The Plenty Highway
The Plenty Highway is an outback road and mostly unsealed between north-western Queensland to the Stuart Highway in the Northern Territory. From Boulia in Queensland to Alice Springs is a little over 900 kilometers. Some say it is a fairly featureless and rough track, but the Plenty Highway is quite good if you're travelling from Brisbane to Alice Springs, as it is the shortest route. Nevertheless, it is fairly slow going, and there is no doubt that it is an isolated part of the country. Vehicles should be in tip-top condition, as repairs will cost a veritable fortune... even if you are fortunate enough or could coax someone to come out! There are few facilities, so you need to be self contained, and work out your fuel consumption carefully.
Traveling east, the road leaves the Stuart Highway 68 kilometers north of Alice Springs, follows the Sandover Highway for the first 27 kilometers and then heads to Tobermorey Homestead on the Northern Territory/Queensland border. Although I have travelled this Highway twice with the van you see in the pictures, NRMA and others suggest the road is NOT suitable for caravans. So be warned. The road then continues on to Boulia, in Queensland, as the Donohue Highway. The first 100 kilometers from the Stuart Highway to Ongeva Creek is sealed. The remaining 178 km to Jervois Homestead is unsealed as is the rest of the track to Boulia. Information about the condition of the track may be obtained from the Harts Range police station, 112 km from the Stuart Highway.
As at other Northern Territory / Queensland border crossings, the road becomes pretty ordinary east of the border into Queensland. Travelers should be aware of deep potholes and bulldust. Road trains frequently use the Plenty Highway, so watch out for them. It is 242 km from Tobermorey to Boulia and good camping may be found at the Georgina River, at about the 125 km mark. Fuel and food may be obtained at Gemtree, Atitjere community, Jervois Homestead, Tobymorey and Boulia. Again, travelers should be warned that the Donohue Highway is not considered suitable for ordinary caravans and that road trains up to 53 metres in length use both highways.
Useful Contact Numbers
go from Plenty Highway back to RV Camping
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East of Jervois Homestead, the road is formed earth, deteriorating to rocks and bulldust as you near Tobermorey, 213 km from Jervois Homestead. The road north to Urandangi and thence to Mt. Isa bears left just before Tobermorey.
