Conquering the Gunbarrel Highway

Twenty-two Suzuki Jimnys tackle Australia’s outback, a grueling expedition that lasted nine days and 2,800 miles.

Tony Ellison is a current-serving Royal Australian Navy veteran and part-time YouTube content creator running the Mighty Overlander channel. He recently joined 21 other JB74 Suzuki Jimnys to face one of the most grueling and isolated parts of the Australian outback: the Gunbarrel Highway.

Twenty-two Suzuki Jimnys tackled Australia’s outback, a grueling expedition that lasted nine days and 2,800 miles.

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Ellison’s good friend and owner of Wildtrak Leisure Australia, David Howie was the mastermind behind the expedition. It took Howie and his team nearly two years to plan this amazing and extremely challenging trip, which took the 22 Suzukis from Perth, Western Australia all the way to Yulara and Uluru in the Northern Territory via the Gunbarrel Highway, over nine days.

The impetus of the trip: one man, one Jimny—as a self-sufficient off-grid micro-overlander.

The impetus of the trip: one man, one Jimny—as a self-sufficient off-grid micro-overlander.

Jimnys on a Mission

Twenty-two Jimnys, along with four support vehicles, started in Bakershill, north of Perth, and proceeded northeast to Merredin before heading north on the rabbit proof fence road. This is an unsealed dirt road following a section of unbroken fence to limit destructive impacts of rabbits and other vermin.

Making their way towards Bullfinch and Sandstone for the group’s first few nights of camp, the final destination was Uluru (AKA Ayers Rock), Northern Territory via the Gunbarrel Highway. Starting in Wiluna, passing through Carnegie Station, Mt. Beadell, Helena Highway, and Warburton. The final camp was at Armstrong Creek, a dry riverbed just south of Uluru.

“It was a huge adventure in a little rig,” Ellison said. “I loved the idea of putting the Jimny through its paces and tackling one of the hardest off-road tracks in the country if not the world.”

Aussie Wilderness

The landscape changed during the entire trek, as did the driving conditions. Well-maintained unsealed roads gave way to wet tracks accented with lush greenery and undulating hills. Blacktop became a distant memory as the Jimnys trudged through the red dirt trails of the northern wheat belt of Western Australia. Endless farms grew wheat, canola, fruit, and more. Floods provided sloppy roads and challenging conditions.

Soon the drivers began to spot chunks of black iron ore on the ground, as the expedition had reached goldmining country just out of Bullfinch, Western Australia. Further north, the group encountered incredible salt lakes of the Menzies region, which for the first time in a long time, were full of water.

At the foothills of the Helena and Aurora Range, a magnificently banded ironstone formation, the crew encountered extremely muddy tracks with brightly colored green, purple and red wildflowers lining their perimeter.

The landscape changed again near Sandstone, offering yellow sand dunes covered in low scrub and spinifex grass. Wiluna and the Gunbarrel Highway brought back the rich red dirt, with flat vistas transitioning to rocky plateaus and rolling red sand dunes.

Triumphant Two-Doors

“This is where our driving techniques and speed changed dramatically,” Ellison declared. “Once you pass Carnegie Station, the Gunbarrel Highway is no longer maintained. It’s hard going with deep rocky washaways and ever-constant corrugations. It was tough—most times we were in first and second gear.” The trails were unforgiving and rattled Ellison’s Jimny to its core.

Coming out of the Gunbarrel four days later, all 22 two-door Jimnys made their way north on the Great Central, intersecting dozens of dry riverbeds, on their way to Yulara. They then passed through Warburton and Warakuma, the home of the Giles Weather Station, the most remote weather observatory in the world. The team’s reaped handsome rewards for their hard work over the nine-day period, like one of the most iconic vistas in Australia—and then some.

“Throughout the entire trip we encountered a vast array of wildlife, Ellison exclaimed. “We saw Red and Grey kangaroos, emus, and native birds of every size from tiny green and brown finches to massive black cockatoos.“

The closer they got to Carnegie Station, the more they saw well-fed cattle. Deeper into the Gunbarrel they found herds of wild camels and packs of dingos, along with snakes, lizards, and spiders. “I loved the idea of putting the Jimny through its paces and tackling one of the hardest off-road tracks in the country, if not the world,” Ellison explained. “The biggest challenge was fuel and water storage. The whole team made it without needing extra fuel from the support vehicles, which was amazing.”

Ellison’s Suzuki Trifecta

“Off-road driving is a staple for many Australian kids,” Ellison said. “Australia is a huge country and many of the best places are very isolated.” Ellison started off-roading with his father when he was “knee high to a grasshopper.”

“My father was in Army for 25 years so growing up we spent a lot of time involved with outdoor activities like camping and fishing,” Ellison explained. His first experience with outback off-roading was in an old 70s-series Toyota Land Cruiser traveling the North Coast of Western Australia.

He’s now on his third Suzuki. The first was a 1986 Jimny Sierra soft top his grandfather let him drive when he got his license (if you’re in the U.S., you may know the Sierra as the Samurai). Since then, he’s also owned a 2006 second-generation Jimny. Then, in 2018 he found leaked images of the new JB74 and knew he had to own one.

“I ended up being the second person in the state [of Western Australia] to take delivery of the new model at the start of 2019, which has since become one of the most popular 4x4s in Australia with wait lists blowing out to two years in some cases,” Ellison said with a smile.

“They’re purebred off-roaders. From the short wheelbase to the solid front and rear axles, these little rigs are just super capable,” he adds. “I’m also a huge fan of the compact nature of them, allowing me to go places many of the bigger 4x4s struggle getting to.”

The Mighty Overlander’s JB74 Jimny

“Since owning my JB74 I’ve done pretty much every upgrade and modification you can think of,” Ellison said. “Where possible I’ve used Australian brands and local small businesses.”

Ellison started with ARB’s Summit bull bar and Intensity spotlights up front to help stave off kangaroo strikes. For underbody protection and recovery, Ellison’s Jimny features a set of Custom Off-road bash plates and BEI House recovery points, items from two Queensland, Australian manufacturers. A WARN VR EVO 8-S winch with synthetic rope rounds out the front.

“Warn [winches] are widely considered the best winches in the game. It’s great having that insurance policy to get out of trouble,” Ellison said, “particularly on those solo trips.”

For water hazard mitigation he has a TJM Snorkel and diff breathers. For fuel range, Ellison’s Jimny has approximately a 10.5-gallon-sized tank (40 liters), giving him approximately 250 miles (400km) when fully loaded. To increase range, he had an extended-range fuel tank installed, doubling his capacity.

Ellison’s kitted out Jimny boasts an Iron Man lift kit and beefier springs to allow for the increased cargo weight. It also rolls on 235/75 R15 BFGoodrich KO2 all-terrain tires.

“On the roof I have a Frontrunner Slimline II roof rack, under-rack table mount, rear ladder, and recovery board mounts,” Ellison stated. He also has a Rhino-Rack Batwing 270-degree awning.

Interior Upgrades

“Cargo management is one of the most important aspects of owning a micro-overlander like the Jimny,” Ellison said. “I have a combination of MOLLE shelving, window panels, and a spare-wheel gas-bottle mount from KAON Australia, another awesome Australian company out of Queensland.” This allows Ellison excellent interior usage of his Jimny. “To finish off the cargo system I use Grab Me Gear canvas pods and spare wheel bag to keep everything organized.”

Most of Ellison’s camp gear is from Wildtrak Leisure Australia. This includes his sleep system, a canvas swag, and his Coolite 50L refrigeration system. To power his setup, Ellison uses a Nomad PDU 100Ah portable lithium power station. Additionally, he uses a GME XRS 330 UHF radio to stay in contact with the team.

“As you can see, I have done a heap to this car and really turned it into the ‘Ultimate Down Under Micro-Overlander!’”

You can follow Tony Ellison’s adventures on Instagram @mighty_overlander.

If you’re dreaming of an Australia overland expedition, read more stories from the Land Down Under:

Goog’s Track

Journey to the Tip of Australia: Cape York’s Old Telegraph Track

Jeep Convoy Overland Australia

Editor’s Note: A version of this story previously appeared in the May/June 2023 print issue of Tread Magazine.