Canning Stock Route Experience

23 Nights. Uluru / Ayers Rock to Alice Springs (S-N in 2027)

• First night's accommodation at Ayers Rock Campground
• First night's dinner in Ayers Rock Resort
• StarLink Wifi - internet when we're camped in remote areas 5 - 8 pm
• Pre-tour help and advice on vehicle and gear setup.
• All the arrangements and bookings for the tour (just get yourself, your gear and vehicle to Yulara/Ayers Rock for the first night's included campground accommodation and dinner).
• Full-time, professional tour guide/4WD instructor with a Cert IV qualification in 4WD training and current remote area first aid certificate.
• Mechanical assistance and tyre changing.
• Toyota Land Cruiser lead vehicle with all safety, recovery, communications and emergency equipment - Starlink and Garmin inReach (tracker, emergency beacon & satellite texting), winch, snatch straps, Max Trax etc (meaning you only need to carry minimal recovery gear).
• All camping fees; all National Park access fees; all Aboriginal Land entry permits.
• "On-tour" training over the 2-way radio. You will be given help and advice throughout the entire trip and warned of oncoming traffic and hazards. Your guide will co-ordinate dune crossings with oncoming vehicles, talking to them on another UHF channel so there's no confusion about what to do. On difficult sections, your guide will be out of their vehicle to help you and instruct you personally.
• Night spotlighting sessions for animals; bird/animal ID books and apps
• Unpowered campsite at Tjukayirla Roadhouse, Great Central Road
• Unpowered campsite at Warakurna Roadhouse
• Weather balloon launch at Giles Meteorological Station
• Powered campsite at Ayers Rock Campground
• Accommodation at the Desert Palms Villas in Alice Springs
• Final dinner at Hanuman Restaurant at the Hilton Hotel in Alice Springs 

• 4WD Vehicle
• Fuel
• Food (other than stated above)
• Camping gear
• Insurance
• Optional accommodation upgrades

• This tour is not suitable for camper trailers.
• A high clearance 4X4 vehicle with low range.
• Upgraded, heavy duty suspension - even on a new vehicle. Standard suspension will not cope on the corrugations and dune moguls.
• One spare front shock (or shock in spring assembly) and one spare rear shock as appropriate. These can be the originals. We just need something that will fit your vehicle to get us out of trouble.
• Six Light Truck construction (LT) tyres with over 70% tread remaining and not over 5 years old.
• Fuel range of 800 km is required for the Canning Tour (although, 1100 km is an advantage)
• 60 - 100 litre water storage.
• Good quality UHF radio base set (Uniden, GME or Oricom recommended) fitted into your vehicle by a UHF specialist installer, and a substantial aerial - 6.6dbi, 1 metre in length, with large 30mm base - not the slim springy ones.
• Good quality sand flag with lynch pin base. Not a hose fitting type, and not the spring base type. Bushranger flag from ARB recommended.
• Tyre pressure gauge.
• Tyre pressure monitors TPMS.
• Good quality air compressor.
• Some spares are required to be carried. A full list is provided on booking.
• A mechanical checklist is to be completed and returned by a qualified mechanic at least 2 weeks prior to the start of the tour.
• A medical form is to be completed and bought with you in case of emergencies.
• A tent, roof tent, or camp set up that is EASY TO PUT UP AND TAKE DOWN. This should take no longer than 20 mins each time (this can make or break your trip).
• Vehicle Insurance - make sure your insurance company covers your vehicle for off-road driving and breakdown recovery. 
• Travel Insurance - you must obtain travel insurance in case of unforeseen circumstances.

Indicative desert driving fuel consumption is as follows (NB. this can increase markedly in wet and muddy conditions):
- Diesel utes eg. D-Max, Hilux, Ranger, BT-50 use 15 - 18L/100km
- Landrover Discovery 4 uses about 18L diesel/100km
- Diesel V8 Landcruisers use about 19L/100km
- Diesel V8 200 Series Landcruiser uses 20 - 22L/100km
- Petrol Nissan Patrol Y62 uses close to 28L/100km

Yes, you can hire a vehicle and all the gear for this tour. Contact Bivouac Adventures  https://www.bivouacadv.com/ or All Star 4WD Camper Hire https://allstarcamperhire.com.au/ directly, and let them know you intend to come on one of our tours. 

The simple answer is "quite rough". It's also very long, very remote and very scratchy on vehicles. Tour guide Tony describes the Canning as "1,800 km of roughness", with 1000 sand dunes, extensive corrugations, and lots of rocks. It is advisable to get some form of paint protection on your vehicle to prevent damage. We recommend Bush Barrier magnetic paint protection.