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chambers pillar / maryvale road

Submitted: Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 at 13:10

rredbeak

Article Overview - Chambers Pillar
Chambers Pillar is a natural sandstone formation used by our famous early explorers as a navigational point. You can still read their signatures and inscriptions carved into the rock. It is also a beautiful photographic subject in a remote 4WD area. View Full Article...
hi again,travelling south from alice on the highway [main highway] i seem to recall a turnoff on the left heading south marked "Maryvale". is this the maryvale/chambers pillar road please and if so how bad is it ? Any worse than the chambers pillar road ?.. its got to be better than hours of bone jarring corregation sections of the alice /maryvale road ..cheers Rod
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AnswerID: 320565   Submitted: Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 at 15:56

Member - Tessa (NSW) replied:

rredbeak
That would be the Hugh River Stock Route. When we were on it a couple of years ago it was quite a good road. Yes it comes out a bit North of Maryvale on the road from Alice. I guess like all those roads its the luck of the draw on their condition from time to time.

tessa

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AnswerID: 320568   Submitted: Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 at 16:15

Willem replied:

Rod

As mentioned, the Hugh River Stock Route. Pretty good road.

When you cross the railway line on the HRSR you used to be able to turn south along the railway access track for about 12km(you would have known where to turn off as at that point on the access road, there used to be a sign denoting dire consequences to anyone entering upon the land of Idracowra Station) and then drive east along a fenceline which eventually brings you out to by the Jump Up over the Charlotte Range en route to Chambers Pillar

Cheers

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Willem
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FollowupID: 587421   Submitted: Thursday, Aug 14, 2008 at 08:16

Oldsquizzy (Kununurra) posted:

LOL it used to be turn left at the grid and take a chance on being hung drawn and quartered
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FollowupID: 587424   Submitted: Thursday, Aug 14, 2008 at 08:30

Willem posted:

Old Squizzy

My mate Noel Fullerton, of Camel Farm fame, used to have the contract to clear the rubbish bins at Chambers Pillar once a week. They used a 2wd Nissan ute and he showed me that track down the fenceline. The track is on Maryvale Station methinks. They destroyed the ute over 24 months driving that route...lol.

But that was in the 1980's and I last drove that way in '95 when researching for the Discover Australia by 4x4 Books. Maybe it has also been closed to the public by now? The old bloke who had Idracowra Station(a difficult character to say the least) has passed on and the younger generation have advanced into tourism as I understand it. But I think that the dire warnings still apply. Ofcourse its all bluff as there are legal ways around it if one felt inclined tp push the envelope :-)

Cheers
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Willem
Surfing the Porcupine Grass
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FollowupID: 587435   Submitted: Thursday, Aug 14, 2008 at 09:05

Off-track posted:

Is Noel still around?

He took my old man on his first Road Train trip to show him the ropes.

Ran into him a few years ago at a servo and had a good chin-wag.
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FollowupID: 587462   Submitted: Thursday, Aug 14, 2008 at 15:24

Willem posted:

Off-track

Yep, me old mate is still going strong. Now aged in his 70's he still mucking about with trucks and 4x4's but lives a retired life at Quorn, SA. He came with me on a bush trek in 2006 and we had a great time out there in the sticks.
Porcupine Grass in the Great Sandy Desert
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Willem
Surfing the Porcupine Grass
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FollowupID: 587506   Submitted: Thursday, Aug 14, 2008 at 22:51

Off-track posted:

Yeah, he's a grand old bloke. Remember dad saying how shocked he was when the boss said to offside with Noel. Well, he wasnt shocked until he realised it was the bloke with a long beard and an even longer pig-tail!

As a kid we used to spend some time at his original camel farm and ride on his beloved 'Spinifex'. I think he raced it in the Camel Cup.
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AnswerID: 320569   Submitted: Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 at 16:15

Member - Alan H (QLD) replied:

I was at Chambers pillar at the end of June.

The road from Alice directly south to Maryvale (not via the highway) was in very good condition.

The road from Maryvale to Finke was the worst road I've ever been on (Finke desert race chewed it up)

We did not go via the stock route so I don't know about that road.

Alan
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Just passing through
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AnswerID: 320581   Submitted: Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 at 17:47

rredbeak replied:

TY for the helpfull advice...generally the road alice to maryvale was in good shape especially around the ewonga [misspelt] rock carvings but after that theres sections that are bad... ill take the alternate route next time and report on road condition...happy travels.. andn TY.. Rod
Reply 4 of 5
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AnswerID: 320667   Submitted: Thursday, Aug 14, 2008 at 12:14

Member - Kevin R (QLD) replied:

We did the Hugh river stock route 2 weeks ago. It was in excellent condition. In fact it was the best bits of dirt road we travelled. The road into Chambers is very sandy in parts with some corrugations but pretty good overall.

Cheers

Kevin
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FollowupID: 587453   Submitted: Thursday, Aug 14, 2008 at 13:43

rredbeak posted:

TY Kevin for the help.. cheers.. Rod
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