Tanami Road Closure

I don't know if this helps but I came through from WA to the Alice last year in July during rain. The track was deliberately (I mean to use that word) wrecked by the Flying Doctor ralley - 139 cars going through like maniacs (I also mean to use that word!). Their driving/attitude/lack of training/skill/care was so bad that I called in to the Police at the Alice and complained. The point of this response is that the Police said that the Tanami Highway (I mean to use that word) is only closed when it's really bad - so if it's closed now it must be terrible because they hadn't closed it when I called into the Alice after just coming off it and it was a in a terrible terrible state! The poor folks of WA and NT would have paid a fortune to regrade it to anything like the condition it was in when we traveled it in the other direction a few weeks earlier. So - I think if it's closed you would want to 1) wait until it dries out otherwise you could easilly be bogged after bogged after bogged and 2) perhaps even wait until it's been graded because if traffic has used it when it's been muddy it will be in an awful and dangereous condition until it is graded again
Just my view but I did have to tolerate 139 rally (racing) cars last year and I know what idiotic driving on the Tanami when it's wet can do to it.

I havent heard anything personally but try the following website.
http://www.dpi.nt.gov.au/whatwedo/roadreport/wwwroot/
If that doestnt help let me know and Ill ask around and see if any one has been out that way yet.
Cheers

Try phoning Tilmouth Well Roadhouse, 30 km past the end of the bitumen from Alice Springs end, 08-8956-8777. We found them fairly knowledgeable when we went through DURING a similar flood. As a result of our report of how we found the road Tilmouth rang the coppers in Alice Springs who then closed the track . Çourse the Police at A/S would have a fair idea about conditions on the Tanami too!.

I also crossed in July last year a few days after it had opened after rain. Two days later it was closed again after more rain. We were told that the road was often closed very quickly after rain to save the huge expense of gradeing. Road was reopened again a couple of days later.

As has already been stated above it's not just racing cars that cause havoc ! There are plenty of idiots that deliberately travel at such a speed that other road users are in danger from flying rocks.

Gday Chris,I think the main reason its closed is the Sturt Creek crossing near Billiluna,this is a major floodway(even with new bridge/causway) and we've had alot of rain the last couple of weeks so I reacon it would still be closed due to flooding there.
There's a picture in the paper today of a Troopy floating of a causway over the Dunham river last week,crossing was flooded for about 8 hrs and someone just couldnt wait.

chris

we are hopefully doing the same ely may (in a gu and disco). will be interesting to see how we go. we will check as coppers/tilmouth/rabbit flat b4 we go.

cheers
lambo