--- title: "How much fuel to carry on the Gunbarrel: Warburton to Carnegie Station" description: "A review of NextLevelOZ's Gunbarrel episodes, and what FuelOracle says the 487 km from Warburton to Carnegie Station needs when you're towing a caravan." url: "https://fueloracle.com.au/blog/gunbarrel-how-much-fuel-to-carry" published: "2026-10-03" author: "Shane Lord" category: "Creator trips" tags: - "Gunbarrel Highway" - "Jerry cans" - "Northern Territory" - "Remote fuel" - "Towing" - "Western Australia" creators: - name: "NextLevelOZ" url: "https://www.youtube.com/@nextleveloz" videos: - title: "Cape Byron to Steep Point Across Australia Expedition in our Expedition van. The journey begins." url: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2et93ndeHcU" - title: "Expedition vans on the Gunbarrel Highway. World's Worst Short Cut Ep 4" url: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W-7BJajFz0" - title: "Gunbarrel Highway to Carnegie Station. How hard is it? World's worst short cut Ep 5" url: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZxItBj-Z7Y" - title: "We camp at a Ghost Station. From Carnegie to Murchison - World's worst shortcut Ep 6" url: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGx4SSjKqa8" - title: "Steep Point, worst road of our 7000km trip? World's worst short cut Ep 7" url: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMKNZhY8D08" - title: "5 yr old Defender after 13,500km trip across Australia. What broke? Mods, Hacks & tips." url: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7UHjz9N0Bs" feature: "Jerry cans and aux tanks" pricesDated: "2026-09-25" cover: "https://fueloracle.com.au/_image?href=https%3A%2F%2Ffueloracle.com.au%2F_emdash%2Fapi%2Fmedia%2Ffile%2F01M3QY3VKJAWMFNS7TH6JHSA8W.jpg&w=1600&h=1200&f=webp" coverAlt: "The Gunbarrel Highway running dead straight into the distance, a corrugated red sand track through low spinifex and scrub under a cloudless sky" coverCredit: author: "Gazjo at English Wikipedia" license: "Public domain" licenseUrl: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Template:PD-user" source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gunbarrel-Highway-26-Jun-2007.jpg" glance: - value: "487 km" label: "Warburton to Carnegie Station with no reachable fuel" - value: "34 L" label: "Extra diesel needed if Carnegie sells you fuel" - value: "107 L" label: "Extra needed if it doesn't and you run on to Wiluna" - value: "90 L" label: "What NextLevelOZ actually carried" --- # How much fuel to carry on the Gunbarrel: Warburton to Carnegie Station My wife and I have been following NextLevelOZ's "World's worst short cut" series. David and Paula tow a [Zone RV Expedition](https://www.zonerv.com.au/off-road-caravans/expedition/) Hard Top caravan behind a Land Rover Defender from Cape Byron, the easternmost point of mainland Australia, to Steep Point, the westernmost. [The series starts here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2et93ndeHcU) - it's a great watch and worth your time. This is my review of it, with a FuelOracle lens on the leg that had me reaching for the numbers: the Gunbarrel Highway. They had an early version of FuelOracle along for the ride, and what David found on this trip changed it. Nothing here replaces the episodes. Running that leg through FuelOracle as it is today (with all of its improvements), the answer now may depend _less_ on the road than it does on _one phone call_ to confirm a station has fuel. ![The white Cape Byron Lighthouse on a green headland above the ocean, with a walking path curving around the hill under a blue sky](https://fueloracle.com.au/_image?href=https%3A%2F%2Ffueloracle.com.au%2F_emdash%2Fapi%2Fmedia%2Ffile%2F01M3QY3QACNKMQHKDKJQMMS01J.jpg&w=1400&h=933&f=webp) _Cape Byron Lighthouse, near mainland Australia's easternmost point, where the trip began. Photo: __[BigTo](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Byron_Bay_Leuchtturm.jpg)__, __[CC BY 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)__._ ## The series The early episodes are about getting to the start line. Floods and closures send them the long way round before they even reach the Red Centre, and that detour is a story in itself. From Yulara the series follows them along the Great Central Road to Warburton, across the Gunbarrel to [Carnegie Station](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZxItBj-Z7Y), and on to the sand at [Steep Point](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMKNZhY8D08). It's honest travel video: the good days, the hard ones, and plenty to note down if you're planning something similar. ## Ep 4: the $404 fill The scene that is really relevant to people concerned about fuel cost and availability (like me) is in Ep 4. At Warburton Roadhouse David fills the Defender and every jerry can and pays [$404](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W-7BJajFz0&t=1405s), the most expensive fill of the trip so far. Ahead is the Gunbarrel to Carnegie Station, which he describes as "[No fuel for nearly 500 km](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W-7BJajFz0&t=632s)", towing a caravan on a stock fuel tank. ![A wide red dirt section of the Great Central Road with a single four-wheel drive approaching in the distance under scattered white clouds](https://fueloracle.com.au/_image?href=https%3A%2F%2Ffueloracle.com.au%2F_emdash%2Fapi%2Fmedia%2Ffile%2F01M3QY3QX1FK4MT8BT2WHQHS9G.jpg&w=1400&h=1050&f=webp) _The Great Central Road, part of the Outback Way into Warburton. Photo: __[Gazjo at English Wikipedia](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Great_Central_Road_near_Tjukayirla.jpg)__, __[Public domain](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Template:PD-user)__._ What I like is that he talks through the fuel concerns with us on camera. The rig is already close to its GVM, so every extra litre has to earn its place, and he has a neat trick for the weight ([watch from 11:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W-7BJajFz0&t=663s)). Other travellers reported using "[about 25% more fuel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7UHjz9N0Bs&t=1666s)" than normal on the Gunbarrel, so that's his starting point, and he carries 90 L extra. How he set the rig up to carry it is in [his Defender wrap-up video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7UHjz9N0Bs&t=1603s), and he answers whether he'd carry that much again [in the same video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7UHjz9N0Bs&t=1697s). FuelOracle couldn't tell him much at the time. The version he tried was still in early development (even before I did [my trip](https://fueloracle.com.au/blog/qld-to-nt-where-fueloracle-began) to test it), and he found it "[not quite as useful for the Gunbarrel leg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7UHjz9N0Bs&t=1916s)". So I ran the leg through FuelOracle as it is now. ## The Gunbarrel in FuelOracle ![A two-wheel track of red dirt leading toward Mount Beadell, a small orange rocky hill with a marker on its summit, surrounded by desert scrub](https://fueloracle.com.au/_image?href=https%3A%2F%2Ffueloracle.com.au%2F_emdash%2Fapi%2Fmedia%2Ffile%2F01M3QY3RF5GH02WJZFZMBPFAEG.jpg&w=1400&h=756&f=webp) _The track to Mount Beadell, on the Warburton to Carnegie leg. Photo: __[Summerdrought](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mount_Beadell_092016.jpg)__, __[CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)__._ A long leg with one uncertain fuel stop is exactly what FuelOracle is built for, so I planned it with the rig my wife and I travel with: a 2024 Defender 110 with a stock 89 L tank, towing a [Zone RV Peregrine](https://www.zonerv.com.au/off-road-caravans/peregrine/). David's Defender is similar to ours, with the same 89 L tank, towing his Expedition. My setup used 18.7 L/100 km towing, which FuelOracle has calibrated from 32 of our own recorded fills. David averaged 17.5 to 17.6 across the whole outbound trip. I set the Warburton to Carnegie section as dirt, which FuelOracle counts as 25% more fuel than sealed road, the same allowance David used. Carnegie to Wiluna is graded gravel, at 15% more. With no jerry cans, FuelOracle wouldn't plan it. Its answer: > We couldn't plan a safe route - there's a ~487 km stretch with no reachable fuel for your tank's range. ... "Carnegie Station" is on that stretch but not in any fuel feed, so the plan cannot rely on it. Ring ahead and confirm fuel there to plan a fill. ![FuelOracle on an iPhone showing a Route not reachable message for the Warburton to Carnegie trip: a 487 km stretch with no reachable fuel, and Carnegie Station is not in any fuel feed.](https://fueloracle.com.au/_image?href=https%3A%2F%2Ffueloracle.com.au%2F_emdash%2Fapi%2Fmedia%2Ffile%2F01M3QY3RV1HCENRCNKKCN0R7FG.png&w=840&h=1826&f=webp) _FuelOracle refusing the Warburton to Carnegie leg rather than counting on an unconfirmed station._ The 487 km lines up with David's own figure for Warburton to Carnegie. From the plan's figures, here is how much fuel each version of the leg needs. The plan keeps a 10% reserve, so a full 89 L tank gives 80.1 L to use. These sums are mine, made from the plan's distances and economy. | Leg (towing) | Distance | Fuel needed | Extra beyond the tank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Warburton to Carnegie, Carnegie sells you fuel | 487 km | 113.7 L | 33.6 L | | Warburton to Wiluna, no fuel at Carnegie | 827 km | 186.8 L | 106.7 L | Run the same sums with David's 17.5 L/100 km and the answers are about 26 L and 95 L extra. If Carnegie sells you fuel, 90 L is nearly three times what the leg needs. If it doesn't, 90 L is about what it takes to reach Wiluna, give or take the reserve. The episodes don't say whether they bought fuel at Carnegie. The honest reading is that David carried enough for the harder case, and the plan explains why that was reasonable. The gap between those two cases is around 60 kg of diesel, plus the cans. On a rig running close to its GVM, that's the difference that one phone call to Carnegie Station makes. ## What David's trip changed David from NextLevelOZ has been a great help to our development of FuelOracle. The _Route not reachable_ notice above is one of the things David's feedback helped enable. When David planned the Gunbarrel, FuelOracle didn't know about stations like Carnegie, and it couldn't yet flag a leg with no reachable fuel, show a point of no return, or recommend how much fuel to buy and how much to put in the jerry cans. All of that has been added since, with fantastic feedback from David along the way. Carnegie is now listed too, marked as not in any fuel feed, with a prompt to ring ahead. Travellers who get fuel there, or find none, can post a report on the station, so the next people heading west know what to expect. Planning this post turned up one more gap: FuelOracle's place search couldn't find Steep Point or Cape Byron, the two ends of the trip. It finds both now. I’m glad to say that if David did this trip again, the fuel side would be far easier - and it’s thanks to his feedback - the product is better for it. ## A tip worth taking from Ep 4 ![A green road sign at the start of the Docker River Road reading Docker River 182 and W.A. Border 190, beside a sandy red track](https://fueloracle.com.au/_image?href=https%3A%2F%2Ffueloracle.com.au%2F_emdash%2Fapi%2Fmedia%2Ffile%2F01M3QY3SHS1995WSPJQHTRR44D.jpg&w=1400&h=908&f=webp) _The Docker River Road, 182 km to the store that sells the cheapest diesel on this run. Photo: __[Calistemon](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Docker_River_Road.jpg)__, __[CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)__._ One of David's calls in Ep 4 is worth copying - and FuelOracle points this out now. He plans to top up at Docker River because it looks cheaper than the next two roadhouses ([watch from 12:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W-7BJajFz0&t=755s)), and the numbers back him. On 25 September 2026, diesel at Docker River Store was 350.0 c/L. Warakurna and Warburton roadhouses were both 429 c/L. FuelOracle's plan from Marla to Warburton fills 70 L at Docker River rather than paying Warakurna or Warburton prices. ![The Docker River Store fuel stop in FuelOracle on an iPhone: arriving at 14% after 231 km, a 70 L fill to 93% at 350.0 c/L, about $245.](https://fueloracle.com.au/_image?href=https%3A%2F%2Ffueloracle.com.au%2F_emdash%2Fapi%2Fmedia%2Ffile%2F01M3QY3T1N77W62BQT988KSB1D.png&w=840&h=1826&f=webp) ![Warburton Roadhouse in the FuelOracle Fuel Lookup on an iPhone: diesel 429 c/L today and tomorrow, from WA FuelWatch.](https://fueloracle.com.au/_image?href=https%3A%2F%2Ffueloracle.com.au%2F_emdash%2Fapi%2Fmedia%2Ffile%2F01M3QY3T87GRPGSGJY306MSNTZ.png&w=840&h=1826&f=webp) _Docker River at 350.0 c/L in the plan, Warburton Roadhouse at 429 in the Fuel Lookup._ At those prices, every litre bought at Docker River instead of Warburton saves 79 cents, so 90 L of jerry fuel is about $71. Prices at remote roadhouses move, so check them on the day rather than relying on these. ## What a plan can't tell you No price feed can tell you whether Carnegie Station will sell you diesel next Tuesday. It's a working station, not a registered fuel outlet. FuelOracle lists it with _no price_ and won't count on it, which is why the plan above refuses the leg rather than guessing. David makes the same point in his wrap-up: "[most of us will do things like ring ahead and check](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7UHjz9N0Bs&t=1824s)". FuelOracle will now let you know that you’re passing a _point of no return_ and suggest how much extra fuel you’ll need to get to where you’re going safely - but applying common sense along with _trust but verify_ are important out there. ![A green Gunbarrel Hwy direction sign in Wiluna listing distances to Carnegie, Giles, Warburton, the WA/NT border and Alice Springs](https://fueloracle.com.au/_image?href=https%3A%2F%2Ffueloracle.com.au%2F_emdash%2Fapi%2Fmedia%2Ffile%2F01M3QY3TKGGE0W7K5E21ZMFHXQ.jpg&w=1400&h=1050&f=webp) _The Gunbarrel sign in Wiluna, with the distance to Carnegie. Photo: __[Gazjo at English Wikipedia](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wiluna-sign-25-Jun-2007.jpg)__, __[Public domain](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Template:PD-user)__._ A plan also doesn't know about closures. The Gunbarrel had been shut before they arrived, and [how they found out it was open](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZxItBj-Z7Y) in Ep 5 is worth knowing before you go. Check with the shires and Main Roads WA before you commit. ## If you're driving it - Fill at Docker River if the price gap is still there, and top up at Warburton only what the Gunbarrel needs. - Ring Carnegie Station before you leave Warburton. The answer decides whether you need about a third of the extra fuel or all of it. - Allow at least 25% extra consumption on the Warburton to Carnegie section when towing. David's sources and FuelOracle's dirt setting agree on that figure. - Count the weight. Around 100 L of diesel in cans is close to 100 kg once you add the containers. - Carry diesel in containers made for it, and never put petrol in anything that isn't rated for it. - Give [FuelOracle](https://fueloracle.app/register?utm_source=fueloracle.com.au&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=gunbarrel) a go. It's free for short trips and the fuel price lookup, there's a 7-day free trial, and a [Trip Pass](/#pricing) gives you everything for 60 days for $14.99. The Docker River fill alone saves more than that. ![A weathered wooden sign reading Steep Point Western Most Point of Mainland Australia on a rocky clifftop above a deep blue ocean](https://fueloracle.com.au/_image?href=https%3A%2F%2Ffueloracle.com.au%2F_emdash%2Fapi%2Fmedia%2Ffile%2F01M3QY3V6SQYJE6QG253Z82J0B.jpg&w=1400&h=937&f=webp) _Steep Point, the westernmost point of mainland Australia and the end of the outbound trip. Photo: __[Ethanwhite07](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Steep_Point_sign.jpg)__, __[CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)__._ ## Watch the whole trip I've only covered the fuel, and there's a lot more to this series than that. The Strzelecki detour, a night camped at a ghost station, the worst road of the 7,000 km and what the Defender needed fixing afterwards are all on the [NextLevelOZ channel](https://www.youtube.com/@nextleveloz). If you're planning this specific leg, start with [Ep 4 on the Great Central Road](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W-7BJajFz0) and [Ep 5 on the Gunbarrel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZxItBj-Z7Y), but I highly recommend you watch the whole series. It's a part of the country many people will never get to see. NextLevelOZ are friends of FuelOracle, and 100% of their YouTube ad revenue goes to charity: Legacy and the Royal Flying Doctor Service. So watch the videos, give them a like and [subscribe](https://www.youtube.com/@nextleveloz?sub_confirmation=1). Every view helps. _Prices: Northern Territory fuel price data © Northern Territory of Australia, sourced from MyFuel NT and used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Data provided by the Western Australian FuelWatch. FuelOracle is an independent app. It does not represent a government entity, and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or authorised by any government entity or any of the agencies whose data it displays. Prices are indicative only and may differ from the price at the bowser._