Mereenie Loop Road
 

I’m doing a Central Australia trip in a few weeks two up on a BMW R1200GS fully loaded (mostly with my wife’s gear). Was planning to travel from Alice Springs to Kings Canyon via the Mereenie Loop Rd. Have heard stories of bull dust, sand and bad corrugations. Has anyone done this road and do you think its OK for a not too experience off-road rider on a heavy bike?

It was OK....
 

When I went through there a coupla years ago. However, things can change drastically with one sweep of a grader, as you probably know. Best thing to do would be call the Police/Ranger station at Hermansburg and ask first. Hope it is, (and it should be at this time of year, as it's promoted as a tourist road...), Magnificent country.
Good luck, and happy riding.Bootlace.

short answer...
 

a bit late for swb108, but a couple of tips anyway, before you head into the (fairly) remote reaches of sandy central aust:

- get some offroad experience (maybe on a lighter bike to start),
- lose some of the extra 'stuff',
- let your tyres down for both sand and corrugations, and
- dare to go, but take it easy and expect to drop it in sand if you're just learning.

there are some heavy corrugations and deep sand in places on the mereenie loop, but man it makes for some fun if you know what you're doing. for a while there it was my preferred route from alice to uluru, a few to several times a year. it's a beautiful ride, and there's been talk for years about sealing it.

otherwise, if you choose the bitumen it's a nice ride anyhow. oh and the hermannsburg police won't be interested in your escapades. there's an info line / website for travel info: Road Report Website

cheers,
andy.