Canning Stock Route

The road

The Canning Stock Route is what the word remote means in Australia. The 1,850-kilometre track was surveyed and built between 1906 and 1910 by Alfred Canning to allow Western Australian cattle to be walked from the Kimberley to the Murchison goldfields without using the cattle routes in the South. It crosses the Gibson Desert and Great Sandy Desert, passes 51 wells (of which a handful still function), and sees fewer than 500 vehicle transits per year. The track itself is the least interesting part of the experience. The landscape - parallel red sand dunes, ancient lake beds, mulga scrub, spinifex plains - is the overwhelming constant. The wells are historical artefacts as much as water sources: stone-lined shafts with hand-carved casings from the Canning survey, the work of a 90-person expedition in extreme heat. Carnage Creek, Well 23 and the Wolf Creek Crater detour to the east are reference points in a journey where you stop counting days. The northern section near Halls Creek is lower difficulty; the central and southern sections through the dune fields are harder, particularly after any wind event that fills the tracks with sand.

The region

The CSR passes through Birriliburu, Ngurrararngku and Martu Indigenous Protected Areas. Much of the route is on Aboriginal land and requires a permit from the relevant land councils. The track crosses no public sealed roads between Well 9 (near Wiluna) and the northern exit near Halls Creek. There are no towns, no fuel, no services. Emergency access from RFDS is possible to a handful of points but air access is limited by the condition of the dirt airstrips.

Before you go

Permits required: contact Central Land Council, Birriliburu Aboriginal Corporation and Martu Rangers well in advance. Fuel carrying capacity must cover at least 1,200km between reliable supply. The only mid-route fuel possibility is the Kunawarritji (Well 33) community store - diesel and unleaded are sometimes available but supply is irregular and cannot be relied upon. Contact the community in advance to confirm availability. Do not plan your fuel strategy around Kunawarritji. Water minimum 15 litres per person per day. June to August only - heat in September rises above 40C. A Personal Locator Beacon is mandatory and is the absolute minimum communication standard. Most travellers also carry a satellite phone. File a detailed trip plan with police and a trusted contact before departure.

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