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Hunt Oil Road
Difficulty:
Suitable for:
This remote trek links the Gunbarrel Hwy with the Great Central Road. It passes via Mount Worsnop and past the Hunt Oil road camps and drilling sites.
Start
Geraldton Bore
Finish
Great Central Rd & Hunt Oil Rd
Distance
263.91 km
Minimum Days
2
Average Speed
30.02 km/hr
Driving Time
8 hr 47 min
Article By: ExplorOz Team Updated: 28 Mar 2008
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Description
Environment
Interactive Route Map
Driving Directions
Permits
Trek Feedback
Things to See & Do
Related Pages
Preparation
Recommended Reading
Camp Sites & Accomodation
In this Trek Note
Description
The Hunt Oil Road is a track that runs nearly 264kms from the Geraldton Historic Society bore (which is 32kms west of Everard Junction on the
Gunbarrel Highway
) to the
Great Central Road
, approximately 125kms south west of Warburton. On the southern half, the track is not regularly used for access to the two aboriginal communities to the east, although the southern half of the track is in much better condition than the northern half. It is suggested that you should allow at least two days to travel this track in its current condition as the track is generally overgrown with a number of washaways with some being quite deep. Possibly only a handful of 4WD vehicular parties travel the full length of this track each year.
The track could be used as an alternative to the Heather Highway between Warburton and Carnegie Station.
Permits
are not needed to travel on the Hunt Oil Road as the track traverses through Crown land. The centre of the track can be high in
places
and can feature many small shrubs such as Smokebush, Grevilleas and spinifex, so a high clearance 4WD is recommended. It’s important to note that spinifex can be a potential fire hazard when caught on hot areas under the vehicle, so a spinifex screen, fire equipment and exercising precaution is essential.
Interactive Route Map
Geraldton Bore
Geraldton Historic Society Bore. This is an excellent spot for a campsite.
Features:
Position: 124.6618ºE 25.1751ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place:
Gunbarrel Hwy & Hunt Oil Rd
Distance:
0.25km
Average Speed:
56.58km/h
Gunbarrel Hwy & Hunt Oil Rd
Hunt Oil Road - overgrown track to the south leads off behind camp at Geraldton Bore.
Features:
Position: 124.6648ºE 25.1739ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place:
Hunt Oil Road Airfield
Distance:
48.36km
Average Speed:
22.7km/h
Hunt Oil Road Airfield
Airfield not really discernable. A couple of mounds of earth here and there and 4 empty 200 litre drums to the east of the track.
Features:
Position: 124.6146ºE 25.5937ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place:
Remnants of Vehicle Fire (Hunt Oil Road)
Distance:
14.22km
Average Speed:
19.86km/h
Remnants of Vehicle Fire (Hunt Oil Road)
This spot reveals the remnants of a vehicle fire. Burnt Engel fridge, tool box, window frames, tin plates etc. It is a burnt out Nissan and nearby there is a memorial to Mike Kendall. There are also some star pickets driven into the ground.
Features:
Position: 124.6232ºE 25.7170ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place:
Hunt Oil Road (Good Campsite)
Distance:
6.44km
Average Speed:
19.76km/h
Hunt Oil Road (Good Campsite)
Good campsite for group of vehicles. Open area amongst low trees plenty of firewood.
Features:
Position: 124.6267ºE 25.7663ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place:
Hunt Oil Road (Potential Campsite)
Distance:
28.51km
Average Speed:
26.78km/h
Hunt Oil Road (Potential Campsite)
In this location there is a potential campsite for group of vehicles. Open grassy areas amongst low trees.
Features:
Position: 124.6689ºE 26.0196ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place:
Hunt Oil Camp (Abandoned)
Distance:
16.21km
Average Speed:
23.65km/h
Hunt Oil Camp (Abandoned)
Location of the abandoned Hunt Oil Camp
Features:
Position: 124.7647ºE 26.1333ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place:
Caves & Hunt Oil Drilling Camp Access
Distance:
49.48km
Average Speed:
24.48km/h
Caves & Hunt Oil Drilling Camp Access
There are some caves near here as well as a drum at the intersection of a track heading north to the old abandoned Hunt Oil drilling camp.
Features:
Position: 125.1524ºE 26.1523ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place:
Hunt Oil Road & Tjirrkarli Access
Distance:
13.12km
Average Speed:
32.23km/h
Hunt Oil Road & Tjirrkarli Access
Permits may be required for entry into or when travelling through aboriginal lands and communities.
Features:
Position: 125.2063ºE 26.2345ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place:
Hunt Oil Road & Tjirrkarli / Heather Hwy Access
Distance:
14.69km
Average Speed:
29.29km/h
Hunt Oil Road & Tjirrkarli / Heather Hwy Access
Permits may be required for entry into or when travelling through aboriginal lands and communities.
Features:
Position: 125.2773ºE 26.3501ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place:
Hunt Oil Road & Kanpa Access
Distance:
44.82km
Average Speed:
35.06km/h
Hunt Oil Road & Kanpa Access
Junction
Features:
Position: 125.5019ºE 26.6691ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place:
Great Central Rd & Hunt Oil Rd
Distance:
27.79km
Average Speed:
39.88km/h
Great Central Rd & Hunt Oil Rd
No description entered.
Enter description or photos
.
Features:
Position: 125.6742ºE 26.8270ºS (GDA 94)
Route Control
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Permits
None for this track - See
Gunbarrel Highway
&
Great Central Road
treknotes.
Things to See & Do
Geraldton Bore
Geraldton Historic Society Bore. This is an excellent spot for a campsite.
Caves & Hunt Oil Drilling Camp Access
There are some caves near here as well as a drum at the intersection of a track heading north to the old abandoned Hunt Oil drilling camp.
Remnants of Vehicle Fire (Hunt Oil Road)
This spot reveals the remnants of a vehicle fire. Burnt Engel fridge, tool box, window frames, tin plates etc. It is a burnt out Nissan and nearby there is a memorial to Mike Kendall. There are also some star pickets driven into the ground.
Hunt Oil Camp (Abandoned)
Location of the abandoned Hunt Oil Camp
Hunt Oil Road Airfield
Airfield not really discernable. A couple of mounds of earth here and there and 4 empty 200 litre drums to the east of the track.
Geraldton Bore
Remnants of Vehicle Fire (Hunt Oil Road)
Hunt Oil Road Airfield
Caves & Hunt Oil Drilling Camp Access
Hunt Oil Camp (Abandoned)
Spinifex, wildflowers, Mt Worsnop, Bores, Drilling camp and caves.
Preparation
Spinifex Warning
The country through which the track passes had received good rains over the last few years (2004) and there was a lot of new growth. The spinifex was green with long seed stalks. Most of the stalks had long heads and were well above the bonnet of our Land Rover and the seeds were very prolific. You need to provide some sort of protection across the full front of the vehicle to avoid, as far as possible, spinifex seeds clogging your radiator. It is highly advisable to continually check underneath your vehicle for spinifex caught around the exhaust pipe and any other hot areas of your vehicle, as a spinifex fire can be disastrous. Powder type fire extinguishers are of little use for spinifex fires as the resin retains sufficient heat to relight a fire that has been snuffed out by the powder. Carry a 5 litre pressurised garden spray filled with water and with a long wand for such events. There are the remains of a burnt-out Nissan on the track as evidence that spinifex fires can be disastrous. Beware of overheating.
Remote Desert Country
Temperatures can rise to 50°C in summer and it has been known to rise to 60°C. Travel during summer is not recommended. This is remote desert country, so be fully self-sufficient. Keep in mind that this is not a well travelled route and there are absolutely no facilities for travellers, not even stations or aboriginal communities.
Your vehicle will need to be extensively prepared for remote area travel, with all fuel, water, food and vehicle repair equipment and spare parts. All travellers must be totally self-sufficient and should read the
4WDriving
Topic for related articles and checklists for
vehicle setup
and driver awareness. High clearance vehicles recommended, and depending on the season, a spinifex blind is highly recommended.
We advise that you refer to the latest information and advice about outback
communications
in the
Communications
Topic. For any dune driving you should fly a dune flag from the front of your vehicle to avoid head on collisions on dune tops. Additionally, the lead vehicle in any direction should periodically make calls on Channel 10 from the top of large dunes on the
UHF radio
to advise oncoming traffic of your position.
Fuel - note that unleaded fuels have long been unavailable in the region in an attempt to combat petrol sniffing issues in nearby Aboriginal communities. Recently, a new fuel from BP called Opal Unleaded, has been introduced to better serve travellers interests, whilst combating petrol sniffing problems. BP Opal Unleaded is available at Warburton, Warakurna Roadhouse, and Docker River.
Fuel Supplies & Usage
Diesel
4cyl 37 litres
ULP
4cyl 43 litres
LPG
4cyl 53 litres
6cyl 41 litres
6cyl 48 litres
6cyl 46 litres
8cyl 43 litres
8cyl 44 litres
Usage is averaged from
TrekFuel
(* specific to trek) submissions and calculated based on trek distance.
No fuel is available on the Hunt Oil Road. Nearest fuel locations are Warburton, Tjukayirla Roadhouse, Carnegie Station & Laverton.
Best Time To Visit
Closest Climatic Station
Warburton Airfield
Distance from Trek Mid Point 146.82km E
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Mean Max. °C
37.6
36.4
33.9
29.1
24.2
20.7
20.4
22.8
27.6
31.4
34.2
36.5
Mean Min. °C
22.6
22.0
19.9
15.0
10.3
6.4
5.5
7.1
11.2
15.2
18.5
21.2
Mean Rain mm
28.9
35.7
30.6
19.4
16.4
19.0
13.8
11.1
5.2
14.2
22.7
28.9
Best time to travel
Ok time to travel
Travel NOT recommended
No supplies are available on the Hunt Oil Road. Nearest limited supply outlets are Warburton, Tjukayirla Roadhouse, Carnegie Station & Laverton.
Camp Sites & Accomodation
Geraldton Bore
Geraldton Historic Society Bore. This is an excellent spot for a campsite.
Hunt Oil Road (Potential Campsite)
In this location there is a potential campsite for group of vehicles. Open grassy areas amongst low trees.
Hunt Oil Road (Good Campsite)
Good campsite for group of vehicles. Open area amongst low trees plenty of firewood.
Geraldton Bore
Hunt Oil Road (Potential Campsite)
Hunt Oil Road (Good Campsite)
Environment
Essentially, when travelling north, the track is poor for the first 150kms. Then just before the climb to the plateau when passing through little gullies near Mt Worsnop, the track deteriorates and for the next 112kms, the track is generally overgrown with a number of washaways with some being quite deep.
Driving Directions
Time
Direction
Distance
Geraldton Bore to Gunbarrel Hwy & Hunt Oil Rd
0.25 km
NE
67°
Gunbarrel Hwy & Hunt Oil Rd to Hunt Oil Road Airfield
48.36 km
S
186°
2 hr 7 min
Hunt Oil Road Airfield to Remnants of Vehicle Fire (Hunt Oil Road)
14.22 km
S
176°
42 min
Remnants of Vehicle Fire (Hunt Oil Road) to Hunt Oil Road (Good Campsite)
6.44 km
S
176°
19 min
Hunt Oil Road (Good Campsite) to Hunt Oil Road (Potential Campsite)
28.51 km
S
171°
1 hr 3 min
Hunt Oil Road (Potential Campsite) to Hunt Oil Camp (Abandoned)
16.21 km
SE
143°
41 min
Hunt Oil Camp (Abandoned) to Caves & Hunt Oil Drilling Camp Access
49.48 km
E
93°
2 hr 1 min
Caves & Hunt Oil Drilling Camp Access to Hunt Oil Road & Tjirrkarli Access
13.12 km
SE
150°
24 min
Hunt Oil Road & Tjirrkarli Access to Hunt Oil Road & Tjirrkarli / Heather Hwy Access
14.69 km
SE
151°
30 min
Hunt Oil Road & Tjirrkarli / Heather Hwy Access to Hunt Oil Road & Kanpa Access
44.82 km
SE
148°
1 hr 16 min
Hunt Oil Road & Kanpa Access to Great Central Rd & Hunt Oil Rd
27.79 km
SE
136°
41 min
Geraldton Bore to Great Central Rd & Hunt Oil Rd
263.91 km
8 hr 47 min
Distance is GPS recorded driving distance (not straight line), Direction is straight line from start to end, Time is calculated from actual GPS driving data.
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What Others have Posted
Tol : 19 Mar 08 23:47
Last year covered 3000 km of Len Beadell rds and now going back for ...
Last year covered 3000 km of Len Beadell rds and now going back for more. Would like to include the Hunt Oil rd in this trip and would welcome feed back from recent travellers. Have read the trek notes.
thanks, Tol
Read Full Thread...
Latest: 21 Mar 08 22:02 Replies:
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