The Great Central Road runs 1100 kilometres through the Great Victoria and Gibson Deserts from Laverton to Yulara, although east of the WA/NT border it is termed the Tjukaruru Road.

This gallery offers a different perspective of that journey with the order of display of the images being from the east to Laverton.

These wrecks have been in situ for so long they are now as much a part of the environment as the mulga, the desert oaks and the spinifex.

What were the consequences of having to leave the vehicle?

After some wreck-free kilometres the thought arises that maybe the last has been seen. But no, the trail of mechanical sorrow continues to Laverton.

Who rescued the occupants of these vehicles?

It might sound cliched but each wreck has a story to tell.

The wrecks date back more than 60 years. Very few modern vehicles litter Australia’s longest shortcut.

A statement in time. Or just a statement.

After a while the challenge is to sight those hidden in the long grass, in the distance, behind trees and bushes, and the occasional disintegrated rust bucket that was once someone’s treasured drive car.

Relics of a darker past.

The large tally of wrecks is testament to indifference.

The sad part about a lot of these vehicles is that they were never going to make it to their destination. Some were fortunate just to get off the used car lot in Kalgoorlie. Arrival in Laverton was success of sorts. Anywhere further was problematic.

Was this their first or fiftieth trip?

Unless the communities or government decide to remove these wrecks they will be here forever – or a very long time at least. Rust is not common in these climes.

To see them go would be to lose something of the heritage of the GCR. Ugly as they may seem they are evidence of the difficulties of living in remote locales.

How long did the driver and passengers have to wait for rescue?

It is unlikely that the tally of wrecked and abandoned vehicles will be added to in any great numbers. The road has improved – and is being further improved. Vehicles have improved and, indeed, very few low clearance, 2WD vehicles travel the GCR these days. Today, it is the domain of the well set up 4WD traveller and more reliable, fit-for-purpose vehicles in the communities.

But, more importantly, the Great Central Road is being sealed. The ramifications of this are profound. The disappearance of an iconic drive is the first effect of this improvement. Although the allure of the drive won’t completely disappear. The 2700 kilometre drive from Laveron in WA to Winton in Queensland  (The Outback Way) is always going to be a memorable drive – sealed or unsealed road.

Sealing of the Great Central Road will mean an easier, quicker and safer route for residents, transport operators, tourists, and a myriad of other travellers – and less abandoned vehicles.

The Cars of the Great Central Road should be memorialised as a symbol of the Australian Outback.

 

© Kim Epton 2021-2025
562 words, 141 photographs.

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