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 Headland 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. Although this stretch of 350 kilometers was not part of the old Gunbarrel, it is now generally considered to form an integral part of a Gunbarrel Highway trip.

Wiluna is a small settlement with a hotel, a caravan park and a small supermarket. It lies 183 km east of Meekatharra and the Great Northern Highway. A sign with various distances points you in the right direction.
The Gunbarrel starts as an asphalt road but becomes a maintained gravel road after a few kilometers. It services stations in the area and deteriorates gradually the further you leave Wiluna behind you.

The wildlife seen on the track is very interesting. In the beginning of the trip we saw some emus crossing the track.
But also some interesting reptile were around, an Argus Monitor (Varanus panoptes rubidus)
and a Reticulated Dragon (Ctenophorus reticulatus).

However, there should be no problem reaching Carnegie Station after a day's drive. If you don't make it, you can camp at Harry Johnston Water, 283 kilometers from Wiluna. The homestead at Carnegie Station can offer homestead accommodation in cabins or you can put up your tent. Visitors can use the kitchen and take a hot shower. You can buy limited supplies and fuel. If need be, minor mechanical repairs can be done.

East of Carnegie the road gets rougher: it is not maintained and corrugations, stones and eroded sections are quite common on this stretch of 237 km.
On the sandy areas between the vegetation we found a
Bearded Dragon (Pogona minor)
and a Leggless Lizard (Pygopod sp.)

After 151 kilometers you arrive at the Eagle Highway crossroads, and shortly after that you have to cross the Mungilli Claypan. Normally, there shouldn't be any problem, but after heavy rain you should make a detour around the claypan (beware not to get stuck in the soft ground). Artesian water is available at the Geraldton Historical Society Bore, 205 kilometers from Carnegie. One kilometer further you enter the Gibson Desert Nature Reserve. Another 31 kilometers brings you to Everard Junction where the Gunbarrel and Gary Highways meet. A plaque with distances to various points marks the spot.
On this tree a Goulds Monitor (Varanus gouldii flavirufus) looked at us.

Crossing the Gibson Desert along the Gunbarrel Highway, Camels may always be around. But more interesting for us were the reptiles. A Bearded Dragon (Pogona minor) was sitting on a branch of a small bush and a Goulds Monitor (Varanus gouldii flavirufus) crossed the track and disappeared into the spinifex.
	We stopped at the base of Mt. Beadell to have a closer look. Only another Bearded Dragon (Pogona minor) was sitting and watching up in a tree.


Next morning we drove a little bit further on the track and came across a tiny Thorny Devil (Moloch horridus). They are found through most of arid inland Australia, particularly on sandy soils. The Sturt's Desert Rose (Gossypium sturtianum) is found throughout the arid regions of Central Australia. A Golden orb web spider (Nephila sp.) has built its web just beside the road between some branches. These spiders are one of the largest spiders found in Australia.

Heading further north, we came to Giles Weather Station. This station was established in 1956. The purpose of the station was to provide weather data for the UK atomic weapons tests at Emu Plains and Maralinga.	Close to the camp ground at the roadhouse, a Black Headed Monitor (Varanus tristis tristis) was sitting on a dead tree trunk.	Tjukayirla (Warakurna) Roadhouse takes it name from the Tjukayirla Rockholes which are situated at the south-western end of the campground adjacent to a Paine & Barclay survey marker which was placed by the surveyors in the early 1930’s during the original survey.

Coming closer to the end of the trip, we were crossing huge spinifex grass hummocks. Luckily we encountered a Perentie (Varanus giganteus) between the grass, shortly before entering the Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park. The first sign of civilisation are the Olgas at the western edge of the National Park.

	After sunset it is very interesting to cruise along the bitumen road. You might see several geckoes, including the Spiny Tailed Gecko (Diplodactylus ciliaris) and the Knob Tailed Gecko (Nephrurus levis).
But finally we took a helicopter ride over the Olgas (left) and Ayers Rock (right) to see the fantastic landscape.