Cattlewater Pass Track

Submitted: Friday, Nov 22, 2013 at 16:50

ThreadID: 105223 Views:2139 Replies:4 FollowUps:5

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Member - Duncan W (WA)

Afternoon one and all. Looking well forward to a possible Cape trip in 2016 and heading east from Alice Springs to the Plenty Hwy via the Ross Hwy and then onto the Cattlewater Pass Track.

EO Track Notes suggest that the track has now been closed by the local police? Does anybody know the currency of this information, whether the closure was due to local weather conditions at the time, cultural reasons or just because they could?

thanks

Dunc.

ps. Anybody from Perth been up to the Cape in recent times who was forced to do it in a relatively tight timeframe can tell me how long it took there and back, and the route you took? Not being a grey nomad yet holiday times are a tad restrictive.

Dunc
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Reply By: Member - Tony (ACT) - Friday, Nov 22, 2013 at 17:21

Friday, Nov 22, 2013 at 17:21

Yes it is closed. First by the Police after a lot of vehicles got stuck in there and had to be assisted out. Then the property owner at the north end fenced it off.

I tried to get through this year from the south and a road Closed sign was up.

You can still get through from Arltunga via the Pinnacle Track.

AnswerID: 521921

Follow Up By: Member - Duncan W (WA) - Friday, Nov 22, 2013 at 18:16

Friday, Nov 22, 2013 at 18:16

Thanks for the advice Tony. Like I said in my intro still in the early planning stages so things will and do change. Thanks

Dunc.

Dunc
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Reply By: equinox - Friday, Nov 22, 2013 at 20:26

Friday, Nov 22, 2013 at 20:26

Hi Dunc,

Cattlewater Pass was closed last year as mentioned.

Closed

Tight times frames - now your talking my language. I only got to Mareeba (for the sake of this discussion, but thats only a couple of days from the cape)
Left Perth 4:45pm 2 November 2012 arrived Mareeba 11:50am 11 November 2012.

Route:
Perth
Wiluna
Gunbarrel
Docker
Mount Unapproachable in the flipping middle of the desert
Kings Canyon
Alice
Arltunga (divert back to Pinnacle Road as Cattlewater Pass was closed)
Plenty Highway
Donohue Highway
Diamantina Dev. Road
Cloncurry
Normanton (and side trip to Karumba)
Burke Dev. Road
Mareeba

Perth to Mareeba

Have a great trip!!!

Cheers
Alan

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In whatever comes our way.

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Follow Up By: Member - Duncan W (WA) - Friday, Nov 22, 2013 at 20:45

Friday, Nov 22, 2013 at 20:45

Thanks Al. And the trip down the Gunbarrel would have been the slow bit for you. Mind you the section we drove earlier in the year from Gary Hwy westward was pretty good for most of the way so we could average 80km/hr easily if we wanted or more.

Did you turn off the Plenty/Donohue at the border or keep going to the Boulia end and then turn North? At that point there is way too many options for a West Ozzie who's used to only one or two options at best.

Cheers & see you Tuesday night no doubt?

Dunc

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Follow Up By: equinox - Friday, Nov 22, 2013 at 20:53

Friday, Nov 22, 2013 at 20:53

Turned north from Boulia, then through past Dajarra and Duchess.

Yes see you on Tuesday I'll be the bloke behind the bar with the tie and nice manners.

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In whatever comes our way.

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Reply By: exmouth1 - Friday, Nov 22, 2013 at 20:32

Friday, Nov 22, 2013 at 20:32

G, day dunc,
Left Perth, 1st night laverton, 2nd night warrakuna, 3rd night Alice, 4th night east of jervoise, 5th night cloncurry 6th night the Lind , cairns midday on the 7th day. We went from the plenty to isa via tobermorey and urandangi.
Ps sat on 100 kph most of the way all gravelly roads were good
Cheers
John

AnswerID: 521936

Follow Up By: Member - Duncan W (WA) - Friday, Nov 22, 2013 at 20:35

Friday, Nov 22, 2013 at 20:35

Thanks John you must have put in some long days doing that?

Cheers

Dunc

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Reply By: exmouth1 - Friday, Nov 22, 2013 at 21:12

Friday, Nov 22, 2013 at 21:12

Yep
On the road by 0630 and pulled up before dark, all camping was in the bush, pulled up after dark past the Lind most of Queensland roads are fenced. We have a troopy with a Maui conversion.

AnswerID: 521943

Follow Up By: Member - Duncan W (WA) - Friday, Nov 22, 2013 at 21:21

Friday, Nov 22, 2013 at 21:21

Guessed you would have done so John. If I still have the Troopy in 2 years time I'll maybe look more closely about sleeping inside the car. Until then I'll make do with the Oz tent. Very inconsiderate those Queenslander's fencing their patches of dirt. Mind you it's getting harder and harder here in the West as well, as no doubt you've found.

Thanks again

Dunc.

Dunc
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