Alice Springs makes a useful base for both short outings and longer journeys. Simpsons Gap in the West MacDonnell Ranges is close to town; Kings Canyon and Uluru need more time and advance planning.
Choose a nearby walk for a shorter day, or plan overnight stops for the longer roads. Check weather, park access and fuel before leaving town.
The shape suits the country. Driving out, staying put for a night or two and driving back means the same camp, the same water and the same bed, and it means you see the rock at two different times of day. Uluru is 450 km of sealed road with no towns on it, which is a driving day before anything else happens, and that is why the rock is a two-night stop rather than a day trip. Adelaide at 1,531 km is the other end of the same logic.
The four distances
- Kings Canyon320 km
- Uluru450 km
- Darwin1,491 km
- Adelaide1,531 km
The longer drives deserve overnight planning. Driving times vary with conditions and stops.
The desert rewards returning to the same bed, not passing through.
Three shapes for the trip
- Uluru and back 450 km each way on sealed road. Two nights at the rock makes the drive worthwhile; one night makes it a photograph and a long day.
- The Mereenie loop The western approach through the ranges. It is unsealed in part and may need a permit, so confirm the surface and the paperwork first.
- South to Adelaide 1,531 km on the Stuart Highway. The long option, and the one that needs a vehicle chosen for empty stretches rather than for comfort.
A vehicle for empty country
Fuel spacing, heat and long unsealed sections decide the vehicle here, not the distance to the rock. If the plan includes the loop or the highway south, take the class that suits the surface.
Explore Wicked Campers for campervan hire in Alice Springs. Check vehicle availability and road restrictions with the operator.