Gunbarrel Highway

Gunbarrel Highway
Basic data
Operator:	NT Roads , DTEI , Main Roads
Start of the street:	Mulga Park Road; Victory Downs Homestead ( NT ) ; ( 25 ° 59 ′ S , 132 ° 58 ′ E )
End of street:	Wiluna Carnegie Road; Carnegie Station ( WA ) ; ( 25 ° 47 ′ S , 122 ° 58 ′ E )
Overall length:	1420 km
States :	Northern Territory ; South Australia ; Western Australia
	On the Gunbarrel Highway

Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap

The Gunbarrel Highway is a remote desert dirt road 1420 km in length in the Australian Northern Territory , South Australia and Western Australia . It connects Victory Downs on the border between Northern Territory and South Australia with Carnegie Station in Western Australia.

The route crosses several Aboriginal reserves. Travelers need therefore a total of three licenses (permits) , which are available free of charge from the Department of Indigenous Affairs.

history

The Gunbarrel Highway was the first road built as part of the Woomera weapons research facility . This nuclear weapons test site was later renamed Maralinga . Construction began in 1955 and was completed on November 15, 1958 when Carnegie was reached.

The street was named after Beadell's Gunbarrel Road Construction Party , which was supposed to build a street as straight as a gunbarrel . However, due to the changing terrain and the natural conditions, this only succeeded sporadically.

course

Northern Territory

The Gunbarrel Highway begins in Victory Downs Homestead in the Northern Territory, not far from the border with South Australia and 15 miles west of the Stuart Highway (N87). In this area it runs together with Mulga Park Road to the west to the Mulga Park settlement . The Mulga Park Road turns there north to the Lasseter Highway (S4), while the Gunbarrel Highway leads to the southwest and crosses the Britton Jones Creek on the border with South Australia .

South Australia

The first roadside settlement in South Australia is after 33 km Amata Homestead , where the Gunbarrel Highway, also referred to here as Giles Mulga Park Road , turns west again. Approx. 20 km south of the Northern Territory border, the road leads west through a number of Aboriginal settlements. It crosses the border into Western Australia between Kalka and Wingellina Homestead .

Western Australia

16 miles after crossing the border, the road turns north and meets the Great Central Road west of the Giles River . Together with her she leads first to the northwest, where she reaches the Warakurna Roadhouse . From there it's five kilometers to the Giles Meteorological Station , one of the Gunbarrel's tourist attractions. 16 km further west, the Old Gunbarrel Highway branches off to the northwest. This 308 km long section of road used to be part of the Gunbarrel Highway, but is no longer maintained today. Today's Gunbarrel Highway runs together with the newer Great Central Road to the southwest and reaches Warburton after 210 km .

From Warburton, the Great Central Road continues southwest while the Gunbarrel Highway turns northwest. After 63 km the Old Gunbarrel Highway joins again and the track leads into the southwestern part of the Gibson Desert to Everard Junction . There the Gary Highway joins from the north and the Gunbarrel Highway turns to the southeast, where after 32 km the Hunt Oil Road branches off to the south. 53 km further south-west, the Eagle Highway branches off to the north and the David Carnegie Road to the south and 150 km south-west of this junction, the end of the road is reached with Carnegie Station .

The highest point on the highway is at 756 m, the lowest at 401 m.

Road conditions and gas stations

The slope leads through very remote terrain. The condition varies from stony to sandy with "corrugated iron", ruts, washouts and sometimes mud. Because of their remoteness, travelers need adequate water, food, and fuel.

There are gas stations in Kalka (SA), Winellina Homestead (WA), Warakurna Roadhouse (WA), Warburton (WA) and Carnegie Station (WA). The longest distance without a gas station between Warburton and Carnegie Station is 489 km.