There’s the so-called Red Centre of Australia – which includes Uluru. And then there’s the Dead Centre. We shot down the aptly-named Gun Barrel Highway to pay it a visit.

If you look at a map you can seen why the Gun Barrel was so named. Len Beadell – surveyor and road builder extraordinaire  – wanted it to be as straight as the very same.

The aptly named Gunbarrel Highway

The aptly named Gunbarrel Highway

Nice work Len!

Despite its appealing straightness, it is now a road less travelled.

One of only two vehicles we saw on the entire stretch

One of only two vehicles we saw on the entire stretch

We found a lovely example of another Australian classic along the way. Water-pumping windmills have been a lifeline for farmers across the country. The Southern Cross windmill was first built in 1876 and the steel-bladed water-bringers have been cranking through the outback since.

Another great Australian outback invention

Another great Australian outback invention

 

Shadows on the wind

Shadows on the wind

 

The windmills of the outback kept the water flowing and the people and cattle going.

The windmills are vital for pumping water in remote areas

The windmills are vital for pumping water in remote areas

Just a little bit of water is all it needs to keep the desert growing too, it seems. Far from being an empty wasteland, plants and flowers spring up at the sides of the track.

Even the tiniest blooms burst into life

Even the tiniest blooms burst into life

 

Some plants almost merge with the soil for the last drops of moisture

Some plants almost merge with the soil for the last drops of moisture

 

Wild flowers bloom at the edge of the track

Wild flowers bloom at the edge of the track

 

Yellow and purple dance along the Gunbarrel

Yellow and purple dance along the Gunbarrel

 

A gaggle of zebra finches at a truckstop water tank

A gaggle of zebra finches at a truckstop water tank

 

A yellow honeyeater well disguised

A yellow honeyeater well disguised

 

A welcome waterhole

A welcome waterhole

Of course water is great for flowers and cows, but not so great for 3 ton wagons like ours and we had to pick our way carefully.

One of the many hazards of outback tracks

One of the many hazards of outback tracks

 

An unavoidable soaking

An unavoidable soaking

We found some slightly bigger hazards too, but thankfully they were behind a fence.

A proud looking camel

A proud looking camel

 

It wasn't much interested in saying hello

It wasn’t much interested in saying hello

Having travelled a short section of the Gun Barrel, we turned up onto the track leading to Lambert’s Centre – the geographical centre of Australia.We can only assume that visitors aren’t very welcome at the Centre – it took us more than a hour to travel 14km on one of the worst roads we have covered so far.

A long haul up a short road to the middle

A long haul up a short road to the middle

 

Getting to the dead centre of the Red Centre doesn't seem to be encouraged

Getting to the dead centre of the Red Centre doesn’t seem to be encouraged

 

We imagined a notable place might have a notable road in. I suppose it did

We imagined a notable place might have a notable road in. I suppose it did

Bruce Lambert (of the Centre) was one of Australia’s most decorated surveyors and explorers, but ironically never made it to the landmark that bears his name. Perhaps if he had, he might have had something to say about the road.

In honour of the master map maker and surveyor, who never made it here

In honour of the master map maker and surveyor, who never made it here

Lambert's Centre - the heart of Australia

Lambert’s Centre – the heart of Australia

Unlike Bruce – we set up camp for the night. Another compass point ticked off the list.

Setting up camp at sunset at the centre of Australia

Setting up camp at sunset at the centre of Australia

 

Speckled stars on a moonlit night in the outback

Speckled stars on a moonlit night in the outback

 

The road to the centre was not the best. The road from the centre didn’t get much better. We did as good travellers should and took advice from the locals.

Travellers: “Is the Old Ghan Track, (now called the Finke Desert Track) okay at the moment?”.

Man at Finke gas station who’s also just taken $90 off us for diesel: “For sure, it knocks two hours off the trip to Alice Springs. You can sit on 60-80kmph. Some people even do 100kmph”

It would take too long to go back to Finke to correct the gas station guy, but suffice to say he should probably get out more.

Never mind 80km per hour – it took us three hours to do 80km! The road is 247km long.

A small hazard

A small hazard

As well as the hideous corrugations in some sections, parts of the Finke Desert Road run directly over the top of the old Ghan Railway line. We had to be careful to avoid the original steel bolts that littered the route and would have taken out a tyre very quickly. The famous railway was a lifeline for outback communities when it was laid through the centre of Australia. Working parties lived on the line for months on end. But much of that history is lost in the desert now.

Weed-tangled fence posts are all that's left of the old Ghan railway track

Weed-tangled fence posts are all that’s left of the old Ghan railway track

 

We can't imagine why fewer and fewer men wanted to live and work out here

We can’t imagine why fewer and fewer men wanted to live and work out here

The new Ghan line still runs. Perhaps fittingly it was one of the first things we saw when we finally arrived in Alice Springs a mere six hours later.

The new Ghan

The new Ghan

You may be amused to hear that the Finke Desert Road is also the route for the Finke Desert Race. Apparently they can make it from Finke to Alice Springs in two hours, but then they are driving like this:

 

The race was a couple of weeks before our trip, so the road had been well chewed up by support crews and spectators. We ended up driving the race route, which had huge ruts, but because of the spacing and depth, it was more comfortable than the road.

The camera doesn't show the waves of giant corrugations down the track

The camera doesn’t show the waves of giant corrugations down the track

 

So however long it took, we can now legitimately say we have driven the Finke Desert Race track!