Budget Camps and Stops Australia

Camping Around Tasmania

Cool Camping Australia: East Coast

Camping Around Northern Territory

1000 Great Places Travel with Kids in Australia

Back Roads Australia (DK Eyewitness Travel Back Roads)

Travel Australia

Explore Australia by Caravan and Motorhome

West Coast Australia Footprint Handbook (Footprint Handbooks)

Pet Accommodation on Australia’s East Coast

Explore Australia 2012

To the Top End: Our Trip Across Australia

Complete Caravan Chef

Holiday in South Australia

Holiday in Western Australia: Free and Low-cost Stops

Great Gift Ideas For Anyone Who Loves Camping and Travelling Australia

Driving the Stuart Highway can be done is 3 ways – express, scenic or extremely scenic.

The Express itinerary could be done in 5 days travelling about an average 550 kilometres per day, this would usually be done if you are in a hurry or you have travelled this highway many times.

Use this Street Directory Map to follow the itineraries for a guide.

This itinerary example starts from the south leaving from Port Augusta SA

• Port Augusta to Coober Pedy 542 kilometres
• Coober Pedy to Alice Springs 690 kilometres
• Alice Springs to Tennant Creek 531 kilometres
• Tennant Creek to Mataranka 547 kilometres
• Mataranka to Darwin 422 kilometres

The Scenic itinerary takes about 2 – 3 weeks

• Day 1 – Starting at Port Augusta SA to Coober Pedy SA
• Day 3 – Coober Pedy to Ayers Rock Resort  or other Accommodation – Visit Uluru -Ayers Rock and the Olgas
• Day 5 – Drive to Alice Springs stay for 3 days and visit area
• Day 8 – Alice Springs to Tennant Creek – Visit Devils Marble (has camp ground)  Explore Tennant Creek
• Day 10 – Tennant Creek to Mataranka – Visit Daly Waters Pub (has campground)
• Day 11 – Mataranka to Katherine
• Day 13 – Katherine to Darwin
• Day 14 – Visit Darwin, Kakadu N.P.,  Litchfield N.P. and many other attractions around the area – you can easily stay a week to a month.

The Extreme Scenic Itinerary could take 2 months or more.

• Starting at Port Augusta you can visit Woomera, Flinders Ranges and Lake Eyre and then return to the Stuart Highway
• Then travel to Coober Pedy and stay for several days exploring this very unique opal mining town
• From Coober Pedy travel north to Ayers Rock Resort or another accommodation like Curtain Springs. There is plenty to in this area, visit Uluru, the Olgas etc- if you have a 4WD vehicle you can drive to Alice Springs via the Mereenie Loop and stay at Kings Canyon and Palm Valley. Tours are available if you don’t have a 4WD.
• Alice Springs has many attractions & experiences to enjoy, you can drive to Ormiston Gorge, Glen Helen Gorge and other natural attractions. You can easily spend several weeks in the area.
• Leave Alice Springs and head north to Devils Marbles and Tennant Creek and stay a night or 2
• Leave Tennant Creek and drive to Daly Waters Pub, stay in the campground or basic accommodation. Enjoy this unique pub, beefnreef meal is available everynight.
• From Daly Waters drive to Mataranka and enjoy the thermal springs and the Barra Jumping show and more. Stay 2 or 3 nights
• Drive to Katherine, explore and cruise Katherine Gorge, stay 2 or 3 days
• North of Katherine there is an amazing amount of activities to and places to see. Just a few of them is Berry Springs, Howard Springs, Litchfield National Park, Darwin, Adelaide River, Kakadu National Park. This Top End area could easily keep you busy for a month.

The Stuart Highway or Explorers Way is an exciting drive with plenty to see & do, although there is some long drives with not a lot see in some areas in the Outback. The amazing things you do see well and truly makes up for it. These itineraries are only examples, please check ahead for your accommodation prior to leaving or along the way.

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Travel with us on our exciting family adventure travel holiday driving on the Stuart Highway Australia.

http://www.travel-australia-planning-guide.com/family-adventure-travel.html

Always travel with a good supply of water in case you break down on the road. This is very important in summer, or if you are in the bush or Outback. Summer temperatures can reach 40 – 45° Celsius. If you do have a break down stay with your vehicle as you will be found faster and the vehicle will provide shelter. Here are some tips as suggestions for keeping safer while you are travelling.

• You should always tell people where you are going and how long you expect to be.
• Drive on the left side of the road
• Always wear seatbelts – both in the front and rear of cars
• Do not drink and drive – the limit is 0.05
• Do not pick up hitch-hikers (do not hitch-hike)
• Plan your trip and prepare well.
• Keep an eye on your gauges and remember to keep your petrol tank well filled and your water topped up
• Do not use a mobile phone while driving
• Make sure you have a spare tyre and repair and digging tools
• Have a map and a GPS is worth considering especially if you are going to remote areas
• In country areas take a mobile phone, in the Outback look to hire a satellite phone or personal safety radio beacon
• Watch out for wildlife – wombats, kangaroos, cattle etc

Aussie road trips are a lot of fun, you can make your own schedule, change your plans when necessary or you want to. You get to see some amazing scenery as you drive along and some very unique things like a double decker bus in the middle of nowhere, old boots decorating a tree, some great Aussie letter boxes.

When you are preparing for your trip remember that your safety and other road users safety is very important so everyone one and have travelling Australia will have a trip they will want to remember..

To change route drag the lines – kilometres  and time taken will be immediately changed so you can find the best route to suit you.

Please ignore time taken as it is very misleading and not at all realistic on most trips except for very short trips. Please refer to Your Guide To Travelling Australia Ebook for suggestions of travelling times.

Driving Around Australia – Visiting Main Cities

Perth WA to Adelaide SA to Melbourne VIC to  Sydney NSW

Alice Springs NT to Sydney NSW

Darwin NT to Broome WA to Perth WA

Devonport, Launceston, Hobart, return to Devonport TAS

Darwin NT to Cairns QLD

Canberra ACT to Brisbane QLD

Melbourne VIC to Canberra ACT

Adelaide SA to Melbourne VIC

Melbourne YIC to Sydney NSW

Brisbane QLD to Sydney NSW

Darwin NT To Brisbane QLD

Port Augusta SA to Darwin NT (including Uluru)

Torquay VIC to Portsea VIC

Great Ocean Road VIC

Port Augusta SA to Warnambool VIC

Eucla WA  to Port Augusta SA

Coober Pedy Facts

• Coober Pedy is an opal mining town located on the Stuart Highway between Alice Springs and port Augusta in the outback of South Australia.
• Coober Pedy is renowned for its underground living, due to the harsh climate of the region and for being the largest producer of opals.
• Coober Pedy can be found 850 kilometres north of Adelaide and 680 kilometres south of Alice Springs.
• Coober Pedy has a population of approximately 4000 people, most live in underground dwellings.
• There are approximately 400 aboriginals living in Coober Pedy. They originally named the town and the translated meaning is ‘white man’s burrow’.
• There is many underground, caravan parks, motels and hotels for travelers to stay – an extremely unique experience.

In July 2000 my family and friends from Melbourne embarked on our ‘First Big Trip’ travelling from Victoria, up the Stuart Hwy to Darwin, Kakadu and returned to Victoria via Outback Queensland and New South Wales. We arrived home absolutely amazed at what we had experienced and can’t wait for the next trip.

This trip was for 6 weeks and we travelled about 10,000kms. Click Here for the Itinerary.

As we drove into Coober Pedy first thing you see is dirt and more dirt in the shape of mullock heaps, certainly not very inviting. But once you get into the town it has a very unique appeal.

We had planned to stay for 2 nights and not booked any accommodation, but had the plan to camp at Stuart Range Caravan Park. So we drove in and drove over to the camping area and realised there was no way a tent peg could be hit into ground as hard as a rock. New plan – stay in a motel room – much easier than camping anyway.

Looking around town the first thing I noticed that there was not a blade of grass, the only plants I saw were two pot plants outside a shop. Gardens just didn’t exist as there is limited water and the heat gets to extreme temperatures in summer. There is at least 10 or more Opal shops, we looked in most of them and they started to all look the same, but the owners were interesting they all had a story to tell or something special to show. There is some very impressive opals and with prices to match.

There is a full range of accommodation, several kms out of town camping can be done underground which sure would be unique, you can stay in underground homes, various motels, hotels even a 5 star underground hotel, the Desert Cave Hotel we had a look in the foyer, unfortunately that’s all we could do, would be a special place to stay.

There is a terrific lookout in the main street where I took the above photos, they show how barren Coober Pedy is. Even the football oval is dirt, the gold course has to be one of a kind, dirt for fairways and the ‘greens’ are definitely not green, they are dirt mixed with oil so they have a black appearance, a very unique experience for golfers

The main street has the usual things newsagent, supermarket, fuel, post office, takeaway food – we can recommend the pizza shop – tested several times!!

The underground homes are cool and so unusual, the entrance is a ground level with steps and walk in. The one we visited had the normal rooms also had a pool and billiard table. Most of the walls had the rough touch with a painted finish with a few panelled feature walls. All the furniture was just like we would have – like the photos show. When the temperatures outside get to 50 – 60 degrees the temp inside stays at a comfortable level.

There is quite a few tourist things to do, we went to ‘The Old Timers Mine’ which was very interesting it explained and showed the history of Opal mining. Others things to do are the Aboriginal Interpretive Centre, Umoona Opal Mine and Museum, Underground homes and other buildings, search for your own opals in the public noodling area or buy your own at an Opal Shop, Coober Pedy Pottery, The Big Winch Gift shop and lookout, the Breakaways are out of town, but well worth a look.

If you get the opportunity I highly recommend visiting this unique Aussie Town.

We stayed at Coober Pedy twice in 2003 on our ‘Kimberley’ trip these were overnight stays, this time we stayed at The Opal Inn. Our ‘Kimberley’ Trip was another great adventure….that’s another story!

For more information about Coober Pedy Click Here

Don’t Know How To Start Planning Your Holiday – Find Out More Here

Have you been to Coober Pedy, what did you like about it?

The total drive is about 3250 kilometres plus any side trips to Lake Eyre, Uluru, Litchfield National Park etc. A fast track trip could take 4 or 5, but if you want to see the delights of the Outback and Top End, not just the towns and the scenery along the Stuart Highway, but destinations like Coober Pedy, Uluru, Litchfield National Park etc.

Starting at the southern end at Adelaide, the next main town is Port Augusta, driving further on you will see the magnificent Flinders Ranges on the eastern side.

There is accommodation at Woomera which is a short distance off the Stuart highway, also on the same road is the mining towns of Roxby Downs, Olympic Dam and Andamooka. Tours are available – may need to be pre booked.

Adelaide to Pimba is 177 kilometres, turn here to travel to Woomera. Pimba to Coober Pedy is a further 365 kilometres along the Stuart Highway.

Further along the Stuart Highway is Coober Pedy. The majority of opals sold all over the world are Aussie opals from Coober Pedy. A very unique town that is certainly worth visiting, accommodation ranges from camping to a 5 star underground Motel.

Your next stop is at Erldunda on Stuart Highway, from Erldunda you have 2 options – either driving further along the Stuart Highway or turning left and driving towards Uluru – Ayers Rock.

There are several options for accommodation at Curtin Springs & Ayers Rock Resort etc. You can visit Uluru and the Olgas from either of these accommodation places.

Coober Pedy to Erldunda is 489 kilometres.

Erldunda to Alice Springs is 202 kilometres.

Erldunda to Uluru is 244 kilometres.

If you have chosen to go to Uluru – Ayers Rock first before going to Alice Springs and you have a 4WD vehicle this is an optional way to drive to Alice Springs.

If you have a 4WD you can drive to Alice Springs via the Mereenie Loop which takes you past Kings Canyon and Palm Valley which both have campgrounds.

If you don’t have a 4WD, tours can be arranged so you can still see these beautiful places and many other locations in the area.

Alice Springs is a great town to visit, as you drive into Alice Springs you will notice the Macdonnell Ranges on the east and the west also you will see the Todd River which is usually dry. There is so much to see in Alice Springs and the area that you could easily stay for a week or two.

Alice Springs to Tennant Creek is 500 kilometres.

The next main town is Tennant Creek but before you get to Tennant Creek is the Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve with a basic campground. Well worth a stop a least, quite often you see photos with 2 rocks, the Devils is far more interesting than that, with many ‘marbles’ to see and walks to do.

Tennant Creek is a gold mining town with plenty of history, you can fossick for gold, stroll around the historic telegraph Station and much more.

After Tennant Creek is the Three Ways Roadhouse at the intersection for the Barkly Highway that goes to Mount Isa and across to Townsville on the East Coast.

Three ways Road House to Daly Waters is about 370 kilometres.

Daly Waters is well worth a visit, Daly Waters Pub is a very unique old Aussie pub. Behind the pub is a basic campground and they have meals for passing travellers.

Daly Waters to Mataranka is about 170 kilometres.

Next is Mataranka is the start of the Top End, Mataranka is well known for it’s beautiful thermal pool, which you can camp nearby and also the barramundi feeding sessions are well worth seeing at Territory Manor.

Mataranka to Katherine is 100 kilometres.

Katherine well known for the stunning Katherine Gorge which you can go for a guided cruise along and you will learn about the aboriginal history of the area and much more.

Between Katherine and Darwin is some amazing places to visit, Litchfield National Park – home of Wangi Falls, Florence Falls and Buley Rockholes.

Berry Springs – Territory Wildlife Park, Howard Springs, Adelaide River – see some Crocs and other wildlife in their natural habitat and much more.

Katherine to Darwin is 215 kilometres.

Darwin is the gateway to many exciting and interesting things to do like barramundi fishing, exploring Kakadu National Park, many tours can be arranged from Darwin, plenty of retail therapy is avaible with Darwin Mall and shopping centres, museums and art galleries, history and musch more.

Then there is the world famous Kakadu National Park and Jabiru which has a holiday park and beautiful swimming pool, usually in the Top End the safe places to swim are swimming pools so their many of them. If you have the time Kakadu National Park and Darwin area will easily keep you busy for several weeks or months.

Further Information

South Australia Tourism

Northern Territory Tourism

The Explorers Way