Travel through Arnhem Land

There was a previous post here on travel through to Nhulunbuy.

The road..they call it the Central Arnhem Highway..I should say goat track in some places..depending on the time of year changes.
An example..you head out on the CAR (Central Arnhem Road)..near when Garma is starting, mate it will be like driving on a near freeway..because it is graded and looked after for that festival.
But..straight after the wet season or it has not been graded..the CAR will either break your vehicle or your van..or maybe both.
In some places with the corrugations and dust..it will defy your senses.
If you go in a convoy..you will be kilometres apart due to the dust
So..the C.A.R has its own Facebook website..check it out for up dated details.
Look out for the following..
1/. Mining trucks..
2/. Commercial road trains..mainly 4+ carriages long..
3/. Oncoming vehicles..which means you are looking for dust clouds in the distance..why?..because the track gets so rutted and dusty on the edges and in places..you have to drive in the middle of the track just to get a decent line...it is not dusty for a few k's...try 10's of k's..if not 100's..
4/. Overhanging vegetation shadowing the track..because this makes it hard to see the bull dust and corrugations.
5/. Donkey's..there is a few of them..
6/. Buffalos..few more of them...and they can be BIG..
7/. Wallabys...
8/. Feral pigs..
7/. The gibber stone section between Manaroo station and Bullman..it's about 100-140k's in distance from memory..they may have cleaned it up a bit and it is not as rocky..
Fuel up in Mataranka..including your jerry cans..there is fuel at Manaroo station roadhouse
(sometimes) depending if they can get a fuel truck in...hence the CAR Facebook page for updates..
Fuel is at Bullman..self service Card machine..
Note..just get some practice in on changing tyres on your van..knowing where the jack is..etc..
If you type in Central Arnhem Road (highway)..or East Arnhemland into Youtube..a few have done the trip in the last 12 months..and it will give you an idea of what lies ahead..
Note..If there is some decent rain along the track, it will be closed at the Beswick gate..before you hit the track proper and get on the dirt.
When you are on the track and it rains heavily..people have been stuck for days..just have a look at some of CAR Facebook pages..but that's the adventure..
Enjoy..

Thanks - that's useful stuff! We've driven the Old Ghan "Highway" from Alice Springs to Finke in the NT so are familiar with the prostate massage corrugations. :)

(Would have been a much smoother drive if we had hopped to the right by 50m and taken the race track instead.)

This may be of some interest to you, and what the road from the Stuart Highway to Nhulunbuy is like.The Central Arnhem Highway..what is it like.

Bear in mind though that you will not get a permit to go from the CA highway east towards Jabiru and Darwin, you will have to go back down to Mataranka and then across to three ways or up towards Borroloola.
The roads would have had plenty of damage from rain after the cyclone went through.

When we travelled out to Nhulunbuy around 6 years ago, caravans were not permitted. I see they now recommend checking with your van's insurer before travelling out there. We towed a hybrid which was considered to be ok. While we were camped there a group of 4 or 5 vans rolled in. So much for their "strict" rules.

The road was difficult. Like you we have travelled some rough roads over many years but the CAR is unique. The corrugations were certainly at the upper end but it was the variability and unpredictability that made it a challenge. One minute it is good unsealed road - comfortable 70 to 80 kph. All of a sudden you are in deep bulldust then rocky potholes. All the vehicles camped beside the motel had suffered some damage but mainly tyres. I had a flat on the way in and another on the way out.
In retrospect I am pleased we did it but I am not sure I would tow a caravan out there unless I knew the road had been recently graded.