The Central Arnhem Road, also referred to as the Central Arnhem Highway or locally as "The Track"_, is a designated

state route A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

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linking the

Stuart Highway Stuart Highway is a major Australia, Australian highway. It runs from Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin, in the Northern Territory, via Tennant Creek and Alice Springs, to Port Augusta in South Australia; a distance of . Its northern and sou ...

to the town of

Nhulunbuy Nhulunbuy () is a township that is the sixth largest population centre in the Northern Territory of Australia. Nhulunbuy was created on the Gove Peninsula in north-east Arnhem Land when a bauxite mine and a deep water port were established ...

on the

Gove Peninsula The Gove Peninsula is at the northeastern corner of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. The peninsula became strategically important during World War II when a Royal Australian Air Force base was constructed at what is now Gove ...

and communities across the

East Arnhem region The East Arnhem Region is a local government area of the Northern Territory, Australia, governed by the East Arnhem Regional Council. Situated in the far north-eastern corner of the Northern Territory, the region covers an area of and had a pop ...

. It connects over 12,000 residents and is a key tourism drive and freight route for the mining and pastoral industries. CC-BY icon

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The route traverses through Aboriginal Land and passes through the Aboriginal communities of Barunga, Beswick and

Bulman ''Bulman'' is a British television crime drama series, principally written and created by Murray Smith. It was first broadcast on ITV on 5 June 1985. The series, featuring retired ex-cop George Bulman (Don Henderson) and his assistant Lucy Mc ...

. A free permit from the

Northern Land Council The Northern Land Council (NLC) is a land council representing the Aboriginal peoples of the Top End of the Northern Territory of Australia, with its head office in Darwin. While the NLC was established in 1974, its origins began in the strugg ...

is required for non-indigenous persons to travel its length. Australian 4WD Action ranked the drive 5''^th'' in its list of 20 "must drive" four-wheel drive tracks in Australia in 2010.

Present conditions

The vast majority of the road is unsealed and is prone to seasonal (December - April) flooding, resulting in frequent road restrictions for heavy vehicles and infrequent closures. Due to road conditions,

four-wheel drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

vehicles are recommended and caravans and camping trailers should be heavy duty. The condition of the road is highly variable, with conditions dependent on the time of year and the road maintenance schedule. Mud, river crossings, loose gravel, corrugations and

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are some of the road conditions subject to change of weather conditions.

Fuel

Fuel is available at three locations along the route: the community of Beswick, from the junction with the Stuart Highway; the Mainoru Store, from the junction with the Stuart Highway; and the community of Bulman, from the junction with the Stuart Highway. Carrying extra fuel is recommended.

Telecommunications

Telstra Telstra Group Limited is an Australian telecommunications company that builds and operates telecommunications networks and markets voice, mobile, internet access, pay television and other products and services. It is a member of the S&P/ASX 20 ...

service is available when passing through the Aboriginal communities of Barunga, Beswick and Bulman and at locations marked with blue signposts along the route.

Upgrades

River crossing upgrades

In 2014, a regional roads funding package was announced by the

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which included $7.7 million for upgrades to the Donydji, Goyder and Mainoru River crossings, as well as allocation from the $90 million Northern Territory Roads Productivity Package for the construction of a bridge over Rocky Bottom Creek.

Central Arnhem Road Corridor upgrades

Under the National Partnership Agreement on Land Transport (NPALT), the Australian Government has committed $180 million and the

Northern Territory Government The Government of the Northern Territory of Australia, also referred to as the Northern Territory Government, is the Australian territorial democratic administrative authority of the Northern Territory. The Government of Northern Territory wa ...

has committed $50 million to contribute to sealing, reconstructing, widening, and flood immunity improvements to priority sections of the route to a fit-for-purpose standard. These works are expected to see 25-35% of the road sealed to a dual lane standard and are expected to occur over the next five to ten years from 2019. The Federal Budget 2022-2023 released on 25 October 2022 has committed $350 million of additional funding to continue the work of sealing the

Tanami Road __NOTOC__ The Tanami Road, also known as the Tanami Track, Tanami Highway, and the McGuire Track, is a road in Australia that runs between the Stuart Highway in the Northern Territory and the Great Northern Highway in Western Australia. It is a ...

and Central Arnhem Road.

Future upgrades

Nhulunbuy remains the only large regional centre in the Northern Territory not connected to the National Highway network via a sealed road. The Northern Territory Government is currently planning to seal the entire length of the Central Arnhem Road to a dual-lane standard which is expected to unlock the economic potential of the region and open up a range of new long term economic and social opportunities. This will be achieved through reduced transit times, improved reliability of supply chains, safer road conditions, and overall improved accessibility in the region. It is also expected to enhance liveability and improve social outcomes by improving access to health and educational services, facilitating social and cultural connections and reducing barriers to development, including operating costs for business.

Major intersections

References

{{Road infrastructure in Northern Territory Roads in the Northern Territory Arnhem Land