Adelaide to Darwin – A Great Outback Adventure
Commonly referred to as a “drive up the middle”, the Adelaide to Darwin road trip has many things to see and do, with a bundle of excellent (and often Free!) places to stay the night too. We took a less direct route to see a few additional sights along the way on this trip to Darwin, which served as a precursor to our Kimberley adventure.
Using Wikicamps can help find free and cheap campsites, and we generally just planned one day at a time (it’s nice to not be in a rush!). So here we go, the Adelaide to Darwin road trip, taking a more adventurous route along the way!
Parachilna Gorge, Flinders Ranges
Rather than take the Sturt Highway, we detoured off towards the scenic Flinders Ranges, and made our first camp site at the excellent free camping area in Parachilna Gorge. A mostly dry creek bed cuts through the hills and camping spots are dotted left and right. It’s a stunning drive even if you don’t plan to camp in there. After some rain the road crossings can get a bit of water flowing over them, but nothing I’ve ever experienced to worry about.
If you have time, the Blinman pub is a beauty (100% recommended over the Prairie Hotel at Parachilna!)
If you really wanted to explore the area, I also recommend the awesome free camping at Chambers Gorge – a trip further west from Blinman.
Coober Pedy
We travelled further north to Maree, and then made a stop for lunch at the Lake Eyre South lookout. Whilst Lake Eyre did have water in it at the time, Lake Eyre South did not! The dry saltpan expanding off into the distance is impressive. And it’s even more impressive when you consider the south part is tiny compared to the main lake. I imagine if you stood in the middle of it, you’d see nothing but salt pan in every direction.
Further north we stopped in at the well known William Creek Hotel. They had no beer on tap which was a disappointment, and the pub serves more as a check in for tourist flights over the lake than a traditional style pub. But, we enjoyed a stubby here none the less! There is a camping area across the road from the hotel which would make a nice stop if it was nearing the end of the day, but we had plenty of light left.
From here we considered following the Oodnadatta Track north for something a bit more adventurous – but recent rains had made sections of the track a bit sketchy, so we cut back across to Coober Pedy. This connecting dirt road was recently graded, and driving like a highway – apart from an enormous washout which was a metre deep across half the road. Luckily we spotted it early for some evasive action.
We checked in to one of the local Caravan Parks – which had the option of pitching tents in an underground cave! It wasn’t too hot when we rolled in, so we set up outside and made use of the showering facilities.
Coober Pedy has a few Opal related attractions, but we opted to duck in to “Crocodile Harry’s Underground Nest“. A carve out into the side of the hill filled with all sorts of eccentric drawings and memorabilia. Sounds like Harry was quite the womaniser back in the day.
Uluru
On day 3, we made it a big driving day – determined to get all the way to Uluru and set up camp to allow us time to explore the next day. If you’ve never been to Uluru before, then this is certainly worth the big detour when travelling Adelaide to Darwin. Wikicamps directed us to a road side stop outside of the park. We followed some 4wd tracks along and ended up with a ripping view of the rock from atop a dune!
We spent the next day visiting both Uluru and the Olga’s which were both an amazing sight just jutting out of the flat plains surrounding them. Uluru is much much bigger than I expected it to be.
Kings Canyon
In outback terms, King’s Canyon is pretty close to Uluru. But, the road takes a big loop around 300kms. We set off early, as we wanted to do the large Kings Canyon Loop walk before it got too hot. This is a fantastic hike – hard going as you climb a lot of steps to begin with, but then reasonably flat as you walk around the perimeter of the canyon.
West MacDonnell Ranges
Not keen on camping at the caravan park at King’s Canyon, we pressed on towards West MacDonnell Ranges, with a plan to find a camp before the sun set. We cut it very fine, rolling in to the Finke River campground and setting up tents just before dark. This free camping ground sits right on the edge of the river – amazing. It does have a number of soft sand areas, so caution needed for those towing or not in 4wd.
Another one-nighter – we got up early to trek towards Alice Springs, but not without first stopping to check out Big Hole Ellery Creek. This famous swimming hole looked very inviting, but it was still a bit cold in the morning, and the water was icy! We skipped the dip, and made tracks to the red centre capital.
Alice Springs
We opted for a couple of nights in the caravan park to freshen up, and stock up on a couple more supplies. Being a golf addict, I couldn’t resist the chance to go play 18 holes at the very nice course in town. The rocky outcrops lining a few fairways are unique to what I’ve played elsewhere. Highly recommended for any golfing fan passing through.
The razorwire fencing surrounding the caravan park made us feel like we were in a prison, but we had no troubles and the hosts were very friendly.
Devil’s Marbles
Another popular and worthwhile stop on the Stuart Highway is the Devil’s Marbles. Another marvel of nature that leaves you questioning “How the hell did these get here?”. Somebody has held the devil responsible going by the name. You can camp here (for a fee), which was quite popular, or head on further to free campsite at The Pebbles.
The Pebbles (Tennant Creek)
Just north of Tennant Creek, is a free camp area named the Pebbles. We opted to pitch the tents for a night here. It’s quite popular with back packers and the like, and proved to be a nice little spot to pull over for the night which felt quite safe. There are toilets available here.
Leaving the next morning, an Austrian backpacker flagged me down as his hire campervan had packed it in, so we towed him out to the next road house (Threeways – not far north from the Pebbles).
Daly Waters Pub
The famous Daly Waters Pub – you’ve got to stop in here for a drink (and marvel at their collection of hanging bras!) We arrived around lunch time, so had no excuse not to stop for a pint and a meal. This is a great example of what a popular country pub should be like.
Whilst you can camp next to the pub for a small fee, with plenty of light left in the day, we moved on to cover some more road whilst we could.
Mataranka
If there is one spot on the Adelaide to Darwin road trip that you absolutely must stop at, its Mataranka. We stayed at Bitter Springs Cabin and Camping . The hosts were great. We asked for something with a little bit of privacy (expecting a usual caravan park type setup) and they directed us to a beauitful clearing amongst the trees which fit our two 4wds and large tents with ease. There was oodles of space to the next campers. Though one thing I do dislike about caravan parks did pop up – someone telling us to stop talking at 9pm! (not the owners, just a grump traveler).
The big attraction as Mataranka is Bitter Springs, and it is not to be missed. A crystal clear, warm water stream which you can float down for 10 minutes – then climb out the steps, walk back, and repeat! Do not forget your floaty device! We used pool noodles!
The Mataranka Thermal Pool is worth a look as well. It was very popular when we visited, but its really just a warm pool that’s concreted in. We preferred the natural look and flow of Bitter Springs for our swims.
Darwin
Destination, arrived! We spent a few nights in Darwin at a large caravan park outside the city (there are many to choose from) before embarking on the next part of our adventure.
Adelaide River Crocodile Tours was worthwhile visit. Mindil Beach Sunset Market was a nice night out on a Wednesday – and a cracking sunset to boot. We enjoyed a few drinks at the Darwin Ski Club on the water, and also checked out the Museum (the beers at the Ski Club were better)
All in all, a great adventure!
Following our trip up the middle, we made out way over to the Gibb River Road – check it out.
