canning stock route trip

Hi,

You'll be pushing it. It could be done however you will be driving all day every day and you wont have much time at all to stop and look around. If you're a novice I would suggest doing a smaller trial trip first to gain a bit of experience.

Cheers
Alan

Hi docsr&r
Agree with equinox - 30 days is not enough time to experience all the sights along the Anne Beadell & CSR. The last time we did the CSR we were on it for 20 days and still didn't all the sights, although I believe that The Calvert Range is now off limits - pity it had some of the best aboriginal paintings along the CSR. I hope that vandalism wasn't the cause of them being off limts. Remember to stop and have a rest for a day or two, continual driving for a set time is when fatigue etc will cut in. Remember also to check out the articles here on exploroz re outback travelling.
Have a safe trip
Mike

Ideally it takes around 5 to 6 weeks from the East coast to comfortably do the Canning. By including additional outback routes like the Oodnadatta track and Anne Beadell Hwy you would need to drive some very long days, not stop at many of the attractions & do very few side trips.
I'd drop off the Anne Beadell at a minimum & include some faster transit sections to allow you to travel the Canning at a slower pace & include a few rest days, important in case you have a mechanical breakdown or need to detour for weather. Your other option would be to do the Canning 1st from North to South then see how much time you end up with.
Have a look in the Treks section to get an idea what the travel times are for the major sections you are planning to see. You'll soon find they add up to more than 30 days.
Cheers Craig.........................

Doc,

Have to agree with the above comments. Provided it all goes according to plan, not impossible,......but...... You will do a lot more driving than sightseeing and have very little chance to absorb the fascinating country you'll pass through. Many talk of "doing" the Canning, but far better to actually experience it, and that takes time. The other parts of your itinerary also deserve time.

I know of one commercial tour operator who factors in a lay-day about every six days to allow for vehicle and human maintenance and, especially, to break the drive,drive,drive that otherwise can take over a trip. This is a good plan. Also, driving long hours each day isn't much fun after the first few days.

Being the only petrol vehicle in the convoy has its downsides. On the Canning a couple of years ago we drove on petrol while companions burned diesel. Not only were there concerns over fuel quantities, but the lower revving diesel set a slightly slower pace than our petrol Troopy could handle without dropping down a gear. We hadn't allowed for the fuel required to travel the CSR in second gear!

You may already be aware - I've heard that the Capricorn Roadhouse's fuel dump has ceased. It used to be far cheaper than fuel at Kunawaritji. As the only petrol vehicle in the convoy you don't have many options but to carry lots yourself.

In summary, provided there are no dramas (and the country dries out a bit!)I think it's do-able in your time frame, but if I was doing it I'd think in terms of 2 months, not one.

HTH

John

I'm with the others way too much in the month timeframe, I'd also question the decision to do such trips as a first off with little or no experience of extended trips, sure we all had to learn but it would be much better to gain experience on less isolated areas for shorter periods.
The AB is a trip in itself, pushing hard results in vehicle damage. A week should be allowed to do it comfortably and see the sites along the way and enjoy early camps, we have spent a full day in the middle sometimes.
For the CSR you really need to allow 3 weeks which gives plenty of time to stop and enjoy the country, camp early and do all the walks in a leisurely fashion.

Thanks to all, very much appreciate the input and welcome the advice, particularly from seasoned tavellers and consider you are all correct, however if we achieve nothing else, it will whet the appetite to travel the tracks at a later date, taking the appropriate time to absorb the sights and enjoy the outback with people we meet on the way.

PS. yeah shows my inexperience by having petrol (but the cook doesn't get oily hands when she is refuelling) Ha Ha

Happy travels

Doc

Hi docsr&r

Sounds reasonable if you don't mind driving long km's.

(By the way - if you search this site you may find that some use petrol for its advantages , but thats another story )


We took 28 days for a melbourne to melbourne trip up CSR last year , but thats because I had to drop into perth and visit the rellies for a few days., and also spend some days at the Explorz gathering that was held in Wiluna as well.

The actual CSR took 10 days , but it was wet towards the top end.

My Petrol patrol averaged 18.3 lt/100km compared to a V8 troopie with us which used 14.1 so really not much in it.

We have much detailed info - so yell if you need anything.

If it doesn't much matter to youroverall planning, I'd recommend re-jigging the trip so that you go the Tanami at the front end and tackle the CSR from north to south.

The dunes are badly scalloped and rough on the south slopes but smooth on the north, on account of by far the most people taking the south to north option, and the ignorant few not letting their tyres down to at least 25psi rear and 20 psi front.

Cheers.