Anne Beadell Highway

Bruce just look under the Treks tab at the top of the page and look under the WA Western Deserts section (http://www.ExplorOz.com/TrekNotes/WDeserts/Anne_Beadell_Highway.asp). That lists all the permits required. I've taken the trailer along there twice without undue drama. By mid November she'll be pretty warm. Comfortable speed will vary from 20 kph to 40 on some really good sections. For the most part the HWY comprises two wheel tracks across sandy and gravelly terrain.

we travelled the anne beadell last year and found it to be to be one of the most corrugated tracks we have ever been on . and we've been everywhere from Cape York , kimberlies simpson etc. etc.
We had a lot of trouble with bolts unscrewing from all over the place so make sure you take a large supply of replacement bolts and nuts of all sizes with you.We had our long range fuel tank wired onto the chasis by the time we finished as we'd run out of bolts. we passed another guy with his dashboard on his lap and he was only on day 2 of the trip.Another couple of guys were on the side of the road with broken axe4l on their trailer and we had to go back to Coober Pedy on day 3 with stuffed shockers as it was so slow. so make sure you have really good shockers fitted. Its a great track fantastic camping but very slow and rough.

we travelled the anne beadell last year and found it to be to be one of the most corrugated tracks we have ever been on . and we've been everywhere from Cape York , kimberlies simpson etc. etc.
We had a lot of trouble with bolts unscrewing from all over the place so make sure you take a large supply of replacement bolts and nuts of all sizes with you.We had our long range fuel tank wired onto the chasis by the time we finished as we'd run out of bolts. we passed another guy with his dashboard on his lap and he was only on day 2 of the trip.Another couple of guys were on the side of the road with broken axe4l on their trailer and we had to go back to Coober Pedy on day 3 with stuffed shockers as it was so slow. so make sure you have really good shockers fitted. Its a great track fantastic camping but very slow and rough.

Bruce,
We have just finished the Anne Beadell Highway last week travelling east to west. Permits for the Maralinga lands are painfull to get and can require many phone calls to get your request processed, allow at least a couple of months to get the permit. The road is becoming more of a race track for people who just want to go down it to say they have done the Anne Beadell and therefore damaging the road and what is a very fragile dune environment.
The road from Coober Pedy to the Border is mostly corrugated and windy in spots. It is also overgrown if you have a fairly high vehicle. We had a Nissan ute with solar panels and a roof rack with an HF aerial and it was this top section that got a work out. From the turn off to Totem 1 to Emu ruin the corrugations are about 10 inches deep (10km worth) and this is the worst section of the track.
After the border the road progessively gets better with some sections being like a four lane highway.
The shire of Laverton has also put in a number of shelters, rain water tanks and drop toilets on the WA side but they are already becoming a rubbish site.
It took us 8 days to do the trip and that was travelling everyday but we stopped regularly to enjoy the environment. All in all it is an excellent trip and would say if you enjoy solitude (bar the rally drivers), remote outback and also the history that goes with the track then do not pass up the oppurtunity to do it.
Good luck and allow plenty of time to do the track and remember you can not hurry the bush.

Bruce, we have just returned from our trip across the Anne Beadell (June 2002) and have added our report to the current Road Conditions as at today's date. It certainly isn't in bad condition but is what you would expect from the area. We took 7 days and had no incidents, but saw zillions of camels, dingos and a great variety of birds. Like you, we avoid the tar and this trip was our 4th way across the continent without touching the bitumen. My only comment it that it could be a dangerously hot place to be in mid November.