4WDACSA – The Canning Stock Route (Jul-Aug 2026)

Did you know that 4wd Australia has affiliated clubs all over the country? Why not get in contact with a state Association on your next interstate road trip, and see what the locals are up to Partners of 4WD Australia

‘The 4wds Adventures club of SA recently ventured into our WA back yard – Check out this great 4wd trip report from some of their keen members – Its awesome to see our neighbors checking out what we have here… Have you done the CSR or plan on doing it in future?”

Trip Leaders: Greg Chase and Hedley Reberger
Report: Marco Arnese

15 July – 3 August 2026

The Canning Stock Route (CSR) is an 1800km stretch from Wiluna to Bililuna in outback Western Australia. The original purpose of the track was to provide a route for cattle to be taken from the Kimberly’s to the markets down to the southwest portion of WA. The ‘attractions’ on the routes are a series of 51 wells …ranging from some in excellent condition where potable water exists, to
completely abandoned wells.

The Canning is more than a test for your vehicle; it is also a test for the mind! It is the longest and most remote track in Australia and the upmost preparedness is a must! The vast lengths of corrugations give your car a solid work out and anything not tight WILL come loose. We spent 16 days on the track, and as the days went by and problems with vehicle started to mount, the mind started to wonder …. What will happen next?

It’s not a difficult track, but one that contains a variety of terrains. It has mud, creek crossings, sand dunes, rocky sections and of course corrugations.
The flora is quite varied and some sections were tight, leading to pin striping on all our vehicles. The best campsites on the trip included Pierre Springs, Durba Rocks (see front cover) and Stretch Lagoon… all beautiful oasis which are a welcome relief after a long day on the CSR.

On our first evening on the CSR Well #3, this guy (called Ian) comes up to the group and says “That Len Beadell guy, he talks about the Gunbarrel Highway being long and straight, but this track is nothing but winding!” We said “Mate you are on the Canning….. you must have made a mistake!” Anyway, one minute later we realised he was pulling our leg and he ended up tagging along with us for the rest of the trip! We saw a lot of tag along tours on the CSR all asking of upwards of $7K, but the friendly adventurers welcomed him with open arms.

It was mainly rocky terrain up until Well 10, after which the sand dunes started becoming a lot more frequent. We were expecting more wildlife on the CSR, nonetheless, we did see plenty of birds and camels. When we got to Well 17 – Durba Springs, Hedley discovered that his front driver’s side CV joint (which he had changed just over a year ago) had failed!
It had snapped the wheel side joint. Luckily the triton had a flange design on the gearbox which meant we could remove the CV joint without any oil leaking out of the gearbox.

There were a few recoveries. Ian got stuck in a salt lake, and because Hedley was essentially a 2WD vehicle he could not make it up a few sand dunes. Problems included slashed tyre, a rim that fatigued causing a tyre to go flat, a dead starting battery, an AC stopped working, a DC-DC charger stopped working causing the battery that ran a fridge to die, and a winch failed to work when needed!

We did have a bit of luck on the trip. We found an abandoned Triton on the track with a working CV which we promptly removed!

For those planning to go on the Canning, a detour to the Rudall River National Park – especially the ‘desert queen baths’ — was well worth it; the township of Kanawarriji is well supplied and has shower and laundry facilities. The water at Well 33 was of excellent quality. The first 450km of the Tanami is now sealed, and works are progressing to seal the whole track by 2028. Overall, it’s well worth doing this track at least once in your lifetime!