirement for travellers to hold a valid Transit Permit at the time of travel. See preparation section for further details.

Environment

Driving the Great Central Road section of the Outback Way traversing the middle of the Shire is a great eco-tourism experience passing through the Rawlinson Range, Walter James Ranges, and Gill Pinnacle. Other sites along the way are Beadell's Tree and Giles Meteorological Station. Tjulyuru Cultural & Civic Centre displays some of the finest Aboriginal art in Australia.

History

The Warburton Mission ran from 1933 to 1973, run by William Wade and his wife. In 1961 the Dormitories closed, but the school continued to run. In 1968, due to the large population from the clearing of the Woomera rocket range, Docker River was opened. In 1975, 4 more homeland communities were developed. Tjirrkarli and Tjukurla, although smaller communities opened in the late 1980's.

Len Beadell

Len Beadell worked as a surveyor in the Australian Army (Army Survey Corps). In 1947, Len was asked by the government to build a road across the interior of Australia as part of the search for a suitable site for weapons testing. The main reason was to establish the weapons testing facility at Woomera, and also the place where the British atomic bomb was tested - Maralinga, which is aboriginal for ‘thunder’. These sites were surveyed and selected by Len, and during the 1940s and 1950s, was responsible for opening up the last remaining isolated desert areas of some 2.5 million square kilometers of central Australia. The Great Central Road is part of a network of desert highways built under the leadership of the famous surveyor, to service Woomera and the Giles meteorological station. There are a number of waypoints dedicated to Len Beadell, who is often regarded as the last true Australian explorer. These include: Giles Meterological Station where Len’s original grader stands in a large cage, Len Beadell Plaques - which were setup by the Gunbarrel Crew, and Mount Beadell where a memorial has been raised on top of the hill. In recent times, the newer Great Central Road has superseded some of Len's original tracks, by taking a more direct route. However, all of Len's original roads still exist such as Anne Beadell Highway, Gunbarrel Highway, Connie Sue Hwy and Sandy Blight Junction Road. These roads are increasingly popular with 4WDrivers and adventurers alike. Many sections are difficult going and almost all of them lie in aboriginal lands and require travel permits, as well as a great deal of preparation.

TrekID: 79

Fuel

Whilst diesel fuel is readily available, travellers will find that standard unleaded fuel is not available anywhere on the Great Central Road between Laverton (WA) and Yulara (NT). Instead, you can obtain Opal, which is an alternative fuel developed to discourage petrol sniffing in remote indigenous communities. Opal contains less aromatics or solvents, which are what produces the 'high' when sniffed. OPAL unleaded fuel is available at all roadhouses along the Great Central Road, namely Warburton, Warakurna (Giles), and Docker River. For more information see FAQs

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. 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. These can easily be obtained online:

Fuel Usage

Docker River, Warakurna Roadhouse, Warburton, Tjukayirla Roadhouse, Cosmo Newbery.

Diesel	ULP	LPG
4cyl 127 litres *	4cyl 184 litres	4cyl 227 litres
6cyl 148 litres *	6cyl 177 litres *	6cyl 159 litres *
8cyl 174 litres	8cyl 188 litres

Best Time To Visit

Tour of the weather station at Giles, Lasseters Cave and the numerous rockholes in the area (if you can find them!).

Where to Stay

Services & Supplies

The following are links to Members' Blogs that contain the words Great Central Road. Creating Blogs is restricted to Members only. Not a Member? Join here.

Showing 25 blogs.