Overview
The Tanami Desert is a desert in northern Australia, situated in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. It has a rocky terrain with small hills. The Tanami was the Northern Territory's final frontier and was not fully explored by Australia.
Description
Welcome to one of the longest short cuts on the planet. Synonymous with isolated outback driving, the 1055km Tanami Rd connects the Stuart Hwy north of Alice Springs with Halls Creek in WA – the Red Centre with the Kimberley. The Tanami Desert and surrounding country are the homelands of the Warlpiri, Arrernte, Luritja, and Pintupi peoples and much of the land has reverted to their traditional ownership. The three main attractions along the way (apart, of course, from the blissful sense of isolation) are the important Indigenous settlement of Yuendumu, the Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary, and Wolfe Creek Crater – the latter is on the WA side of the border. It's a long haul and only occasionally beautiful; watch for the termite mounds, up to 800 per hectare in places. But crossing the Tanami does have huge cachet and is a journey to remember.
Busselton, Western Australia
Australia
URL:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/australia/northern-territory/tanami-road-nt