Stuart Highway Junction to Boulia via the Plenty and Donohue Highways (742km)

A fairly featureless, rough haul, the Plenty Highway is useful if you're travelling from Brisbane to Alice Springs, being the shortest route available. It takes a relatively long time to negotiate however and passes through some extremely isolated and inhospitable country so you'll have to be well prepared. Facilities along the way are few and far between!

The Plenty is usually passable to conventional vehicles and caravans (both with extreme care) from the Stuart Highway junction to Tobermorey Homestead, indeed it's sealed for the first 100km as far as Ongeva Creek. Beyond this, it is not suitable for caravans. The going is extremely rocky for most of the trip and may prove to be beyond the capability of a conventional vehicle - check all road conditions thoroughly before departure.

After Tobermorey, where the road becomes the Donohue Highway, you'll need a 4WD to reach Boulia as the Donohue is little more than a basic track. Road trains frequently use the Plenty - watch out for them.

A couple of words of warning, but first the good news. You can now pick up fuel and supplies at Tobermorey Homestead, which means that you no longer have to face the prospect of 500km with no fuel stops between Jervois Homestead and Boulia. You still, however, should ask about the amount of water in the Georgina River before embarking on the journey - if it's flowing, you may have problems getting through. Importantly, you should not attempt the Plenty after rain.

Another tip is to carry two spare tyres and a good puncture repair kit - you could well need them. Locals tend to travel along this road on sturdy tyres with increased pressure to help keep the tyre walls from being pierced by sharp stones. Shredded rubber remains are a common sight along the Plenty - be prepared and make sure your tyres don't join them on the wayside.

The junction of the Stuart and Plenty Highways is 68km north of Alice Springs.

Stuart Highway Junction to Jervois Homestead (278km)

Twenty-seven kilometres down the bitumen from the Stuart Highway, the Sandover Highway runs off to the left. From here, it is 42km to The Gemtree Caravan Park where you can find accommodation, camp sites, fuel (leaded, unleaded and diesel) and basic food supplies. Gemtree is close to some great zircon and garnet fossicking areas and guided fossicking tours are available. Gemtree is open daily, 8 am-6 pm.

The dirt, when it begins at Ongeva Creek, is not too bad apart from the corrugations and long sections of loose stones. The road travels beside the Harts Range, an ancient series of long ridges clad in mulga, whitewood and tea-tree. A couple of significant peaks, Mount Riddoch and Mount Palmer, offer vantage points over the surrounding area. The range is another paradise for fossickers, with various precious and semi-precious gems lying around in old mica mullock heaps, leftovers from the mica mining boom of the early 1900s.

The Harts Range police station, 75km from Gemtree, can provide up-to-date information on track conditions and, as these tend to vary from season to season, it's worth pulling in or phoning them to check. The Atitjere Community Store is 1km away off the highway and sells fuel (leaded, unleaded and diesel) and basic supplies for cash only. Trading hours are weekdays, 9 am-12 pm and 3 pm-5 pm and Saturday, 9 am-12 pm.

It's 130km through mulga scrub from Atitjere to the Plenty River, not far from Jervois Homestead. Fuel (leaded, unleaded and diesel), basic supplies, toilets and showers are available at Jervois (cash only), which is 1km off the road on the banks of the Marshall River and is only open during daylight hours. If you get there too late, there's a camping and rest area back near the turnoff with a water tank and barbecues where you can pitch your tent and wait until morning.

Jervois Homestead to Tobermorey Homestead (213km)

East of Jervois the road is wide and of formed earth, with built-up sections through the low ranges. About 50km from the homestead lies an enormous termite mound, one of many mounds in the area but special because of its size, soaring to over 4m in height.

Travel can be very slow on the last section into Tobermorey due to rocky outcrops, drifts of bulldust and sand. There are stretches of sharp gravel along here (watch those tyres!) and generally, you'll be looking at a speed of around 40km/h. Just before Tobermorey, a road leads off to the left to Urandangi - take this if you want the most direct route to Mount Isa. If you're heading for Boulia, keep going straight ahead. Until recently, facilities at Tobermorey amounted to nothing more than an emergency water tank, but the homestead now has a shop that's open 7am to 8pm and provides fuel (leaded, unleaded and diesel), limited supplies, cabin and camping accommodation, a phone and can carry out tyre and minor mechanical repairs. You can also pitch your tent here and enjoy a hot shower.

Tobermorey to Boulia via the Donohue Highway (242km)

The road deteriorates alarmingly once you cross the Queensland border just past Tobermorey. Known for its corrugations, potholes and bulldust, this stretch of the road is little more than a rough goat track, belying its rather grand name, the Donohue Highway. Realignment work on the road in recent times by Boulia Shire Council has definitely made for some improvement, but by and large you'll find it a dusty trip.

The Donohue passes through tracts of gibber plains, part of the northern reaches of the Simpson Desert. About 125km from the border you'll come to the Georgina River, a haven for masses of birds. The river crossing is often dry but there are usually a couple of waterholes around that are good for a refreshing dip. Camping along the Georgina's leafy banks is a fine proposition after a day on the road from Jervois, but keep in mind that you'll probably be woken at the crack of dawn by myriad bird calls, screeches and whistles. There are worse ways to start a day!

If there's been heavy rain in western Queensland, you may encounter trouble 70km from Boulia with a large claypan that fills with water on rare occasions, but there are usually detours in place. Boulia itself is an attractive little town on the Burke River. The administrative centre of the region, it has various facilities including fuel (leaded, unleaded, diesel and LPG), a hotel/motel, caravan park, hospital, general stores, police, post office and banking agencies.

All information quoted on this site is correct as at December 2001 however the information could change without notice and National Roads and Motorists' Association Limited cannot accept responsibility for any consequences whatsoever.

Traveller's Tips

Plenty means plenty of bulldust. I wondered why no-one went out of the well worn tracks in the sea of bulldust and decided to find out. I was bogged in bulldust in 100m and had to select 4WD to get out. I was towing a 1.5T Coromal off-road camper. No problems other than that. If you see a road train - get out of the way.
Michael, Townsville.

Make sure you visit the Min Min Encounter at Boulia - it's wonderful and you can also have a cappuccino there.
Ruth

After rain or storms, you'll find that the track in places is impossible to pass. This track is best mainly during the drier months.
Greg, Sydney