Cycling the Canning Stock Route

Australia’s remotest track

During July and August 2011 I rode the Canning Stock Route by push bike in 31 days. This route is 1800 km long and crosses three deserts in Western Australia. It’s a Sandy 4WD track between Halls Creek and Wiluna. The CSR was constructed at the beginning of the previous century for transporting cattle from south-west to northern Australia. Along the route many wells were constructed for livestock. Most wells collapsed or disappeared altogether but a dozen of them are still there. This enables cyclists to ride this route without a support vehicle.

The loose sand, corrugation and the huge amount of water and food you need to carry to sustain yourself for more than a month makes this one of the harder tracks on the planet to cycle.

Martijn Boonman 

Motivation and preparation