The Plenty Highway really doesn't begin until you reach the NT border, but to get there you travel from
Boulia in outback Queensland along the Donohue Highway (just a track). Typically, the Queensland section of the track is in the worst condition with long stretches of extreme bulldust and big holes (making it a dry weather road only) - the NT section is more regularly maintained and graded.
The countryside changes considerably along the track and although it lacks
services and "things to do" it is certainly one of the prettier shortcut tracks that you can do in this area. The overwhelming difference is that although the soil is the same red sandy stuff of the
Simpson Desert, the terrain is completely flat, the spinifex grass much greener, and if there's been recent rains then
wildflowers line the roadsides. Billy buttons, bush daisies, poached egg daisies, yellow tops and native violets carpet the sides of the road where water collects in the gutters.
As you approach the Harts (Hartz) Range you begin to see the first mountains you've probably seen in quite a while. If you've come from
Birdsville or
Boulia for long your senses seemed to be bombarded, a result of having been surrounded by gibber, sand and dust.
Just past the Harts Range
Police Station (next door to an aboriginal community), turn left (south) down a track to the "Racecourse". Probably deserted for 363 days of the year this racetrack becomes a mecca for the outback racing enthusiasts with a crowd of a few thousand on the last weekend in August. Just behind the racecourse a track leads south for about 10km and finally reaches the base of a few impressive mountains, the highest being Mt Palmer. Mt Palmer is the highest in the Harts Range and is a fabulous climb. It will take about 2 hours to reach
the summit but on the way you can explore open gaps left by mica miners and soak up the impressive
views. Black-footed
rock wallabies live in the "Disputed"
mine shaft (where 2 miners lost their lives in a collapse not long after it was opened) and many
wildflowers grow amongst the rocky outcrops on the climb up.
Outback Way
The
Outback Way is made up of seven inter-connecting roads including The
Great Central Road (WA); Tjukaruru Road, Lasseter Highway, Stuart Highway and Plenty Highway (NT); and Donohue Highway and Min Min Byway (QLD). Collectively these are called The
Outback Way.
How to Use this Trek Note
- To download this information and the route file for offline use on a phone, tablet, headunit or laptop, go to the app store and purchase ExplorOz Traveller. This app enables offline navigation and mapping and will show where you are as you travel along the route. For more info see the ExplorOz Traveller webpage and the EOTopo webpage.
TrekID: 39