Great Central Road in Summer

Jock
It is a great and easy drive in the dry. Make sure that you take extra water in case of a break down. You will not be on the road yourself, as a lot of overseas people head bush during our hot summer. Take puncture repair equipment just in case of the expectant, even though you should not need it. I can recommend the following places for safe camping.

Warakurna Roadhouse - behind the Roadhouse.
Tjukayirla Roadhouse - inside the painted gates
Laverton.

When in Tjukayirla, ask Andrew for a mud map of the Aboriginal caves that he found, you are welcome to visit them. We have travelled it many times, and it is a great drive, with lots to see. If you have the time, it is worth the 60 Kilometre detour to Empress Spring.

Fuel is not an issue, as it is available at the above, plus Warburton and Cosmo Newberry. The cheapest places for fuel will be Yulara, then Laverton. If you can take another tyre carcass, it would not go astray, as the standard 265/65x17 tyres are not common out there. I did one in on our last trip, and was not able to get one out there. I did have a full extra tyre and rim, so it was not a drama.

When you get to Laverton, make sure that you drop into the Great Beyond, tourist Information Centre, well worth the visit if you have not been there before.

Drive to the road conditions, and you should be fine. The road can be sandy up until the WA/NT Border, rocky sections just inside WA, for the rest of the way, it is usually a very good road. The biggest thing that you have to keep an eye out for is Camels, they are out there in very large numbers.

Cheers

Stephen

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I was at Uluru in january a couple of years ago. It was still 46 degrees at 8:30 while we were watching the sun go down at the rock. Pretty hot all night in the tent as well.
It wouldn't stop me from doing it again. We bought a fan and got a powered site to make it bearable. I wouldn't go any further north than Alice at that time of year again, way too humid. Darwin was like a sweat box in the tent.
Perth has a nice dry heat and the Fremantle doctor.

Mike

Hi Jock,
Before you pay for any camps around the Kings Canyon area head down to Curtain Springs where there is free camping available at the road house, there are showers there at 20 cents for a few minutes I think, and the camp isn't great but it's not that much different to most places out that way and it's free.


Don't forget to drop into Lasseters cave just before Docker River, you won't miss the sign, the camp at Warakuna is highly recomended, good clean facilities and a great camp Kitchen.
There is another good free camp site about 150 km's west of Warakuna, no facilities but nice and quiet,


I recomend that you DON'Tcamp at Warburton, and watch out for these fella's, there's a lot of them.


If you want to read and see a bit more on that part of the country then check out a report I did here and start on page 6.

Cheers
Pezza

Unfortunately, the road is long and boring, and there isn't much to look at. This unattractive bit is near the Schwerin Mural Crescent. Make sure the passengers have books or gameboys to keep them occupied.Image Could Not Be Found