December 1994, was the first time I considered going on the Canning Stock route, in fact it was the first time I ever heard of it.
The Land Rover club decided to run a trip up the Connie Sue Highway, then along the famous Gunbarrel Highway then finally onto the Canning Stock Route. I jumped at the chance.
We held our first meeting and we decided the best time to go would be May-July. We settled on May 13 for the departure giving us 6 weeks to do the 10,000kms round trip. That meant we had 5 months to get the vehicles ready and in tip top condition. After reading much about the Canning it was soon decided to put on heavier springs as this seemed to cause the most trouble. We spent a lot of time finding the best way to pack the Land Rover, making sure all bedding, clothes and any thing else that needed to be kept clean and dry of the floor off the vehicle. All too soon the time had come and we were off, heading to Adelaide.
Upon reaching Adelaide we heard of the death of the last true explorer Len Bedel. He was the man who surveyed what we were about to do. The Connie Sue, he named after his Daughter, and the Gunbarrel he named because he felt it had a nice sound to it.Three days after leaving Melbourne we arrived at Cocklebiddy, which is on the Nullarbor plains, and is the southern end of the Connie Sue Hwy. Travelling up this track it soon became apparent that this is no highway. Ruts that could swallow a car, corrugations that only allowed a top speed of 20kph. Then flat open sandy spaces. Then gibber tracks. It is truly a memorable track.
After the 1000 or so kms you arrive at Warburton, which is an Aboriginal township. Here you will find a well stocked up petrol station that's only too happy to serve you. Once refreshed and showered we headed towards the Gunbarrel.
This "Highway" has an east west bearing, and we headed west towards Carnegie Station. Again the scenery changes from gibber to sand to hard rock. Along here we found several points of interest including the tree that Len had carved directions onto. From Warburton to Carnegie it is about 900kms.
We arrived at Carnegie to find that the owners were only too happy to sell some fuel and supplies. They have rooms to rent or you can sleep on the green grass. It was here we were told of the flooding on the Canning, and we were advised to not go into Wiluna (which is the southern tip of the Canning), but to join the Canning at Well 9. It is always a good idea to listen to local knowledge. So we headed up towards Well 9.
Tips
The Canning Stock Route is approx. 2000kms long allowing for side tracks, in some of the remotest parts of Australia, so having enough fuel, water and supplies is a must. Allow 3 weeks to do this track, although you may do it in a week like some have done, but I feel that to get the most from the experience you need to be able to stop at all the wells (there are 51 in all) along the way. Our convoy had 4 vehicles [3 Land Rover Discoverys and 1 Land Rover 110] and I strongly recommend that you have at least 3 vehicles here.Why 3? Because if one breaks down you will need 2 to get it out as there is some very large sand dunes that need to be crossed over. Also radio communications is a must, not only between cars but also between convoys and the RFDS.
WE spent 2 weeks on the Canning, one week of which we saw no clouds at all. In that time we counted only 20 cars coming from the other direction. We found 2 cars that had broken down and the owners had radioed for parts to be flown in!He had been waiting 5 days for the part and was about ready to head off again.
We finally made Wolf Creek Crater and spent some time looking at the huge stadium like crater. The last few hours of the trip saw us heading to Halls Creek where a swim in the caravan park pool was most welcome. We stayed there 2 days looking around Halls Creek, then headed down to Alice Springs via the Tanami Desert, then on to Melbourne.
All in all a great time was had, but only because so much planning and preparation was put into it. It made for less trouble and more fun.We did it in a northerly direction and I am hoping to go southerly next time. Dingoes, camels, lizards, snakes, spiders, donkeys and bush turkeys were just some of the creatures we came across on the Canning. The sunsets were majestic, and the budgies are a welcome wake up call.
If you get the chance to go....then do it, you will not be sorry.
Rob
© 1996