We follow the ever-changing northern section of the Binns Track in the Northern Territory in our two-part feature, picking up from our stop along the Ross Highway and continuing on towards Timber Creek.
In part one, we explored the southern section of the Binns Track, a remote tourist route in the Northern Territory dreamed up by NT park ranger Bill Binns, and ended up in N'Dhala Gorge Nature Park.
For part two, our journey starts at the junction of Ross Highway and Arltunga Road and continues 30km along the dirt, with the first stop the Arltunga Bush Pub and Eco Retreat, a refurbished historic hotel with an outback hospitality vibe and surprisingly upmarket accommodation.
Fast facts: The Binns Track
- Total distance: Approximately 2230km from Mt Dare (SA) to Timber Creek (NT).
- The namesake: Named after Bill Binns, a legendary NT Park Ranger with 32 years of service who dreamed of a track showcasing the ‘real’ outback.
- Best time to travel: April to September. Many sections, including the Humbert Track and Frew River Loop, become impassable or are closed during the wet season (November–March).
- The terrain: Extremely varied. Expect everything from the red sand of the Simpson Desert fringe to sharp gibber plains, sandy riverbeds and limestone savannah.
- Fuel strategy: Longest stretches between fuel can be significant. Primary fuel stops for part two/the northern section featured here include Alice Springs, Gemtree, Ross River, Tennant Creek, Dunmarra and Timber Creek.
Know before you go: Safety and prep
The isolation is real. In the outback, preparation isn’t just a good idea — it’s your lifeline.
- Vehicle requirements: A high-clearance 4WD is essential. Ensure your vehicle has been recently serviced and is equipped with heavy-duty tyres.
- Recovery gear: Carry at least two spare tyres, a tyre repair kit, an air compressor and a snatch strap.
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Communication: Do not rely on mobile phones. Carry a satellite phone or a personal locator beacon (PLB)/emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB). High-gain UHF radios are essential for communicating with road trains or other travellers.
For some tips on staying connected while travelling, check out our guide here. - Water and supplies: Carry a minimum of five to seven litres of water per person, per day, plus a three-day emergency reserve.
- Permits and fees: While no transit permits are required for the main track, camping fees apply at national parks like Iytwelepenty / Davenport Ranges and Judbarra / Gregory. These are often bookable online via the NT Parks website.
- Weight check: If towing a camper or van, ensure it is a true ‘offroad’ model. The sharp stones on Arapunya Road and the ‘bulldust’ north of the Sandover can be brutal on suspensions.
Cattle in Iytwelepenty / Davenport Ranges National Park
Now that we’ve got the housekeeping done, let’s dive into the northern stretch of the Binns Track.
Arltunga Bush Pub and Eco Retreat: Outback hospitality and a touch of luxury
Hosts Belinda and Brad Seymour took over the old Arltunga pub in 2021 and set about transforming it into a must-visit destination for travellers and locals of Alice Springs. Built in 1983, the old pub was abandoned in 2002 and remained vacant until the Seymours discovered it and undertook its restoration.
The renovated Arltunga Bush Pub is now a living museum
While preserving much of the tin building’s character, the hotel is now a living museum of artifacts and materials from local stations. Much of the corrugated lining comes from Undoolya Station’s century-old homestead, and the bar is crafted from timber found in a burned-down cattle yard. Visitors can share a set evening menu, and there are spacious campsites shaded by mulga trees where you can set down stakes for a couple of days of exploring nearby attractions.
As well as transforming the pub, the couple are hard at work ensuring the Eco Retreat is something special, with two pools (one of which is heated) and a mix of accommodation. Miners' tents offer basic facilities, while the glamping tents are self-contained luxury options for travellers seeking an upmarket experience to break their journey.
Arltunga Bush Pub and Eco Retreat glamping tents
Inside the glamping tent
Exploring Ruby Gap Nature Park
We were guests of Tourism and Events Northern Territory on our Binns Track adventure, and they had arranged a tour out to Ruby Gap Nature Park with Bill Wilcox from Sandrifter Safaris. Bill knows the territory intimately and is a mine of information about the area as we travelled the rough 4WD tracks and along the sandy bed of Hale River to Ruby Gap. From there, we took the 6km return walking track along the riverbed through Glen Annie Gorge, named after explorer David Lindsay’s wife, where red cliffs dominate the rugged scenery. Lindsay declared the gorge “wild and romantic” and he’s not wrong.
Exploring Ruby Gap Nature Park with Sandrifter Safaris
Waterhole in Ruby Gap Nature Park
When explorers reported finding what they believed were rubies in 1886, they marked the NT’s first mining rush. However, the red stones proved to be high-quality garnets, which were far less valuable, and the rush quickly ended. Today, Ruby Gap Nature Park is a remote spot with basic camping facilities, offering a great way to experience the rugged East MacDonnell Ranges.
Uncover the NT’s mining past at Arltunga Historical Reserve
Although Ruby Gap fossicking proved unsuccessful, it led to the discovery of gold at nearby Paddy’s Rockhole and at White Range, some 40km west and a short drive from the Arltunga Bush Pub and Eco Retreat. The new rush took hold, leading to the establishment of Central Australia’s first town at Arltunga. Mining continued through to 1903, and at its height, the population reached 300 residents. Conditions were tough, and severe droughts left little water for washing ore and for the horses that dragged rock from the mine to the battery. The remains of the town are now preserved as the Arltunga Historical Reserve, with a visitor centre and many old buildings and mining infrastructure to explore.
Old Arltunga ruins
Station stay at Hale River Homestead
From Arltunga Historical Reserve, it’s a short drive north to the turnoff to Hale River Homestead, where you can experience life on a remote station. Part of the larger 60sq km Old Ambalindum holding, Hale River Homestead is now a station stay with a difference, where many original buildings have been converted into accommodation. The Cottage, built in 1908, has a large collection of local images and paintings and can accommodate a large family. The Retro Van and Container is a converted 70s caravan with period furnishings and memorabilia.
Hale River Homestead
A standout attraction of the station is The Workshop — the old Sidney Williams Hut, which has been converted into a multi-functional space with a bar and cafe. Sidney Williams and Company began making windmills and sheds in Queensland in 1879, and its Comet windmills were a common sight across the country. The company’s prefabricated steel buildings were used for military and agricultural purposes during the 1930s and 1940s. Stacked with heritage equipment, The Workshop is licensed and catered for lunch and meals.
For those with a caravan or tent, there’s a spacious campground with powered and unpowered sites, plenty of shade and grass, and bathroom facilities with hot showers.
Hale River Homestead is a laid-back country-style venue where hosts Lynne and Sean invite visitors to experience the working cattle station and explore the many bushwalking and mountain-biking tracks.
The track turns west after Hale River and follows the Gardens Road to a turnoff along The Pinnacles Track through rocky outcrops and woody hills to the Plenty Highway, where we detoured to Gemtree Roadhouse and Caravan Park for the night.
Gemtree Roadhouse to Frew River 4WD Loop Road
Gemtree Roadhouse and Caravan Park offers tag-along tours to the Harts Range gem fields, where we learned the art of fossicking for zircons. It’s more hard work than art, involving digging and washing thick clay in the hope of finding a fortune. It was fun, and we found a few small stones, but that house on Hamilton Island is still a dream.
Fossicking for zircons at Gemtree
The sealed Plenty Highway took us east past the small community of Atitjere, which has a small but lively art centre (Akngerrekenhe Art Centre), then turned north onto Arapunya Road, winding its way for around 100km before reaching Derry Downs, then to a remote 4WD track with rocky terrain and sandy river crossings. A group of friends who followed us a couple of weeks later, towing Trakmaster vans, got bogged for a while, so it’s wise for those with large vans to travel in convoy.
Atitjere Store
This bypass track eventually reaches the Sandover Highway, where we headed northeast before turning north towards Murray Downs Road and then northeast onto Hatches Creek Track, one of our favourite parts of the trip. The narrow road is strewn with sharp gibbers and crosses numerous dry creeks that run out of the arid hills. Although it’s remote, we caught up with a mob of cattle and a couple of drovers who said they were heading for Errolala Waterhole for the night. As it turned out, the camp with its long billabong and flat ground was sublime, and we would have overnighted there if not for the prospect of lowing cows. Pressing on, we skirted around the infrastructure of Hatches Creek, where wolframite is mined for its tungsten content.
Cattle near the waterhole
With sunset approaching, we turned down the Frew River 4WD Loop Road for a few kilometres and camped on a low hill among the flinty ground and low acacia bushes under a million stars. This 46km loop is strictly 4WD only and takes you through the centre of Iytwelepenty / Davenport Ranges National Park, winding through ranges and rugged country with epic views. Even the 5km we followed was slow going, so we headed back to the main route.
Old Police Station Waterhole to Dunmarra Roadhouse
Back on the Binns Track, it was a short drive to the remarkable Old Police Station Waterhole, where spacious campsites dot the banks of a long, permanent lagoon on the Frew River. The area is within Iytwelepenty / Davenport Ranges National Park, where entry and camping fees apply. The Police Station was built in the 1920s to support nearby cattle and mining leases, but the ventures weren’t sustainable, and the station closed within a few years.
Old Police Station Waterhole
Historian Michael Hester recounts that “There was only one policeman there and an Aboriginal assistant. But you couldn’t imagine a more remote place than Police Station Waterhole in 1920. It wasn’t on the route to anywhere; it was established more or less as a stock inspector’s station rather than a Police Station.”
It’s about 140km west to the Stuart Highway, with a 440km transit section north along the highway to Dunmarra, including a few worthwhile detours along the way.
At Tennant Creek, Jabaljarri Arts and Merchandise offers a great camping option for self-contained RVs and a well-stocked gallery. Owner Steve Jabaljarri Sutton is happy to discuss his paintings and has a deep knowledge of local Indigenous history and culture.
Steve Sutton at Jabaljarri Arts and Merchandise
Telegraph Station Historical Reserve
A telegraph repeater station was established in 1870 for the north–south line, and the gold discovery in 1926 sparked a mining industry that continues to this day. Both sites are worth a visit, and there are tours of the Telegraph Station Historical Reserve and Battery Hill Gold Mining and Heritage Centre (complete with underground mine tour) to keep you in town for a couple of days.
Tennant Creek Battery Hill Gold Mining and Heritage Centre
Continuing north along the highway, Dunmarra Roadhouse is not far from the turnoff onto the Buchanan Highway for the next leg of the Binns Track. Don’t miss filling up with fuel here and trying the world’s best vanilla slice and Australia’s best meat pies.
Top Springs, Victoria River Downs and Bullita Homestead
The Buchanan Highway runs west through open cattle country to Top Springs, a hotel and camping spot at the crossroads of the Buchanan and Buntine highways. A group of about twenty station workers gathered in the beer garden during our visit, and it was notable that there wasn’t a phone around to interrupt the lively banter. Beef is big business in the region, with rich basalt soils supporting Mitchell and blue grasses.
Top Springs Hotel
The scale of the industry is clear as we continued west along the Buchanan Highway and passed Victoria River Downs Station, with dozens of helicopters, an airfield and many large buildings. Victoria River Downs was once the world’s largest pastoral lease and still boasts five separate stations covering a total area of 2700sq km and more than 100,000 head of Brahman cattle.
From Victoria River Downs, the Binns Track journey continues along the Humbert Track, a 4WD route following the Hubert River between Bullita and Hubert River stations. Unfortunately, this section was closed due to recent flooding, so we headed north along the Buchanan Highway to the Victoria Highway, then 17km west to turn back south along the Bullita/Timber Creek track to Bullita Campground and Homestead to continue the trip. (I should note the Humbert Track route is not suitable for trailers or vans.)
The change of plans (sticking to the Buchanan Highway for longer than expected) meant we experienced the magnificent craggy country around Jasper Gorge on the outskirts of Judbarra / Gregory National Park. Bullita Homestead, an outstation of the Humbert River Station, was built in 1960 to replace an early-1900s building destroyed by fire. In addition to the homestead, there are several outbuildings and a large timber cattle yard, with a nearby camping area for visitors.
Jasper Gorge just outside Judbarra / Gregory National Park
Bullita Campground and Homestead
The northern end of the Binns track takes you north and then west along the Victoria Highway to finish in Timber Creek, a small township on the Victoria River. But for us, the Bullita Homestead — a well-preserved and unique piece of our history — joins the equally special Old Andado Station (which we checked out in part one) to aptly bookend our Binns Track journey.
Completing the Binns Track
The Binns Track isn’t just a drive; it’s a gruelling, cross-sectional cut through some of the NT’s toughest terrain, from the Simpson Desert’s arid fringe to the limestone ground of the northern savannah. It is a 2230km testament to Bill Binns’s vision of a route that bypasses the tourist traps in favour of a genuine outback experience.
However, the remote nature of this track means the stakes are higher. In some areas, the isolation is real, with terrain that shifts from bulldust to river crossings or rocky outcrops. If you’re heading out, bring a high-clearance 4WD, dual spares and a careful communication plan. The Binns Track offers a world-class experience for those who prioritise preparation.
Binns Track travel planner
Maps so you don’t get lost
- Binns Track 4WD Adventure Guide (Westprint Outback Maps Published by Meridian Maps)
- Hema Maps Great Desert Tracks Atlas & Guide
Accommodation
Arltunga Bush Pub and Eco Retreat
1937 Arltunga Road
Hale NT 0872
P: 0408 081 239
E: info@arltunga.com.au
Hale River Homestead at Old Ambalindum
Arltunga Drive
Hart NT 0872
P: 08 8956 9993
E: info@haleriverhomestead.com.au
Gemtree Roadhouse and Caravan Park
6990 Plenty Highway
Anmatjere NT 0872
P: 08 8956 9855
E: gemtree@gemtree.com.au
Jabaljarri Arts and Merchandise, and Jabaljarri Eco Campground
22 Fazaldeen Road
Tennant Creek NT 0860
P: 0427 628 284
E: s.jabaljarri@gmail.com
Dunmarra Roadhouse
13729 Stuart Highway
Birdum NT 0852
P: 08 8975 9922
E: dunmarra@bigpond.com
Top Springs Hotel
Junction of Butine and Buchanan highways
Top Springs NT 0852
P: 08 8975 0767
E: topspringshotel@gmail.com
Bullita Homestead Campground
Located in Judbarra / Gregory National Park
Bullita/Timber Creek Road, Gregory NT 0852
4WD and camper trailers only
P: 08 8975 0888
Bullita Homestead Stockyards
Attractions and tours
Sandrifter Safaris
P: 0417 411 025
E: info@sandrifter.com.au
Ruby Gap Nature Park
East MacDonnell Ranges, NT
Open all year round. Best time to visit is between April and September
Check road conditions before travelling
P: 08 8951 8250
Arltunga Historical Reserve
Hart, NT 0872
Open all year round. Best time to visit is between April and September
Check road conditions before travelling
P: 08 8951 8250
Iytwelepenty / Davenport Ranges National Park
Davenport NT 0872
Open all year round. Best time to visit is between April and September
Check road conditions with Ali Curung Police Station on 08 8964 1959
P: 08 8951 8250
Judbarra / Gregory National Park
Victoria Highway, Gregory NT 0852
Open all year round, but experiences road closures during the wet season (November to April)
Check road conditions before travelling
P: 08 8973 8888
THE NEXT STEP
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Related articles:
The Binns Track, Mt Dare to Timber Creek: Part 1
8 wonders of the East and West MacDonnell Ranges, NT
The Binns Track, Mt Dare to Timber Creek: Part 2