![Gunbarrel Highway]()
Gunbarrel Highway
The
Gunbarrel Highway was the first road built as part of Australia's role in the weapons research facility called
Woomera. The area of land designated between
Woomera and 80 Mile Beach near
Port Hedland was chosen as the most suitable area in the world for a rocket range, but it was an uninhabited desert waste-land in the most remote part of Australia. The first task was to construct a road running east-west across the centre of Australia to provide a major service access for the construction of all other linking roads. The
Gunbarrel Highway was the first of the Len Beadell roads and so is a very historical journey for people taking the trip today.
The full stretch is an isolated desert track of 1400km. In general, washaways, heavy corrugations, stone, sand and flood plains are all typical elements of the drive, but the track is graded occasionally by the
Wiluna Shire Council from
Wiluna through to 180km east of
Carnegie. There are excellent bush camps, and many sites have bores with water.
To help you explore this region, ExplorOz has a dedicated
Trek Note for The Gunbarrel Highway, which also features
places to visit along the way including Len Beadell's Plaques,
Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre,
Mount Beadell and
Giles Weather Station.
We also stock a range of products in the Online
Shop that will help you get the most out of your travels in this region:
Maps & Mapbooks
Guidebooks & DVD's