If you wish to explore more of the vast and sweeping gulf region, the Carpentaria Highway is the road to take. The 380 km long highway begins at the Hi-Way Inn on the Stuart Highway near Daly Waters and runs east, initially to Cape Crawford then on to Borroloola. The term Carpentaria Highway is occasionally used for the sections of the gravel Savannah Way running east from Borroloola to Wollogorang near the Queensland border. It is a sealed road and is part of National Highway 1.
The Highway takes its name from the Gulf of Carpentaria, which it links with the Stuart Highway. The Carpentaria Highway also provides road access to the McArthur River mineral deposits and port facilities at Bing Bong, as well as the isolated community of Borroloola and the popular fishing location at King Ash Bay.
It is the most northerly route across this part of the continent passable year-round. The terrain is mostly shrubby and the area marked with cattle, both synonomous with travel through the barren Barkly Tableland region.
Along the way you can lose yourself among the pioneering relics, Aboriginal artefacts and marine-based treasures of Borroloola, laid-back Gateway to the Gulf on the McArthur River that spills into this vast tropical waterway. If the weather is calm, you can take a boat trip to go fishing or beachcombing along the secluded white sands of Barranyi (North Island), the Aboriginal-owned national park in the Sir Edward Pellew Group. It's the Territory's only island national park.
The Highway
The road from Hi-way Inn on the Stuart Highway to Cape Crawford is 270 kilometres of mostly single-lane bitumen. The road starts with eight kilometres of two-lane bitumen but then changes to a single lane running most of the way to Cape Crawford.
Fuel is available at Hi-Way Inn and Cape Crawford. There are no services between these places; indeed, apart from a few pastoral property entrances and cattle handling yards there are no facilities. For those inclined to camp along the way there are four rest areas, each with a shelter, rubbish bins and water tank but no other facilities.
Borroloola to Cape Crawford is a little more than 108 kilometres. The road starts off from Cape Crawford as the same single lane of fair to good quality bitumen which looked as if it would continue all the way to Borroloola. But where the road passes the McArthur River mine the road becomes two lanes of bitumen which continue to Borroloola.
After 52 kilometres the Carpentaria Highway turned off to the right at a T-junction, leaving mine traffic to go straight on to the Gulf port. Drivers need to pay attention at this intersection since the Highway is the side road and may be missed if road signs are not watched. After eight kilometres (still two-lanes of bitumen) the Highway comes to a junction with Robinson Road (sealed) which is the road to and through Borroloola.
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