Great Central Road

Great Central Road

Western Australia
–Northern Territory
Great Central Road; Western Australia–Northern Territory
	Great Central Road (blue and white)
	WSW end ENE end
Coordinates	28°37′34″S 122°24′20″E / 28.625981°S 122.405664°E (WSW end); 25°14′S 130°59′E / 25.233°S 130.983°E (ENE end);
General information
Type	Track
Length	1,126 km (700 mi)
Major junctions
WSW end	Laverton
ENE end	Yulara
Restrictions
Permits	2 required
Fuel supply	Laverton; (28°37′S 122°24′E / 28.617°S 122.400°E),; Cosmo Newberry,; Tjukayirla Roadhouse,; Warburton; (26°13′S 126°39′E / 26.217°S 126.650°E),; Warakurna Roadhouse,; Docker River; and Yulara; (25°14′S 130°59′E / 25.233°S 130.983°E)

The Great Central Road is a mostly unsealed Australian highway that runs 1,126 km (700 mi) from Laverton, Western Australia to Yulara, Northern Territory .^[1]^[2] It passes through a number of small communities on the way. It forms part of the Outback Way which goes all the way to Winton, Queensland.

History

The Great Central Road has its origins in the early 1930s when Warburton was established as a missionary settlement, and supplies were delivered from Laverton via a rough bush track.^[3]^[4]

By the mid 1950s, the track from Laverton had become graded dirt. In 1958 during survey for the Gunbarrel Highway as part of the Woomera rocket range project, Len Beadell visited Warburton and built a new road from Giles via the Rawlinson Range to Warburton. At Jackie Junction 69 km (43 mi) north of Warburton, the Gunbarrel Highway branched from this road towards Carnegie Station further west. Beadell returned to Giles via a different bush track which passed east through the Blackstone Range towards Docker River.^[5]

In January 1978 funds were provided to Warburton council by the Government of Western Australia to construct a more direct road from Warburton to Docker River which bypassed part of the twenty-year-old Gunbarrel Highway.^[6] The Great Central Road and original Gunbarrel Highway are coincident for 45 km (28 mi) near Giles.^[1]

Present conditions

Though still recommended only for four-wheel drive vehicles, the road is now graded to a standard suitable for two wheel drive vehicles and caravans. It is on the most direct route from Perth to Ayers Rock with approximately 10,000 vehicles travelling the route annually.^{[citation needed]}

When heading from the Northern Territory to Laverton there is an amnesty bin for Quarantine WA 20 km (12 mi) outside of Laverton. All passenger vehicles are to stop and dispose of all quarantine risk material that is stated on the sign, including all fresh fruit, vegetables, honey, seed, potatoes, onions and other such plants. This area has a mobile inspector from time to time and there is risk of fines if travellers are stopped and offending material is found.

There are fuel supplies at the following locations along the route. The distances below are relative to Laverton.

Cosmo Newbery – 85 km (53 mi),
Tjukayirla Roadhouse – 300 km (190 mi),
Warburton – 560 km (350 mi),
Warakurna Roadhouse – 786 km (488 mi),
Docker River – 890 km (550 mi) and
Yulara – 1,126 km (700 mi).

It is recommended that communications equipment be carried while driving on this road. The route also passes directly into Aboriginal reserves and it is a legal requirement for travellers to hold a valid transit permit at the time of travel, even when staying on the Great Central Road.^[7] Two permits are required and they are available from the Department of Planning, Lands & Heritage in Western Australia and the Central Land Council in the Northern Territory.^[7]^[8] The permits are free.

Upgrades

The Northern Australia Roads Program announced in 2016 included the following project for the Great Central Road (Tjukaruru Road).

Sealing and upgrades

The project to seal and upgrade an unsealed section of the road is expected to be complete in late 2022 at a total cost of $10 million.^[9] In 2024, the road was closed for some months due to flooding.^[10]

Gallery

Sign near Giles Weather Station
The Great Central Road is of suitable standard for 2WD vehicles
Tjukaruru Road (NT section of Great Central Road) just west of The Olgas

Attractions

The two most notable attractions on this road are The Olgas and Uluru (Ayers Rock), both within the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the Northern Territory.

On the Western Australian side of the border, other attractions include Tjukayirla Roadhouse,^[11] whose name derives from the Tjukayirla rockholes, which are located at the southwest end of the campground.^[12] Wildlife can be seen around the roadhouse, including dingoes, emus, kangaroos, camels and many species of birds.^[11]

Empress Springs, or Reti, is a significant cultural site for Ngalia people, and is situated on land subject to a native title claim. The site is depicted in a mural on Kalgoorlie Police Station, created by Deeva and Kado Muir in 2018.^[13] The springs are inside a cave, located around 60 km (37 mi) north along the David Carnegie Road, the junction of which is along the Great Central Road 15 km (9 mi) west of the roadhouse. Access is via a chain ladder.^[12]

Nearby attractions include the marker erected by surveyors Harry L. Paine and Hugh C. Barclay in 1931 on their expedition to the Warburton Ranges, known as the Paine & Barclay Survey Marker. The closest rockhole to the marker is the Winduldarra Rockhole.^[14]

Additional attractions include Lasseter's Cave, the Petermann Ranges, Giles Weather Station, the ochre bluff of Giles Breakaway, Lake Throssell, Lake Yeo Nature Reserve, and Peegull Waterhole and Caves.

Junctions

State/Territory	LGA	Location	km^[15]	mi	Destinations	Notes
Western Australia	Laverton	Laverton	0	0.0
	Laverton	Cosmo Newbery	85	53
	Ngaanyatjarraku	Tjukayirla Roadhouse	307	191
		Warburton	554	344	Connie Sue Highway – Rawlinna Gunbarrel Highway – Carnegie	Great Central Road is sometimes considered concurrent with Gunbarrel Highway between Warburton and Warakurna
		Warakurna	781	485	Old Gunbarrel Highway	Also Giles Weather Station, Giles Airport
		Warakurna	807	501	Gunbarrel Highway – Pipalyatjara, South Australia
		Giles	854	531	Sandy Blight Junction Road – Kintore, Northern Territory
Northern Territory	MacDonnell Region	Kaltukatjara	870	540		(Formerly Docker River) Great Central Road in Western Australia; Tjukaruru Road in Northern Territory
Northern Territory	unincorporated area	Yulara	1,110	690	Lasseter Highway – Alice Springs, Darwin
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus Route transition

References

^ ^a ^b Hema, Maps (2005). Australia's Great Desert Tracks SW Sheet (Map). Eight Mile Plains Queensland: Hema Maps. ISBN 978-1-86500-161-6.
^ Hema, Maps (2005). Australia's Great Desert Tracks SC Sheet (Map). Eight Mile Plains Queensland: Hema Maps. ISBN 978-1-86500-164-7.
^ Walker, Greg (2012), Great Central Road : The Outback Travellers Track Guide, Design Interaction, ISBN 978-0-9874125-2-2
^ Perth - Alice Springs via "Gunbarrel Highway" or Great Central Road (9th ed.), Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia, 1996, retrieved 10 July 2015
^ Beadell, Len (1965). Too Long in the Bush. New Holland Publishers. ISBN 1864367199.
^ "Roads General References Re Development". State Records Office of Western Australia. 15 January 1980. Series S243 - Files - General [1], Item 76/1232. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Entry permits for access to Aboriginal Lands". Department of Planning, Lands & Heritage. Government of Western Australia. 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
^ "Transit Permit Application". Central Land Council. 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
^ "Tjukaruru Road Upgrade". Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development & Communications. 18 June 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
^ Great Central Road remains closed as Laverton shire estimates flood damage could cost up to $100 million ABC News 19 April 2024
^ ^a ^b "Home". Tjukayirla Roadhouse. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Local attractions". Tjukayirla Roadhouse. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
^ "Kado & Deeva Muir". Artgold. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
^ "Paine & Barclay Survey Marker (1931) - Great Central Road WA". ExplorOz. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
^ "Great Central Road" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 20 January 2017.

External links

[hema-1] Hema, Maps (2005). Australia's Great Desert Tracks SW Sheet (Map). Eight Mile Plains Queensland: Hema Maps. ISBN 978-1-86500-161-6.

[2] Hema, Maps (2005). Australia's Great Desert Tracks SC Sheet (Map). Eight Mile Plains Queensland: Hema Maps. ISBN 978-1-86500-164-7.

[3] Walker, Greg (2012), Great Central Road : The Outback Travellers Track Guide, Design Interaction, ISBN 978-0-9874125-2-2

[4] Perth - Alice Springs via "Gunbarrel Highway" or Great Central Road (9th ed.), Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia, 1996, retrieved 10 July 2015

[5] Beadell, Len (1965). Too Long in the Bush. New Holland Publishers. ISBN 1864367199.

[6] "Roads General References Re Development". State Records Office of Western Australia. 15 January 1980. Series S243 - Files - General [1], Item 76/1232. Retrieved 4 June 2018.

[dplh19-7] "Entry permits for access to Aboriginal Lands". Department of Planning, Lands & Heritage. Government of Western Australia. 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2019.

[clc19-8] "Transit Permit Application". Central Land Council. 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2019.

[9] "Tjukaruru Road Upgrade". Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development & Communications. 18 June 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2022.

[10] Great Central Road remains closed as Laverton shire estimates flood damage could cost up to $100 million ABC News 19 April 2024

[roadhouse-11] "Home". Tjukayirla Roadhouse. Retrieved 22 July 2022.

[attractions-12] "Local attractions". Tjukayirla Roadhouse. Retrieved 23 July 2022.

[13] "Kado & Deeva Muir". Artgold. Retrieved 22 July 2022.

[14] "Paine & Barclay Survey Marker (1931) - Great Central Road WA". ExplorOz. Retrieved 23 July 2022.

[google-15] "Great Central Road" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 20 January 2017.

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v t e Road infrastructure in Northern Territory
National highways	Barkly Highway Stuart Highway Victoria Highway
Highways	Arnhem Highway Carpentaria Highway Kakadu Highway Lasseter Highway Roper Highway Ross Highway Tablelands Highway
Major urban roads	Bagot Road Berrimah Road McMillans Road Tiger Brennan Drive Trower Road
Outback tracks and numbered state routes	Buchanan Highway Buntine Highway Central Arnhem Road Colson Track Cox Peninsula Road Daly River Road Dorat Road Duncan Road Gary Junction Road Great Central Road Gunbarrel Highway Larapinta Drive Plenty Highway Ross Highway Sandover Highway Sandy Blight Junction Road Savannah Way Tanami Road

v t e Road infrastructure in Western Australia
Freeways	Graham Farmer Freeway Kwinana Freeway Mitchell Freeway
Metropolitan highways	Albany Highway Brookton Highway Canning Highway Great Eastern Highway (Bypass) Great Northern Highway Leach Highway Reid Highway Roe Highway South Western Highway Stirling Highway Tonkin Highway West Coast Highway
Highways and major roads	Albany Highway Brand Highway Brockman Highway Brookton Highway Bussell Highway Coalfields Road Coolgardie–Esperance Highway Dampier Highway Derby Highway Eyre Highway Forrest Highway Geraldton–Mount Magnet Road Goldfields Highway Great Eastern Highway Great Northern Highway Great Southern Highway Indian Ocean Drive Mandjoogoordap Drive Manuwarra Red Dog Highway Muir Highway North West Coastal Highway Old Coast Road Robertson Drive South Coast Highway South Western Highway Vasse Highway Victoria Highway Wilman Wadandi Highway
Outback tracks	Anne Beadell Highway Buntine Highway Canning Stock Route Cape Leveque Road Connie Sue Highway Duncan Road Gary Highway Gary Junction Road Gibb River Road Great Central Road Gunbarrel Highway Kalumburu Road Sandy Blight Junction Road Talawana Track Tanami Road
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