nuggetstuff
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- Posts
- 77
- Location
- Brisbane, Australia
The Talawana Track is another of Len Beadell’s tracks in the Pilbara region of NW Western Australia. I started at the Newman end with the 1st half of the track being a well graded road as it provides access to the Cotton Creek aboriginal community. The second half is what it is all about as it spears out into the arid Gibson desert, crossing the infamous Canning Stock Route and ultimately joining the Gary H/way at Windy Corner…about as a remote intersection as you are likely to find.
The track starts on the Newman-Marble Bar Rd…Marble Bar is notoriously the hottest place in Aussie and as it is approaching mid November, temperatures are starting to rise with hot days and hot nights.
The track runs about 25kms form the Jigalong Aboriginal community where the favourite pastime is stripping stolen cars and then tourching them..I counted 30 in 30kms..
The first half of the track is easy…follow the signs..
Unfortunately I didn’t have any immediate use for some spare magnesium but in this very rich mining area you are never surprised to come across another mine.
For the botanists this area is home to a little known rare gum tree the Rough Leaved Ghost Gum..for most of us just another source if fire wood…
I have crossed the Dog Fence on numerous trips which is not surprising given that this small section was 1,837kms long. Whilst this section is no longer in existence but other sections are still operational to help keep dingos and wild dogs out of the sheep and cattle areas.
One of Lens most remote plaques is located on this track. The current road have deviated from the original track and the sign is in the middle of a paddock a couple of hundred meters off the road. Amazingly the original drum is still there only rusted in the bottom section where it was filled with sand to stop it blowing away. A replica sign on a new drum has been placed alongside the original which was originally placed in 1963.
The dunes normally have a good covering
Recent fires have stripped the dunes. The ant hills are the size of a small car.
The colours of the desert are really strong even after the fires
Time to make camp for the night and a quiet ale or 5
And another whilst cooking tea
Quick check in with civilisation on the sat phone..a pretty important safety item out here…
OK..time to get into the serious stuff. This is now the original track..what drew me here and I am not disappointed. Remote, arid, harsh, hot and isolated with next fuel nearly 900kms away the track heads off into the Gibson Desert.
Georgia Bore is just off the Canning Stock Route and an absolute oasis in the desert with water, some shade and a sit down dunny…how good is that!! The well was left behind by an Oil Exploration company who had set up camp here for 12 months in 1990.
The Talawana follows a section of the Canning and it is classic desert country.
Well 33 is in ruins these days
Well 34 used to be a fuel point where a fuel drop could be arranged on the 1900km trip. There was still a full drum but I reckon you would be pretty game to trust it was going to be there these days!!
The country just keeps getting more spectacular…for us desert nuts that is…
The water at Well 35 has seen better days as illustrated by the camel skeleton nearby
Canning Stock Route to the left, Talawana Track to the right…
Georgia Bore is just off the Canning Stock Route and an absolute oasis in the desert with water, some shade and a sit down dunny…how good is that!! The well was left behind by an Oil Exploration company who had set up camp here for 12 months in 1990.
The Talawana follows a section of the Canning and it is classic desert country.
Well 33 is in ruins these days
The track starts on the Newman-Marble Bar Rd…Marble Bar is notoriously the hottest place in Aussie and as it is approaching mid November, temperatures are starting to rise with hot days and hot nights.
The track runs about 25kms form the Jigalong Aboriginal community where the favourite pastime is stripping stolen cars and then tourching them..I counted 30 in 30kms..
The first half of the track is easy…follow the signs..
Unfortunately I didn’t have any immediate use for some spare magnesium but in this very rich mining area you are never surprised to come across another mine.
For the botanists this area is home to a little known rare gum tree the Rough Leaved Ghost Gum..for most of us just another source if fire wood…
I have crossed the Dog Fence on numerous trips which is not surprising given that this small section was 1,837kms long. Whilst this section is no longer in existence but other sections are still operational to help keep dingos and wild dogs out of the sheep and cattle areas.
One of Lens most remote plaques is located on this track. The current road have deviated from the original track and the sign is in the middle of a paddock a couple of hundred meters off the road. Amazingly the original drum is still there only rusted in the bottom section where it was filled with sand to stop it blowing away. A replica sign on a new drum has been placed alongside the original which was originally placed in 1963.
The dunes normally have a good covering
Recent fires have stripped the dunes. The ant hills are the size of a small car.
The colours of the desert are really strong even after the fires
Time to make camp for the night and a quiet ale or 5
And another whilst cooking tea
Quick check in with civilisation on the sat phone..a pretty important safety item out here…
OK..time to get into the serious stuff. This is now the original track..what drew me here and I am not disappointed. Remote, arid, harsh, hot and isolated with next fuel nearly 900kms away the track heads off into the Gibson Desert.
Georgia Bore is just off the Canning Stock Route and an absolute oasis in the desert with water, some shade and a sit down dunny…how good is that!! The well was left behind by an Oil Exploration company who had set up camp here for 12 months in 1990.
The Talawana follows a section of the Canning and it is classic desert country.
Well 33 is in ruins these days
Well 34 used to be a fuel point where a fuel drop could be arranged on the 1900km trip. There was still a full drum but I reckon you would be pretty game to trust it was going to be there these days!!
The country just keeps getting more spectacular…for us desert nuts that is…
The water at Well 35 has seen better days as illustrated by the camel skeleton nearby
Canning Stock Route to the left, Talawana Track to the right…
Georgia Bore is just off the Canning Stock Route and an absolute oasis in the desert with water, some shade and a sit down dunny…how good is that!! The well was left behind by an Oil Exploration company who had set up camp here for 12 months in 1990.
The Talawana follows a section of the Canning and it is classic desert country.
Well 33 is in ruins these days
