Anne Beadell

Submitted: Saturday, Aug 25, 2012 at 07:09

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Anne Beadell Highway

An inland alternative to travelling the Nullarbor, the Anne Beadell trek offers remoteness, isolation and unique vegetation and wildlife.

Anne Beadell Highway

Section: Treks

An inland alternative to travelling the Nullarbor, the Anne Beadell trek offers remoteness, isolation and unique vegetation and wildlife.

Across the Bight and Nullarbor

Section: Shop

This is the first comprehensive guidebook for outdoor lovers to cover this vast southern region of Australia. The south coast of Australia that includes the Great Australian Bight,

Cook

Section: Places

Cook's main reason for existence is to service the passenger train (Indian-Pacific) that stops here 4 times a week to take on water, change drivers and allow passenger to stretch their legs.

Member - David P (NSW)

G'day all
Does anyone have recent information track condition from Vokes Hill corner on the ABH to the Eyre Highway via Cook?

Dave

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Reply By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Saturday, Aug 25, 2012 at 09:26

Saturday, Aug 25, 2012 at 09:26

Gday Dave,
We're out that way most years.
South from Voakes Hill is a nice drive - can be a bit overgrown for the first 30-40ks, but after Waldana Well, at about the 45k mark, it has been rerouted - following a mining road to the west for maybe 12k and then you need to turn south until it rejoins the original road. Sould be a few rudimentary sign posts to show you the way. Unfortunately, the original road past Churina and Bryngina has been closed.

There should be good water available at the shed tanks above and below the Lake DeyDey Rd intersection. Its stil a nice run until you start transitioning from the desert to the nullabor, and then it gets a bit slow and bumpy. The last good camp before you reach the nulabor is around the NME183 point on the Hema map.

Cook to the highway is maintained graded road all the way but tends to hold the water after rain, so you might have to go around a few mudholes. The alternative past Knowles Cave is a more interesting run, just slow and bumpy - there are no signposts out there so oziexplorer is pretty useful.

take it easy, enjoy it and you shouldn't have any problems.

Cheers
phil

AnswerID: 493571

Follow Up By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Saturday, Aug 25, 2012 at 12:16

Saturday, Aug 25, 2012 at 12:16

Here's the new road placed over the Hema map:
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FollowupID: 769162

Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Saturday, Aug 25, 2012 at 12:33

Saturday, Aug 25, 2012 at 12:33

Hi Phil

I know the Road that you are talking about and the intersection to the north. You can see from my trek file that we took the original Cook - Vokes Hill Road. It was still signposted to Vokes Hill, but no mention of no travel on that section of road. We presumed that the very wide and new road was fro mining activity and not to be confused with the original road.

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The only real change also is the Len Beadell sign and Waldana Well shown on the Hema Map are well and truly out, as you would know and further south.

Cheers

Stephen

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Reply By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Saturday, Aug 25, 2012 at 09:47

Saturday, Aug 25, 2012 at 09:47

Hi Dave

We were this track on Tuesday of this week. Like Phil has said above, it is a good and easy drive. It is easy to follow from the North, but if coming from the south and not using OziExploer, it would be very easy to take the wrong road, as there is a very good new mining road, with branches placed over the Vokes Hill track. Here is my track file for the road:

It is slow going further south, but no problems as all.

Have a great trip.

Cheers

Stephen

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Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Saturday, Aug 25, 2012 at 11:43

Saturday, Aug 25, 2012 at 11:43

Hi Dave

I should have done this in the first instance, but here are a series of images starting at Vokes Hill Corner and heading south to Cook. In this way, you will be able to see how the landscape changes the further south you travel.

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Cheers

Stephen

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Follow Up By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Saturday, Aug 25, 2012 at 12:19

Saturday, Aug 25, 2012 at 12:19

Great Photos Stephen!
Last year they were also planning to bypass Waldana Well (the one in your photo) and also Muckera Rockhole, which would be a real pity.

Cheers
phil

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Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Saturday, Aug 25, 2012 at 12:38

Saturday, Aug 25, 2012 at 12:38

Hi Phil

I thought that a series of images would show just how the conditions change and in this way, it does show just how it does change. Like my reply to you above, we took the original track, and there was no mention that it was a closed road, or to take the new mining road.

At least this way you still get to see the country in a better way and not on a super fast outback highway.

Cheers

Stephen

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Follow Up By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Saturday, Aug 25, 2012 at 12:56

Saturday, Aug 25, 2012 at 12:56

Stephen,
I'm glad you were still able to take the old road - its an interesting drive through some nice desert and takes in a couple of extra Len Beadell signs. Last year we were instructed that it was closed and there were rudimentary bypass signs at each end. It looks like the mining exploration company have run out of money for the moment, and haven't been out there since last year.

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