Plenty Hwy in December

Best advice is to stay away from the top in december. It is the start of the wet season and if you do make it through it will only be a fluke. This is the storm season and you can get up to 300mm storms anytime, anywhere in this country. If you do get caught you may not get the car out until the wet is over. Cheers Regards Tony.

S T ,
not discounting what Tony is telling you because I went across in close to the wet season and had a Lada with perm all wheel drive and ability to lock up BOTH diffs. ( used this vehicle because it has coils all round and you get a good shaking up) You would be brave in an X trail.
Here is some info though. Roughest part is the Q land side with 246kms to the border. Then it gets better on the N T side.
Used to be able to get fuel and camp at Tobermory but they no longer operate. 220kms fr the border to Jervois and there's usually fuel there but I would ring fr Boulia and have some jerries ready to fill. Another 131 to the aboriginal settlement which has a pump but again......Last time I was there the store had the cement stacked under insufficient cover so I'd be a bit cautious about the fuel quality. Fuel available at Gemtree
In dry weather you want use much more fuel than driving on a normal dirt road. In the glue..........
Total kms, to Stuart Hwy 715 and you should look on Google earth to get an idea of what you will be travelling across.
It's very hot out there after Oct and you will suffer if you get a puncture. Changing wheels aint pleasant. Sounds like you might have kids and it's hard on them.You really won't want to spend much time out there with minimal shelter.
There were moments when I thought' how much more of this pounding and flying rocks can this vehicle take" but it was probably a bit rougher at this time. Others have reported it as being good.

Early to mid December you should be right but just keep a eye on the weather via Internet. Went across the Plenty last week towing a van no probs at all. Tobermorey station is no longer doing fuel so fill up at Jervois station its a 450 k stretch till next fuel or less if you go up to urandangi but if it rains that stretch from plenty up is mud hole and you have to cross the Gergina river that flows easily in rain. fuel (diesel) is cheaper at Jervois($2.22) than gemtree($2.32). Cheers Tony

Sometimes,

The problem with the Plenty, travelling from the west, would be the Georgina River. Its a long way to come from the Alice, and find out the River has gone over the bridge the day before. And the nature of these streams is that they can stay up for days, or even weeks in extreme cases.

I think it highly unlikely that that area could receive falls of up to 300mm in December alone, as the the average annual rainfall is probably much like Boulia, about 250mm. However, you could get under storms of 25 - 75mm, that won't let you move too far, as Tony suggested.

While you are bogged, or stranded, or broken down, is when the extremes of temperature will hit you, day AND night. If you had limited water, and even less shade, it could be hell for you, and especially for any young kids.

Did I mention the flies during the day, and maybe mozzies & other insects at night?

Don't want to scare you, Sometimes, but this is reality!

Then again it could rain across the Plenty, pack down all the bulldust, and cool the air, even during the day, but the flies will still be there. And then you'd think I was only dramatising all of the above.

I only speak from experience, as we live fairly close to this area. Oh, and sorry for being a bit long-winded.

Hooroo,
Bob.

Thanks for your input everybody. There is enough reality there to suggest that another Nullubor run is the likely scenario. Don't have young kids, but do want to get to Warwick for Christmas so might just go with the safe option again.
Ta
LP