Donohue / Plenty

Des, most people will tell you that you can go anywhere in the out back wiyh care & this may be the case.Having said this, we have just arrived back from a 2 week adventure,Bris to b/ville & back in 2wd motor home towing a 4x4 zuk on a gypsy trailer all the black top was fairly good but you do have to be very watchfull when you hit the gravel,& the corragation drives usually together but not always as they say drive to the conditions & you will be fine we did & some times 15 k an hour for lots of k's. We shook we rattled & we rolled i enjoyed the trip regardless of the conditions. Take it easy,be watchfull & enjoy youre selves.Bob.

Hi Des,
Last week, Julie & I just completed a 2 month cruise around Central Australia. Leaving Brisbane May 3rd to Birdsville where we had dinner with the Governor General when he visited. Then down the Birdsville Track and up the Oodnadatta Track and the Mereenie Loop and then the Plenty and Donohue to Boulia and then down to Birdsville again via Bedourie...Then on to Innamincka via Cordillo Downs and then Cameron Corner and now we're working in Armidale for the next 2 weeks.

Phew...Anyway all of those roads could have been travelled by a Grannie in a Commodore, so you won't have any problem at all... The Mereenie Loop had a few corrugations, but no real dramas. Actually the Cordillo Downs Road is normally a rough ordeal, but has just been graded for the first time in 10 years.

So, Giddy Up Go and have a great time...we have 2 Gigabytes of digital photographs, that will be a good reminder for us. When you cross the Plenty, pull into the side of the road at the big termite nest and take your photo....how do know which one?? You'll see it... We took 2 days to roll accross the Plenty to Boulia and we had a nice camp at Jervois Station...$6.00 per vehicle.

Cheers
Riick & Julie

Hi There,

Loco Locums says it all when he says it can be done at an appropriate speed. Black fellas in falcons do all of these tracks without great difficulty every day when it is dry and unaffected.

Driving in the outback for me is clearance first, speed second and 4WD second third. The single most disasterous advice for new outback drivers is to get up to speed and skim across the corrugations. An invitation to speed is a recipe for problems. Anybody can get anywhere slowly as long as they have traction.

Enjoy it all 'cause it is there for you.

Regards

Ian @ Mt Dare

Your trailer will get showered with sand and gravel etc. I would suggest some sort of rear window protection from the rocks that bounce back onto the car.

Glen.

I have been across the plenty once, a couple of years ago.

It is a development road put in for the cattle trucks.
So it changes from year to year and during the season.
Depending on the rain, the grader and the use by the cattle trucks.

The qld side can have a lot of bull dust where it crosses and follows the Georgina River.

Generally I wouldn't be worried about driving a 2wd car with clearance across it, with care and dry weather.

4wds just make it a little safer with better clearance, and some decent stone guards underneath.

Once you hit the NT border the road conditons improve a little.

Ask at Winton and Boulia as you go through if you are at all concerned. I usually check road conditions ahead as a normal part of travelling, asking at servos and passing people.

We were told that it was bad and the bull dust was up to the bottom of the truck bull bars. We took it steady doing it in two days, and besides some bulldust, which was the deepest I have ever seen it, about 100 to 200mm in places, it was a good run.

It can get corrugated and rutted in places, but so can any outback road. Note I use the term road and not track!

Hi all

just done the plenty and donohue both in pretty good condition - donohue in particular much improved from a few years ago - fair bit of water in the georgina river - low level crossing at orminston station - plenty at bit rough in parts but abt 100ks of bitumen makes up for that.

No problems plenty of 2wds on the road - plenty might give the jayco a bit of a rattle though - even saw a 25ft winnebago 2wd towing a small 4wd on an a frame at Jervois so as the man said if you take it easy you can get most places.

good luck on your trip

smort

Thanks everyone for your comments. Having done plenty of bush driving myself, I am comfortable with driving he road but my concern is what it may do to my non off road camper.
I think i'll give it a go provided the road conditions aren't really crook at the time I am planning to go.
Des