Tanami Desert Travel

The Tanami Desert is a desert in northern Australia situated in the Northern Territory. It is mostly flat with a rocky terrain and small hills.

The Tanami Desert is certainly one of the most isolated places on Earth but with modern vehicles, planning and some commonsense it is not as a forbidding place as it once was.

The Tanami was the Northern Territory’s final frontier and wasn’t fully explored until well into the twentieth century. Crossing the Tanami Desert is done by the Tanami Track which connects Alice Springs to the Kimberley’s traversing this huge desert.

The Tanami Desert is located to the north west of Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory  and to the east of the Great Sandy Desert.

Located 643 kilometres north-west of Alice Springs is the beginning of the Tanami Track, the most adventurous and direct route through the desert between Alice Springs and the Kimberley region.

Tilmouth Roadhouse is the first stop along the Track. You can experience life on a working cattle station at Tilmouth Well. This oasis on the edge of the Tanami Desert offers tours, recreation and accommodation in a serene outback setting.

Those planning to drive the Tanami Track should only do so in a reliable four wheel drive vehicle, take spare fuel and a good quantity of water. The road surface is usually quite good but, services on the Tanami are very limited with fuel and refreshments available only at Tilmouth Well, Yuendumu and Rabbit Flat.

Things to See at the Tanami Desert

• Tilmouth Well Station, offering accommodation and fuel in a true outback setting and
• Birds Australia’s 2,600 square kilometre Newhaven Station Bird Sanctuary. The Reserve covers an area of 650,000 acres and is home to an abundant range of wildlife. Rare night parrots have been sighted several times
• Ruins of the Old Granite Gold Min, found 60 kilometres south of Rabbit Flat Roadhouse, featuring the original 1930s buildings.