What is the Canning Stock Route?
The ultimate
desert crossing is the Canning Stock Route, which runs north through the
arid terrain and sand dunes of eastern WA to join the Great Northern Highway, near Halls
Creek. This is really last frontier stuff. You are unlikely to meet another party, as only
about 400 vehicles a year pass along this harsh track, moving from waterhole to waterhole
.
The Canning Stock Route was surveyed for the purpose of droving cattle from the Kimberley
region of Western Australia south to the goldfields. Wells were constructed one day's
travel apart for a mob of cattle.
The wells were timbered and provided with
A-frames to lift water to troughs. They have fallen into disrepair although some may have
been restored. The Canning stretches for over 1700 km across the seemingly desolate heart
of Western Australia. It's the longest stock route in the world, eclipsing the great
cattle drives of America, and for most of its length it passes through completely
uninhabited country. The route crosses the Great Sandy and Gibson deserts and the northern
part of the Tanami Desert. The variety of desert landforms and the subtle changes in
vegetation weave their magic on all who travel through this immense landscape.
The track has not been maintained for over 30 years, so it's a route to be taken
seriously. Like the Simpson Desert crossing, you should only travel in a well-equipped
party, and careful navigation is required. Nobody travels the Canning in summer.
The route is one of the classic four wheel drive adventures - and one that must not to be
taken lightly. Navigation is hard, there are sand dunes and other difficult terrain, and
it is very, very remote. The entire "track" is too long for most vehicles to
carry all of their own fuel so it is common practice to arrange for a fuel drop to be from
Newman.
Climate
Roughly speaking, January-February is the middle of summer in the lower three-quarters of Australia, and July-August is the middle of winter. In the Far North, where temperatures are fairly constant all year, `summer' is the wet season and `winter' is the dry season.
CSR group- February 1998- Netherlands
