Driving

We can minimise the damage we do ourselves whilst looking after Canning Stock Route (CSR) Country. Some visitors have deliberately driven off the main CSR in the past to create new tracks to avoid rough areas. These parallel tracks are particularly common from Well 4A north to Pinpi (Durba Hills), especially over granite areas where the corrugations are very compacted and rough.

Please help to protect the CSR and surrounding vegetation by staying on the main track and not taking these parallel tracks. If you need to stop along the track, please leave your vehicle on the track and do not drive it onto the surrounding vegetation. Spinifex, despite its appearance, is sensitive to trampling and does not usually recover once it has been driven over.

If another vehicle approaches, try to find the nearest small camping area or track junction to allow it to pass. Similarly, when an oncoming vehicle approaches, if the two vehicles cannot pass on the track itself, try to find the nearest patch of already cleared ground to pass on.

Tyre pressure

The Canning Stock Route track itself is very degraded and rough in parts. There are sections of rough corrugations, multiple tracks running in parallel to avoid corrugations, deep track erosion, bumpy churned up dune crossings, and lengthy dune ‘run-ups’. Most of this degradation can be minimised by reducing the vehicle tyre pressure.

There is no one tyre pressure that will be appropriate through the length of the Canning Stock Route. Therefore, it is important to change the tyre pressure to suit the conditions.

A general guide recommended by the Australian National 4WD Club Council is as follows:

NOTE: Higher pressures will be required when carrying heavy loads. All pressures stated are for tyres of light truck construction, for example off-road. Softer tyres with wider tread and traction help to smooth out corrugations over time. Reducing speed will also reduce corrugations over time.

corrugations

Large sections of the CSR are heavily corrugated. It is important to drive to the conditions and to ensure that your speed is constant. Driving too fast can be dangerous and you may lose control. Driving too slowly may shake everything and everyone in the vehicle excessively. It is also useful to reduce tyre pressure on corrugations, as high tyre pressure may increase the chances of your tyres popping.

Over dunes

Contrary to popular belief, driving correctly over sand dunes does not require the driver to go flat out. If your tyres are at the appropriate low pressure, the vehicle in the right gear and the revs at the right level, it is usually possible to gently “tractor” up dunes, without extended run-ups and multiple attempts. Dunes can generally be crossed in low gear at less than 20km per hour with the revs maintained at 1500rpm.

It is much safer to cross at low speed, and avoids churning up the crossing, making it uncomfortable and dangerous for future users. Most dunes do not require a long run-up, so please avoid creating new run ups or extending current ones.

If you’re having trouble getting over a dune, reducing the tyre pressure will give you greater traction. These few simple tips should be followed to help crossing sand dunes without causing discomfort to your passengers and extra wear and tear on your vehicle and without destroying the sand dunes.

The Australian Four Wheel Drive Council suggests the following techniques for sand driving:

• ensure your vehicle is engaged in 4WD

• ensure the hubs are locked

• reduce your tyre pressure to 26-15 psi

• change gears at higher revs to maintain momentum. Consider selecting gears manually on vehicles fitted with automatic transmission when approaching dunes

• initially try high range 4WD 2nd gear ⁠— maybe 1st. Sometimes you may need low range 2nd or 3rd gear for soft areas. Too much power on takeoff can sometimes cause the vehicle to dig in

• use a sensible speed to climb dunes ⁠— don’t reach the crest with excessive speed and become airborne. The steeper the dune the more momentum needed

• if possible, do not use brakes to stop, let the sand bring you to a halt. If possible, stop the vehicle facing downhill, but never uphill

• try to maintain your steering in the straight ahead position

• travel straight up or straight down dune slopes ⁠— never cross at an angle as this greatly increases the chance of a rollover. If the rear of the vehicle starts to slide sideways turn into the direction of the slide and power down the dune

• don’t touch brakes or clutch. Generally use 4WD high 1st but don’t go too slow as the front wheels may dig in

• avoid sudden changes of direction, sharp turns and heavy braking as tyres can separate from rims when running on low pressures

• if forward motion is lost do not spin wheels⁠ — try rocking the vehicle forward and backward a metre to compact sand; and

• restore pressure in all tyres to normal pressure once you have finished sand driving.