Colson Track

Colson Track

Northern Territory
–South Australia
The Colson Track (blue and white)
General information
TypeTrack
Length336 km (209 mi)
Major junctions
North endNumery Station 24°00′44″S 135°25′37″E / 24.012223°S 135.426978°E / -24.012223; 135.426978
Hale, Northern Territory
South endLynnies Junction 26°19′24″S 136°49′23″E / 26.323285°S 136.822924°E / -26.323285; 136.822924
Simpson Desert, South Australia
Location(s)
RegionCentral Australia (NT),[1] Far North (SA)[2]
Restrictions
Permits2 required

Colson Track is a remote dirt track in Australia running between Numery Station in Hale, Northern Territory, and the Simpson Desert in South Australia.[3] It is named in honour of Ted Colson, the first person of European descent to make a successful crossing of the Simpson Desert on foot.[4]

Description

The northern terminus is marked by a sign near the boundary of Numery Station. The southern terminus of the track is at Lynnies Junction, where it meets with the WAA Line, just east of Rig Road, in the western Simpson Desert. The length of the track is 336 km, much of which is in swales between sand dunes. The track is defined only by wheel ruts, but it may disappear with washouts and long grass making navigation difficult.

The surface is mostly red sand and may be corrugated. The track should be negotiated by four-wheel drive high clearance vehicles only. A permit to cross Aboriginal land is required. An additional permit is required for travel across the Simpson Desert.

See also

References

  1. ^ "investNT - Northern Territory Interactive Map". Archived from the original on 5 June 2010. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  2. ^ "Location SA Map viewer with regional layers". Government of South Australia. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  3. ^ Hema, Maps (2007). Australia Road and 4WD Atlas (Map). Eight Mile Plains Queensland: Hema Maps. p. 100. ISBN 978-1-86500-456-3.
  4. ^ Madigan, Cecil (2001). Crossing the Dead Heart. Marleston S.A.: J.B.Books. p. 11. ISBN 1-876-622-164.