The Anne Beadell Highway is an outback unsealed track linking Coober Pedy, South Australia

Coober Pedy, South Australia

Coober Pedy is a town in northern South Australia, 846 kilometres north of Adelaide on the Stuart Highway. According to the 2006 census, its population was 1,916 . The town is sometimes referred to as the "opal capital of the world" because of the quantity of precious opals that are mined there...

, and Laverton, Western Australia. The track was surveyed and built by Len Beadell

Len Beadell

Leonard Beadell OAM BEM FIEMS was a surveyor, roadbuilder , bushman, artist and author, responsible for opening up the last remaining isolated desert areas of central Australia from 1947 to 1963. Len is sometimes called "the last true Australian explorer"...

, Australian surveyor, who named it after his wife.

Overview

Its total length is about 1340 km (832.6 mi). The track passes through very remote arid deserts, which often have summer temperatures of 50°C, and scrub territory in 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...

. Red sand dunes predominate for a major part of the track.

Fuel and supplies

The track is suitable for only well provisioned and experienced 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:...

rs. There are no settlements between Coober Pedy and Laverton. A roadhouse named Ilkurlka

Ilkurlka, Western Australia

Ilkulka Community is a small community and roadhouse on the Anne Beadell Highway in Western Australia.Located 165 km west of the South Australia border, it is the only fuel and supplies depot on the 1340 km long desert track between Laverton and Coober Pedy.Opened in 2003, the roadhouse...

 in 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...

, opened in 2003, 165 km (102.5 mi) west of the South Australia

South Australia

South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

 border at the intersection of the Madura Loongana Track (Aboriginal Business Road) and the Anne Beadell Highway. The roadhouse caters mainly for local Aboriginal communities and may be the most isolated roadhouse in Australia

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...

. There are still no provisions for the 750 km (466 mi) between Ilkurlka and Coober Pedy.

Places of interest

Neale Junction

Neale Junction

Neale Junction is an isolated location in the Great Victoria Desert of Western Australia, where the Anne Beadell and Connie Sue Highways intersect. It is west of Ilkurlka. Neale Junction was named after Commander Frank Neale who flew a Percival Gull through the area during the Mackay Aerial...

 is 172 km (106.9 mi) west of Ilkurlka, which is where the Anne Beadell Highway intersects with the Connie Sue Highway

Connie Sue Highway

The Connie Sue Highway is an outback road that runs from Rawlinna on the Trans-Australian Railway to the Aboriginal community of Warburton on the Great Central Road. Approximately long and running north-south, it lies entirely in the state of Western Australia and crosses the Nullarbor Plain and...

, another outback track constructed by Len Beadell

Len Beadell

Leonard Beadell OAM BEM FIEMS was a surveyor, roadbuilder , bushman, artist and author, responsible for opening up the last remaining isolated desert areas of central Australia from 1947 to 1963. Len is sometimes called "the last true Australian explorer"...

.

The track passes through the former British atomic test site of Emu Field

Emu Field

Emu Field is located in the desert of South Australia, at . Variously known as Emu Field, Emu Junction or Emu, it was the site of the Operation Totem pair of nuclear tests conducted by the British government in October 1953.The site was surveyed by Len Beadell in 1952...

, rabbit and dog fences, restricted nature conservation areas, and Aboriginal lands, all of which require permits to pass through. Permits are available from the Department of Indigenous Affairs and are free.

Also of interest is the wreck of a light aircraft near the track in 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...

. The road also passes through Mamungari Conservation Park, one of Australia's twelve World Biosphere

Biosphere

The biosphere is the global sum of all ecosystems. It can also be called the zone of life on Earth, a closed and self-regulating system...

 Reserves

Biosphere reserve

The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...

 that contain pristine arid zone wilderness and possess cultural significance.

Conditions

Because the track is remote and not signposted, GPS is advisable and HF radio or satellite phone are recommended. In good conditions, it may take 5 days to complete the journey. However, hazards such as flat tyres, breakdowns, and the occasional flash floods must be taken into account.

See also

• Highways in Australia
  Highways in Australia
  This is a list of highways in Australia, listed alphabetically along with each highway's route number and location. Note that some highways service more than one state or territory.-Route numbering systems:...
  
  
• List of highways in South Australia
• List of highways in Western Australia

External links

• Anne Beadell Highway (ExplorOz) ExplorOZ web page on Anne Beadell Hwy.
• Australia's Biosphere Reserves