Canning Stock Route

Submitted: Monday, Mar 29, 2010 at 19:43

ThreadID: 77296 Views:4537 Replies:4 FollowUps:1

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Canning Stock Route

The Canning Stock Route is a long-distance remote stretch of track through the Gibson and Great Sandy Deserts. No longer in use as a stock route this is now a vehicular track allowing access to the

Canning Stock Route

Section: Treks

The Canning Stock Route is a long-distance remote stretch of track through the Gibson and Great Sandy Deserts. No longer in use as a stock route this is now a vehicular track allowing travel along

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Hi all. Has anyone heard of anyone attempting the Canning Stock Route on a four wheeler ATV? If you were fully prepared and had a support vehicle, surely it's do-able.

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Reply By: Member - Mary W NW VIC - Monday, Mar 29, 2010 at 19:51

Monday, Mar 29, 2010 at 19:51

Read a book about one very fit,brave ozzy lady who did it on a bicycle .Amazing story.Just can't thnk of the lady's name.Sure impressed me as an amazing adventure story.Perhaps someone can help with a link.Get an idea of what a slow trip would be at least.
It's a great read anyway!
Cheers,
Mary

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Reply By: Member - Andrew L (QLD) - Monday, Mar 29, 2010 at 19:57

Monday, Mar 29, 2010 at 19:57

I gota ask....why..??..

Maybe just bum a lift in the "support vehicle", leave the paddock buggy at home and enjoy it as a normal safe friendly trip along the CSR with the rest of us....

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Reply By: Mick O - Monday, Mar 29, 2010 at 19:59

Monday, Mar 29, 2010 at 19:59

NNF
It would be possible to do the Canning on a quad but it would have its difficulties. The reason is very similar to the problems encountered by two wheel motor cycle riders. Scrub on either side of the road and the shrubbery in the middle of the track. I have one of the biggest quads available (and bigger than the largest models available in Australia) before moving to a larger vehicle like a Prowler or similar and its wheel base is still not great enough to comfortably straddle the middle mound of the track. As a result, you would constantly be dragging yourself through the spinifex and scrub in the middle or having one wheel on the centre and one off to the side of the track. Locally available models are even smaller compounding the problem. This made it particularly difficult in narrow track crossings of desert areas. It isn’t so bad with a sandy track but once you’re in in form of scrub, it’s a nightmare. You will be constantly wrestling the steering and of course there are the attend hazards of the constant velocity bearing seals and tyres being exposed to nasty sticks and stakes.

Yep, doable but it will be a long, slow and arduous trip where the going would often be easier off the track than on!

Cheers Mick

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trip would doubtless be attended with much hardship.''
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Follow Up By: Bren1 - Monday, Mar 29, 2010 at 21:40

Monday, Mar 29, 2010 at 21:40

Thanks Mick,

Very good point regarding the width of the wheel tracks, too much of that would make it difficult.
Thanks for your input.

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Reply By: equinox - Monday, Mar 29, 2010 at 20:24

Monday, Mar 29, 2010 at 20:24

I reckons it's doable - I've only driven mine from Well 33 to the turnoff to Helena Spring between Well 41 and 42 and then rode to Helena spring and beyond into God's own country (one part of a much larger journey). I had a support vehicle (one cruiser ute)

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However when you want to load the quad back on the back of the ute there's not a lot of room left.

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A full trip report on the entire journey is here:
David Carnegie Retracing Expedition 2003

Cheers
Alan