Travel through Arnhem Land

Submitted: Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 19:32
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Hi all, we're doing most of a lap next year and I'm thinking about travelling through Arnhem Land, coming from Longreach and heading into Darwin. We're aware the road is rough but we have fully off-road caravans and think that providing everyone drives sensibly, there shouldn't be any breakdowns.

Does anyone have any advice for doing this trip? Things to watch out for, fuel, conditions, etc?
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Reply By: Al-one - Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 20:07

Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 20:07
There was a previous post here on travel through to Nhulunbuy.
AnswerID: 645515

Reply By: Member - peter g28 - Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 20:18

Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 20:18
The road..they call it the Central Arnhem Highway..I should say goat track in some places..depending on the time of year changes.
An example..you head out on the CAR (Central Arnhem Road)..near when Garma is starting, mate it will be like driving on a near freeway..because it is graded and looked after for that festival.
But..straight after the wet season or it has not been graded..the CAR will either break your vehicle or your van..or maybe both.
In some places with the corrugations and dust..it will defy your senses.
If you go in a convoy..you will be kilometres apart due to the dust
So..the C.A.R has its own Facebook website..check it out for up dated details.
Look out for the following..
1/. Mining trucks..
2/. Commercial road trains..mainly 4+ carriages long..
3/. Oncoming vehicles..which means you are looking for dust clouds in the distance..why?..because the track gets so rutted and dusty on the edges and in places..you have to drive in the middle of the track just to get a decent line...it is not dusty for a few k's...try 10's of k's..if not 100's..
4/. Overhanging vegetation shadowing the track..because this makes it hard to see the bull dust and corrugations.
5/. Donkey's..there is a few of them..
6/. Buffalos..few more of them...and they can be BIG..
7/. Wallabys...
8/. Feral pigs..
7/. The gibber stone section between Manaroo station and Bullman..it's about 100-140k's in distance from memory..they may have cleaned it up a bit and it is not as rocky..
Fuel up in Mataranka..including your jerry cans..there is fuel at Manaroo station roadhouse
(sometimes) depending if they can get a fuel truck in...hence the CAR Facebook page for updates..
Fuel is at Bullman..self service Card machine..
Note..just get some practice in on changing tyres on your van..knowing where the jack is..etc..
If you type in Central Arnhem Road (highway)..or East Arnhemland into Youtube..a few have done the trip in the last 12 months..and it will give you an idea of what lies ahead..
Note..If there is some decent rain along the track, it will be closed at the Beswick gate..before you hit the track proper and get on the dirt.
When you are on the track and it rains heavily..people have been stuck for days..just have a look at some of CAR Facebook pages..but that's the adventure..
Enjoy..
AnswerID: 645516

Reply By: Member - 4x4odyssey - Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 20:30

Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 20:30
Thanks - that's useful stuff! We've driven the Old Ghan "Highway" from Alice Springs to Finke in the NT so are familiar with the prostate massage corrugations. :)

(Would have been a much smoother drive if we had hopped to the right by 50m and taken the race track instead.)
AnswerID: 645517

Reply By: Stephen L (Clare) SA - Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 20:42

Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 at 20:42
This may be of some interest to you, and what the road from the Stuart Highway to Nhulunbuy is like.The Central Arnhem Highway..what is it like.
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AnswerID: 645518

Reply By: Peter J4 - Wednesday, Mar 20, 2024 at 07:21

Wednesday, Mar 20, 2024 at 07:21
Bear in mind though that you will not get a permit to go from the CA highway east towards Jabiru and Darwin, you will have to go back down to Mataranka and then across to three ways or up towards Borroloola.
The roads would have had plenty of damage from rain after the cyclone went through.
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Reply By: Kenell - Wednesday, Mar 20, 2024 at 08:30

Wednesday, Mar 20, 2024 at 08:30
When we travelled out to Nhulunbuy around 6 years ago, caravans were not permitted. I see they now recommend checking with your van's insurer before travelling out there. We towed a hybrid which was considered to be ok. While we were camped there a group of 4 or 5 vans rolled in. So much for their "strict" rules.

The road was difficult. Like you we have travelled some rough roads over many years but the CAR is unique. The corrugations were certainly at the upper end but it was the variability and unpredictability that made it a challenge. One minute it is good unsealed road - comfortable 70 to 80 kph. All of a sudden you are in deep bulldust then rocky potholes. All the vehicles camped beside the motel had suffered some damage but mainly tyres. I had a flat on the way in and another on the way out.
In retrospect I am pleased we did it but I am not sure I would tow a caravan out there unless I knew the road had been recently graded.
AnswerID: 645522

Follow Up By: Member - 4x4odyssey - Wednesday, Mar 20, 2024 at 13:16

Wednesday, Mar 20, 2024 at 13:16
If we do this, I'd certainly want to have it graded already! Just tossing around possible routes at the moment.
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Follow Up By: dindy - Wednesday, Mar 20, 2024 at 20:03

Wednesday, Mar 20, 2024 at 20:03
I think you will find the 'rules' relate less to road conditions and more to the fact that there are virtually no facilities to cater for caravans and the influx of every man and his dog turning up expecting to be accommodated.
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Follow Up By: Member - 4x4odyssey - Thursday, Mar 21, 2024 at 21:31

Thursday, Mar 21, 2024 at 21:31
I'm trying to work out an itinerary for this part of the trip. Officially, we're starting the leg proper at Katherine, but since we'll be going through Longreach anyway, and some of us (including myself) have expressed a keen interest in passing through Arnhem Land, I was thinking about keeping close to the coast, say to Borroloola and then farther up (but not quite to Nhulunbuy) before heading to Jabiru or Mataranka.

Any advice on possible routes and things to see along the way?
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Follow Up By: Member - peter g28 - Saturday, Mar 23, 2024 at 18:50

Saturday, Mar 23, 2024 at 18:50
When the CAR is being graded is a hit and miss kind of affair as the track in places goes through cattle stations and indigenous communities, thus they have some "say" in when the "track in their neck of the woods" needs grading.
The track definitely gets graded before and after the Garma festival...
There are about 3 to 4 graders working on the track on various sections..but the track being about 750k's long..in the wet season...movement is quiet restricted due to the condition of the track.
If have a look on the Central Arnhem Highway Facebook page...
I have included a couple..one off the CAR Facebook site..shows what happens when the track is in its wet condition..the other is my own and shows the variation in the condition of the track.
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Follow Up By: Member - 4x4odyssey - Saturday, Mar 23, 2024 at 20:22

Saturday, Mar 23, 2024 at 20:22
Obviously it's best avoided in the wet :)
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Follow Up By: Member - peter g28 - Sunday, Mar 24, 2024 at 17:42

Sunday, Mar 24, 2024 at 17:42


So bringing in a caravan or camper trailer can be challenging at the best of times...as you see the track comes out of a washout concrete table drain onto a narrow "jump-up"..
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Follow Up By: Stephen L (Clare) SA - Sunday, Mar 24, 2024 at 17:52

Sunday, Mar 24, 2024 at 17:52
Peter....

"So bringing in a caravan or camper trailer can be challenging at the best of times"

Have to disagree completely with this.

It all comes down to road conditions and you are driving to the road conditions and not driving like a bat out of hell and when we took our Ultimate Camper there, was never an issue what so ever.

How do you thinks they go with the road trains then?
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Follow Up By: Member - peter g28 - Thursday, Mar 28, 2024 at 15:32

Thursday, Mar 28, 2024 at 15:32
Yeh, I agree..as some locals and some tourists alike do drive like a bat out of hell..but in some cases I witnessed, it was not speed that caused the incident, just plain bloody bad luck.
One bloke travelling out of Nhulunbuy towing his van got a puncture out near the decent first jump up out of Nhulunbuy near the Telecom towers.
He pulled over to find a flat shoulder road area to allow vehicles in the opposite direction to pass as the road near there is a bit narrow. When he pulled over to the side..the road shoulder gave way and pitched his vehicle nose first into the deep road drain at a 40 degree angle..in the process of himself getting out of his vehicle..he slipped on the bauxite road marbles at the edge of the road (wearing bloody thongs..don't get me started)and smacked himself heavily into and under the driverside front of the vehicle.
The locals found him and dragged him into Nhulunbuy ED.
We kept him in overnight at the local Nhulunbuy hospital just for observation.X-ray, bloods....being a retired GP we were surprised he was so accommodating....the locals went and got his vehicle out, changed the tyre and eventually he was on his way.
Next dry season..he turned up at the ED.."remember me!"..
He was contracted by NT Health to do "skin Checks" for 3 months..with a bit of fishing on the side.
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