The Canning Stock Route is touted as one of the last great 4WD trips in Australia. Challenging, and at certain times of the year harsh, it stretches 1850km from Williluna in the south to Halls Creek in the north.

But there's a lot more to this track than simply dust, flies and romantic notions of Australia's droving history. Along the length of the Canning, are sites of cultural and heritage significance. 

The Canning crosses four exclusive possession native title areas: Martu, Ngurrara, Birriliburu and Tjurabalan. It also crosses one native title claim area, Wiluna. The public have the right to access to the Canning Stock Route, but can only access the adjacent areas if the native title holders give their consent. 

One of our deep concerns, is that growing tourism will jeopardise sites of cultural and heritage significance. We're already witnessing a negative environmental impact from the increase in traffic.  

In response, we've formed the Kuju Wangka committee, with representatives from all the native title groups listed above. Our plan is to implement a consistent management strategy, introducing a single permit system, constructing permanent and low-impact campsites and creating employment opportunities for Indigenous rangers. We are also developing culturally appropriate information about the region, to enrich the experience of tourists and teach them about the country they're travelling through. 

It’s been a rocky couple of years with COVID sweeping the country and tourism restricted along the Canning. Our last proper planning meeting was in November 2019. Despite this, the committee is still strong and we’re feeling positive about the year ahead!

For more information about Kuju Wangka and the Canning Stock Route click here.