Normanton to Katherine via Savannah Way travel time question

Done it a few times for work. 2 days ... Leave Katherine and stay at Borroloola. Early start and head to Normanton. Take your time and stay at Burketown or make it a long day and go straight through to Normanton. Condition of the road can also affect the time. A realistic time would be 2 nights camping and 3 full days driving. Also depends if you want to see anything or just get to a destination.

Not your exact route, but as an idea of time....Towing a Kimberley Kamper late in the dry season, we did a days drive Normanton to Adels Grove (stopped at Burke and Wills Camp and lunch at Liechardt Falls), short day drive to Kingfisher Camp (no longer open to camping), a huge days drive KFC to Lorella Springs (left 6.30 a.m and drove all day with stop at Hellsgate for mate to get fuel, then a quick morning tea break on side of road in middle of nowhere, and a later then normal lunch at Booroloola with a refuel added in and arrive at Lorella around 5.30 p.m...apparently we did it a good hour and a half to 2 hours quicker then most people do according to Rhett at Lorella...i don't recommend that bigger day be done but it us doable if you need to be somewhere, then a day from Lorella to Mataranka with stops at The Lost World, Butterfly Springs, St Vidgeon Ruins and quick lunch stop elsewhere also, and next day up the highway after that onto Katherine.

Thanks Bigfish and Rumpig, appreciate the feedback. Those times are more of what I was expecting/ hoping for, phew. Phoned Hells Gate RH and spoke to a friendly local who also confirmed time to Borroloola was more like 5 hours, not 17. So if we can conquer the Cape we’re off to Katherine and possibly beyond before return to Adelaide.

I have also found outrageous times for trips on google maps and tom tom for outback roads. 9hrs for William Creek to Marree/ I just ignored the time but noticed when driving the route that tom tom kept telling me I was exceeding the speed limit of 50kph.

It would seem the travel times outback have been deliberately extended. Dont know if this some sort of discouragment to the "tourist driver" or "overseas driver"
to cover their backs if someone drives out west and srikes disaster.

Alan

That's a big drive Tony!

I can't comment on Normanton to Burketown, but towing a CT from Burketown to Hells Gate is a decent day's drive.

Same from Hells Gate to Borroloola.

From there, it depends if you're going to take the easy option & bail to the Stuart Hwy on the bitumen, or go up through to Roper Bar, to Mataranka.

Lots to see on that road! And it's probably the slowest part of the trip.