Melbourne to Canning Stock Route and back ride

Looking for a couple of riding partners to do the hamburger with the lot ride (the bigger the bullshit the bigger the laughs type ride). From Melbourne to Billiluna, south on the Canning to Cunawarritji and Carnegie Station, along the Gunbarrel to Warby, down the Connie Sue to Neale Junction. To Ilkurlka and then through the Woomera rocket range to Coober Pedy along the Anne Beadel and back home --- unsupported.
Maximum distance 775km between fuel.
So need to carry 60ltr plus fuel, 10ltr plus water, food, gear etc.
I'm a Sidetrack (RIP TK) tragic, who has had a 10 year break or so from outback riding and is real keen for a 01/08/2013 to do 10,000km or so adventrue ride.
Have done 9 or so outback rides over the years since the first on XT500s (when they ruled the world). Don't need to be cat cut merchants but good in deep sand loaded.
If interested or need more info, email me at peterbimba@optusnet.com.au

ps. go the Aussies in the Dakar

When? Definite start of August, or sometime after that?
What sort of timeframe are you thinking...... 6 weeks from go to whoa? 10 weeks?
Hmmm

Hi Richo360,

Thanks for your query. Reason why 01/08 was chosen for the start of the ride is that it is still cool enough for most of the trip with places like Billiluna most likely already quite warm. The length of time of the ride can be flexible to whatever suits most. An example would be a conservative 4 weeks. Longer if it suited. Hoping to break the trip into 4 stages. Stage 1 - Melbourne to Alice Springs (approx 3500km - including a Simpson crossing) with visits to Chambers Pillar and then scoot across to the rock and then to Alice for any repairs and servicing etc. Open to suggestions and input.
Stage 2 - Alice to Billy and then down the Canning to Carnegie (2400km)
Stage 3 - Carnegie along the Gunbarrel to Warby, down part of the Connie Sue to Ilkurlka for fuel and then the longest haul between fuel of just under 800km along the Anne Beadell, through the Woomera rocket range to Coober Pedy.
Stage 4 - Asses and guage how things are going, either the bituman back home + 2000 or more dirt.
This wont be easy but it will be challenging..so any ideas welcome.

snowypete
the happiest people are those that dont have the most but need the least hmmm

Good luck with the ride snowypete, sounds like a beauty, are you going to top up with fuel at well 23.

I can't carry enough beer for that sort of remote trip..

Hey 59Den, I had considered using the fuel dump but after watching Motorbikin DVD on the canning, Phil managed to get to Carnegie with fuel from Kunawarritji, so at this stage probably not.

All the best with your ride. Tis great country.

Just an idea...From Billiluna To Wiluna using the fuel dump means a lot less fuel to carry. You also get to do the full CSR.( Starts at Old Halls Creek ).
Then all the Gunbarrel ( starts at WIluna )
41 litres was the longest leg for us on a DR and 625.
I carried 49 ltrs total and I think TonyRDR had the same.

unc

A couple of distances to throw into the mix, Kunawaritji to Carnegie Station - 862 km and Kunawaritji to Wiluna - 980 km.
Fuel consumption heading North was a bit over 16 km/l, on the DRZ with Standard gearing, after reading Unc's post I find that we are 32 km short of doing the whole of the CSR, as we did not go to Old Halls Creek

...whats 32 k between friends...I read somewhere that Old Halls Ck was the start...actually we cheated too ..Caroline Pool was our start point... ..We had 2 nights at Willuna Pub and was really good...the publican being Greek as is TonyRDR. We had to leave about 3/4 of our 200 ltr fuel drum at well 23 dump as there was only the 2 of us out of the planned for 10 riders..dont remember our fuel consumption but was pretty good.
Wolf Ck crater is worth a stopover too.

unc

GazzaFish,
Ancient legend has it that there's a secret bush in outback Australia, where you pick the leaves, place them in a billy of water and brew. Before you know it your drinking the finest beer in the world....hmmmmm

There is a chinese saying 'you know when your being bowled over by a vietnamese burglar 'cause your dogs gone and your homeworks done'.

ADV Trip envy.....................

Cracking trip there bud, one day I will be able to escape the business for that long - looks like another trip to add to the bucket list!!

Good luck, make sure you post a cracking ride report

Hey 59Den & Unclegra,

You mentioned the distance between Kunawarritji & Wiluna is around 980km. The Outback Travellers Track Guide calculated 1204km (Kunawarritji to the fuel dump 320km). This pushes it down to 906km between well 23 and Wiluna.
Obviously you guys have done the Canning already. Can this map be so far out?
The DR you mentioned, any idea of the gearing and its fuel use. You mentioned the longest between fuelling up you used 41ltr (carrying 49ltr). Certainly open to doing the whole CSR to Wiluna, and yeah you are right about Wolf Creek crater, thats already in the 'will do' list.

thanks Snowypete

I'm not yawning I'm just catching flies!!!

Westprint Canning Stock Route 4th edition map sez...

Bililuna to Kunawaritji....655km
Kunawaritji to Fuel Dump 288km
Fuel dump to Wiluna 689km

My gearing was 16/45 Tonys about the same I think

unc

It is the side trips that has added the extra km to the totals on the Outback Travellers guide, this included the Calvert Ranges (80 km detour) which is closed off to all but the traditional land owners now.
Like Unc I had the Westprint outback tracks on my gps and they worked well, plus a map book from The Outback Travellers Track Guide series as well, which was recommended to me by TonyRDR.
The distances mentioned by Unc are the min. distance and there are no allowances for detours etc and fuel usage is a little heavier heading North than South.
Personal suggestion for fuel load would be 65L from Kunawaritji to Wiluna and if fuel drop 50L from Well 23 to Wiluna, better to have 7 or 8L of fuel extra than be constantly worrying about not having enough on the track.

Den

Hey ckjackson1,

It is written in the old testament, Deuteronony 2.page 10, paragraph 1.................and the lord spoke to his disciples on the mount --- put down your hammer and sickle for one month, sneek out the back door, hop on your KLR650, kick up some dust, explore and seek salvation in the desert.

Praiiiiiiizzzzzzz the lord -- amen
(hope no yanks read this or I'm in a lotta s#@t)

Unc and den, I'm chasing up a Wesprint c.s.r. Ed5 map, thanks

I read somewhere the biggest prob the boys in blue have at Halls Creek with travellers on the Canning is not so much lack of food and water or mechanical probs but people just getting lost.
Back in '06 a fellow adventurelander (centerlink, Melbourne - a JFDI gun - his 3rd outback trip) did the Billy to Wiluna with dump solo and unaided. Noted he had similar problems (with some idiots souveniring signs) with a compass and maps; his GPS shit itself on the Tanami. He worked out how to continue on with a few 'am I on the right track' moments.

Has anyone who has done the Canning had similar probs?

Just F&*%$#g Do It

Snowypete

www.westprint.com.au. I had ed 4...Tony had something different ..had lots of pics and track notes, I dont know what the publication was..But with the 2 mapsets combined we were able to stay on track..but we did have puzzled looks on our dials at times.
There were CSR markers made out of bits of tin or whatever along the track.
Tell ya the truth I cant remember if Tony had a GPS...I didnt.

cannings party would locate a local tribe, a couple of the horsemen would cut the young buck from the tribe and put a chain around his neck and instruct him to show them his water sink(supply). these are the wells that originally formed the canning. they located and surveyed the wells going north and built the wells on the way back south.

Yep Digga1111,

For 30,000 years the aboriginies were happily minding their own business. In 1896 (100 years exactly before the intro of the DR650SE) Europeans went out to see whats out there.

The Calvert expedition which did it hard, 2 died of thirst and another just shot himself dead by accident.

In 1906 Canning started the stock route. Looks like a Ed Blake tried to right the wrongs.

Canning ended up in a royal commission, the judge Alexander Forrest (Twiggy's great, great) told off Canning, basically saying don't do it again (harsh times).

The strong appeal of the CSR is its very recent history (100 years). Where else in the world is there anything similar. Its challenges seem to be like the Birdsville Track of the '50s and earlier.

The first vehicle did the CSR in 1968.

I just feel pity for people who have never been on a bike.

Since you are up that way, would you consider adding in the Gibb River road, a loop from Halls Creek, Derby, Kununurra back to the start of the CSR would only be another aprox 1,500kms and would get in some nice scenery?

Also do you have a budget for this one. I am thinking almost $1k in fuel, but quite a bit of camping would be involved so accommodation and food cost would not be too high. Your route would be a long time between beers so there would be a savings there.

What about Tyres? Your original post gives about 3,500 to the Alice and I would guess about 5,000 to Cooper Pedy. If you put on new ones at the Alice I would say that the rear tyres would be pretty shot by Cooper Pedy. Taking a spare rear may be an idea (especially if it is a 17 inch).

Were you planning on visiting Ayres Rock and Kings Canyon as well? Are you open to some itinerary changes?