I thought id write a thread on this particular road as its always asked about but no 1 really seems to be able to give much info on it.
A week spent in
Karumba driving out from
home in
Cairns along the gulf developmental road which is totally sealed however a little hairy when passing road trains on single lane tarmac areas went
well and good to see some nice country and townships.
We started out at the turn off from
Karumba about 20kms north of
Normanton where the BDR turns to gravel. The sign that states no fuel till
Chillagoe 540kms away certainly gives the vulnerable the perfect opportunity to reconsider.
The road itself is in remarkable condition and for 70% of it we were able to travel 90km/h and above safely. There was minimal bulldust and the patches that were there could be driven around using existing tracks. We also noticed very little corrugations resulting in faster travel.
All rivers are completely dry and no water crossing whatsoever. Our cruiser was expecting at least a few shallow crossings, however this was not the case. Road seems to have been graded very recently.
In terms of camping spots the road is full of flat open areas that could be used for bush camps. Up near Dunbar at the northern end there is a cattle station with civilisation and large grassy areas which as far i could see were used as
camp grounds. This can be viewed on google maps. Many of the river crossings have bridge crossings making for great photo opportunities.
Overall for anyone wanting to drive this road it was an absolute pleasure and even though were drove straight through it in 7 hours with a few stops it can be done much slower. The wildlife is abundant and we even came across 2 goannas over 1.5meters in length.
I have a few photos of the trip if anyone is interested in having a look.
Cheers :]