Canning Stock Route Feedback

As detailed in our Trek Note, you need a minimum of 16 days to complete the route visiting all 51 wells.

I am heading off there on 12th July and have, after reading lots of professional tour guides trip itineraries and spoken with Wayne (Greta Divide Tours) I have allowed 20 days to go from Wiluna to Billiluna. That's ABOUT 100km per day and allows for a couple of 2 days stop overs along the way.

We did it in 20 days which allowed us to have a rest day every 5 or so days and also have the time to explore all the sites of interest along the way as well as a few short days when we felt like it.
I suspect that most who do it much quicker would give themselves and vehicles a much harder time of it.
10 days is way too quick although did hear of someone doing it in a week, utter madness!!
It isn't that the CSR is that much rougher than most other treks but the fact that it is so long.
Take the time to enjoy it as you will have spent plenty of dollars to get there and to not experience it all is silly.

Did it last year South to North, and are going again around 1/7/08, North to South. With a few add ons, and not missing any Wells, we are thinking about 19 -21 days (without Rudall River).
Some "idiots" DO IT in 7 days - but don't see or do anything!
To really enjoy it, climb everything, and see everything, please allow at least 18 days.
Enjoy your trip.....and do use Channel 40 as recommended!

thanks Everyone

Glad I asked now, we have taken a month off but had wanted to do the Gibb river road as well. perhaps we will save that for another trip.

Ill plan food and water for 3 weeks and we will take it as we go, that should cover us.

maybe see some of you out there (will use channel 40) we are leaving perth on June 26th. travelling south to north.

thanks again really appreciate it.

Cazz

Ok one more question

I have been trying to organise permits for a few months now. Can someone help me out with these, where you get them from and what is needed.

No one seems to respond to my emails or calls or else they pass me onto another organisation.

Thanks again

Cazz

Nevermind i found it finally.

The button was there all this time... no wonder no one got back to me.

Cazz

It all depends if you want to "do" the Canning Stock Route, or "see" the Canning Stock Route.

Even driving a vehicle 100km is a big day on the Canning. Our biggest was about 140-150km when we skipped a camp that was burnt out and moved further south to our stop for the next night at Durba - thus picking up an extra rest day. We were buggered in the vehicles - but the guys on the bikes were wrecked!

We did it in about 18 days with 2 rest days - 1 at Pierre Springs and 1 at Durba Springs. We travelled north to south in May 05 and it was still hot, warm enough that the sand became very dry and soft after about 1400hrs. As a result we were usually on the move by 0730 each morning and making camp by about 1400.

You need to allow time in your days also to do things like climb Thring Rock, walk to some of the rock art sites and make some of the side trips to wells that are now off the main track or out to some of the side trip camps.

It doesn't sound that far 2000km, but on that particular trip it's a bloody long way. However having said that, when we got to Willuna we'd all quite happily have stocked up on food & grog and turned around and gone back up to Billiluna again.

Dave

Just back from 16 days Wiluna to Billiluna incl 2 days at Calvert Range.
A couple of days of boring light near the end which in other photographic conditions could have easily extended it by a few days - we missed a couple of XXXX (4x) wells.
We did go to Parngurr and Kunawaritji for fuel but not Ruddall River.
However, as photographers we were up before dawn, almost always away by 7:30AM and often setting up camp after sunset - you can't watch the sunset from your camp after all can you?
Cheers
Andrew.

It depends how many in your group. We did it by ourselfs in 17 days with a stop over at Derba Springs. We set off about 800 - 830 each day and had our camp set up by 4 - 430 at the latest. We stopped 3 - 4 times during the day. If you are in a bigger and inexperienced group you could easily add a few days. It can be done quicker but why bother, there is no prize for being fastest down the CSR. The CSR is more of an endurance exercise and needs to be treated as such. Pace yourself and everyone will have a good time. You will not get any thanks locking everyone in the car for 8 - 9 hours a day for 16 or 17 days.

Steve

So Cazzbo - can I ask where you got a recommendation for 2 days from? As you can see, 16 days is pretty much the absolute minimum, taking into account the distance and 2 rest days. It would be impossible to drive that distance in 2 days.

I cant remember exactly where i saw it, we have been reading info for about 18 months regarding the CSR and there is so much on the web about people trips etc its all a bit of a jumble, perhaps it was someone writing an account on doing a section of it.

Most places and people seem to say between 2 and 3 weeks.

My partners father has done it in 7 days, although that was with the SAS so it wasnt for the pleasure of it, other family friends have done it in 14 and had a great time so I guess we will take it as it comes, we have a month to be back in perth so we have plenty of time to take it as it comes. We dont plan on visiting every well so im sure a month will be plenty of time.

thanks for your feed back everyone. Only 11 more sleeps to go.

Cazz