Gary Junction Road

Submitted: Thursday, Aug 21, 2003 at 10:09
ThreadID: 6719 Views:2843 Replies:3 FollowUps:1
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Just back from a trip to the west.

Went from Marree to Boulia, road good, then the Plenty Hwy, or should I say fire trail to Alice, bad & stony. Lots of road trains pulling out stock and the road is wrecked. Met graders just east of Hart's Range headin towards Jervois.

The Gary Junction Road through Papunya & Kintore is pretty rotten, fuel at Kintore was $1.25 (no petrol) and what a sad, sad, place. We struck graders at the NT -WA border and the road was great to where it intersects with the Canning. We paid $1.80 for diesel at the community near Well 33. Cost $160 to fill up, nearly had a heart attack when I was asked to pay.

I did four tyres, two almost brand new & two not so new, bloody trouble is you don't realise they are down and until the tyre is completely deflated & the road noise changes pitch. Of course by then it is too late and, bingo, one buggered tyre.

If I ever do this trip again I'll invest in 8 or 10 ply tyres. The Michelen tyres that came with my Disco are OK for good roads and Europe, but on some of our bush tracks, no way!

Coming back along the Stuart Hwy it is obvious that the NT govt doesn't want people camping in their road side rest areas. They are making them very compact and close to the road, so there is little chance of getting back off the road and away from the traffic. One place we overnighted in was like an NSW coastal caravan park at Xmas. SA thank goodness hasn't gone this way (yet) & lots of places exist to pull off and camp overnight.

But gee we went through some pretty country, particularly in the western MacDonnell's and The Great Sandy Desert.

Dick
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