Great Central Road
Encyclopedia
The Great Central Road is a mostly unsealed Australia
n outback highway
that runs 1126 km from Laverton, Western Australia
to Yulara, Northern Territory
(near Uluru/Ayers Rock
).
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 Uluru
(Ayers Rock), and the number of vehicles travelling the route each year is around 10,000.
When heading from the Northern Territory to Laverton there is an Amnesty Bin for Quarantine WA 20 km 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, etc. This area has a mobile inspector from time to time and there is risk of fines if travellers are stopped and Quarantine Risk Material is found.
There are fuel supplies at the following locations along the route (distances east from Laverton): Cosmo Newbery
, (85km), Tjukayirla Roadhouse (300km), Warburton
(560km), Warakurna Roadhouse (786km), Docker River (890km) and finally Yulara (1126km).
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. Two permits are required and they are available from the West Australian Department of Indigenous Affairs. The permits are free.
and these include Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) and Uluru
, both within the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
.
Other attractions include Lasseter's
Cave, the Petermann Ranges, Giles meteorological station
, the ochre bluff of Giles Breakaway, Lake Throssell, Lake Yeo Nature Reserve for wildflowers in spring, Beegull Waterhole and Caves, and Empress Spring. The Gunbarrel Highway
coincides with the Great Central Road around Warakurna for a short distance.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n outback highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
that runs 1126 km from Laverton, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
to Yulara, Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
(near Uluru/Ayers Rock
Uluru
Uluru , also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs; by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park....
).
Though still recommended only for four wheel drive
Four Wheel Drive
The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company, more often known as Four Wheel Drive or just FWD, was founded in 1909 in Clintonville, Wisconsin, as the Badger Four-Wheel Drive Auto Company by Otto Zachow and William Besserdich.-History:...
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
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
to Uluru
Uluru
Uluru , also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs; by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park....
(Ayers Rock), and the number of vehicles travelling the route each year is around 10,000.
When heading from the Northern Territory to Laverton there is an Amnesty Bin for Quarantine WA 20 km 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, etc. This area has a mobile inspector from time to time and there is risk of fines if travellers are stopped and Quarantine Risk Material is found.
There are fuel supplies at the following locations along the route (distances east from Laverton): Cosmo Newbery
Cosmo Newbery, Western Australia
Cosmo Newbery or Yilka is a small Indigenous Australian community in Western Australia located east of Perth between Laverton and Warburton in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia...
, (85km), Tjukayirla Roadhouse (300km), Warburton
Warburton, Western Australia
Warburton or Warburton Ranges is an Indigenous Australian community in Western Australia, just to the south of the Gibson Desert and located on the Great Central Road and Gunbarrel Highway...
(560km), Warakurna Roadhouse (786km), Docker River (890km) and finally Yulara (1126km).
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. Two permits are required and they are available from the West Australian Department of Indigenous Affairs. The permits are free.
Attractions
The most notable attractions on this road are in the Northern TerritoryNorthern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
and these include Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) and Uluru
Uluru
Uluru , also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs; by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park....
, both within the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park is UNESCO World Heritage-listed in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located 1431 kilometres south of Darwin by road and 440 kilometres south-west of Alice Springs along the Stuart and Lasseter Highways...
.
Other attractions include Lasseter's
Lewis Hubert (Harold Bell) Lasseter
Lewis Hubert Lasseter, or Lewis Harold Bell Lasseter as he later referred to himself, was born on 27 September 1880 at Bamganie, Victoria, Australia. Though self-educated, he was literate and well-spoken, but commonly described as eccentric and opinionated...
Cave, the Petermann Ranges, Giles meteorological station
Giles Weather Station
Giles Weather Station is located in Western Australia near the South Australian border, about West-South-West of Alice Springs and West of Uluru. It is the only staffed weather station within an area of about and is situated mid-continent and near the core of the subtropical jetstream...
, the ochre bluff of Giles Breakaway, Lake Throssell, Lake Yeo Nature Reserve for wildflowers in spring, Beegull Waterhole and Caves, and Empress Spring. The Gunbarrel Highway
Gunbarrel Highway
The Gunbarrel Highway is an isolated desert track in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia. It consists of about of washaways, heavy corrugations, stone, sand and flood plains...
coincides with the Great Central Road around Warakurna for a short distance.