12 Day Adelaide to Darwin Road trip Itinerary

Welcome to Adelaide, South Australia's capital city, nestled in one of Australia's most celebrated wine regions. Collect your rental car, settle in to your comfortable accommodation, and head out to explore when you're ready!

Adelaide

Cosmopolitan Adelaide is filled to the brim with culture, flavours, events, and entertainment. With spacious boulevards and vibrant inner-city districts, sophisticated architecture and lush gardens, South Australia's capital has it all.

Tonight you are spoiled for dining options: Adelaide's reputation as a foodie destination is well deserved. Famous for culinary creativity and blessed with outstanding local produce, there truly is something for everyone.

Accommodation: Adelaide - 1 Night

Begin your epic road trip with a drive north to Port Augusta where the Explorers Way begins.

Port Augusta

Situated on the head of the Spencer Gulf, this waterside town transported Australian wheat and wool around the world on clipper ships in days gone by. Stroll around the elegant old City Centre to discover Port Augusta's heritage, or visit the award-winning Wadlata Outback Centre to learn about the local Aboriginal people who have lived in the area for over 40,000 years.

The Explorer's Way

Port Augusta is where the Stuart Highway begins. From tomorrow onwards you will follow this iconic road to Darwin for 2,834km! Known as the Explorer's Way, it showcases the climates, moods, and landscapes of the vast Australian Outback.

From central deserts to tropical wetlands, the real Australia is about to unfold before your eyes.

Accommodation: Port Augusta - 1 Night

Approximate Distance: 307 km | 191 miles   Total Driving Time: 3 hours 26 mins

Hit the road early and continue north to the curious town of Coober Pedy. Famed for its opal mining and its underground dwellings, it's a fascinating place to break your journey today.

The Road to Coober Pedy

Joining the Stuart Highway, you can wave goodbye to traffic lights - the next set are located in Alice Springs, 1200km away! The vast Outback will be your constant companion today, with few trees and little vegetation to speak of along the route. It feels like you have entered another world.

A Life Lived Underground

To escape the hot Coober Pedy climate, half of the residents live in dugouts under the earth. You will also find undergrounds hotels, bars and churches! Above ground, Coober Pedy's moon-like landscape has starred in several movies, such as Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

Try out Coober Pedy's subterranean lifestyle tonight in your hand-dug accommodation at the Lookout Cave Underground Motel - it's an experience not to be missed.

Accommodation: Coober Pedy - 2 Nights

Approximate Distance: 542 km | 337 miles   Total Driving Time: 5 hours 27 mins

Take a break from driving and explore this unique outback mining town on two fantastic guided tours today.

Coober Pedy Town Tour

Find out why Coober Pedy truly is like no other place in the world. With a local guide you will experience the town's rich history & outback charm, visiting underground homes, churches, museums, opal mines, and other Coober Pedy specialties.

Kanku-Breakaways Tour

This afternoon you will venture out of town to the beautiful Kanku-Breakaways escarpment. Located 32km north of Coober Pedy, the low, flat-topped hills of the Kanku-Breakaways were once covered by an inland sea. This colourful place has sheltered animals, plants and people from the scorching sun for thousands of years. As the day goes by, the passing of the sun changes the desert colours, creating scenes that appear surreal. Have your camera ready - it's a photographer's dream.

Today will be a long day of driving through the vast outback plains of the desert. Crossing over the South Australian border into the Northern Territory, you'll arrive in the most famous outback town in Australia - Alice Springs.

Alice Springs

Situated in the geographic centre of the country, the thriving outback town of "Alice" is the gateway to some of Australia's most iconic landscapes. Nestled between the beautiful MacDonnell Ranges, surrounded by gorges and stark desert plains, Alice Springs is home to outstanding galleries of traditional and contemporary works from local indigenous artists.

Alice may be 1,200 kilometres (750 mi) from the nearest ocean and 1,500 kilometres (930 mi) from the nearest major cities (Adelaide and Darwin), but the town is packed with personality and local colour you can't find anywhere else. You won't forget your visit in a hurry.

Accommodation: Alice Springs - 2 Nights

Approximate Distance: 687 km | 427 miles   Total Driving Time: 7 hours 13 mins

Explore the outback town of Alice Springs and immerse yourself in the beauty and mystery of Australia's deserts at the Alice Springs Desert Park.

Alice Springs Desert Park

Wandering through the Park's ancient landscapes, you'll discover the plants, animals and culture of the desert. From dry river beds to dense woodlands, the richness of desert life is amazing. If you have ever wondered how Aboriginal people have thrived in the harsh environment, you can listen to a presentation from local Aboriginal guides about their water and food gathering skills.

Don't miss the birds of prey show — you'll witness desert-dwelling owls, eagles and falcons swooping over your head!

Leaving Alice behind, continue your outback expedition to Tennant Creek in the Barkly Tablelands. You'll pass through some tiny townships along the way including Wycliffe Well, a hotspot for UFO sightings!

Karlu Karlu (Devils Marbles) Conservation Reserve

Be sure to stop off at the Devils Marbles, 100km south of Tennant Creek. These natural features have been created over millions of years and are a sacred site for the traditional landowners, who believe they are the eggs of the Rainbow Serpent, an important Dreamtime figure in Aboriginal culture.

Tennant Creek

Break your journey along the Stuart Highway today at Tennant Creek, known for its million-acre cattle stations, gold mining history, iconic rock formations, and Aboriginal culture.

Wander around the Tennant Creek Telegraph Station to get a feel for life here 140 years ago. Built in 1872, it was part of the Overland Telegraph Line linking Australia with the rest of the world.

Accommodation: Tennant Creek - 1 Night

Approximate Distance: 508 km | 315 miles   Total Driving Time: 5 hours 30 mins

Enjoy the vast outback scenery as you make your way up to the town of Daly Waters.

A Night At The Historic Daly Waters Pub

No visit to the Top End would be complete without a visit to the historic, multi-award winning Daly Waters Pub, and you'll stay here in comfortable accommodation tonight. Feast on hearty "pub grub" and listen as the locals spin legendary yarns of the town's early settler days.

From cattle stampedes to murders and shootouts, this now-quiet location has had a colourful past!

Approximate Distance: 407 km | 253 miles   Total Driving Time: 4 hours 42 mins

Accommodation: Daly Waters - 1 Night

Make your way to the Katherine region to experience the incredible scenery of Nitmiluk National Park by canoe.

Also known as Katherine Gorge, the 13 gorges of Nitmiluk are hugely significant to their traditional owners, the Jawoyn people, as home to the spirits of creation.

Self Guided Nitmiluk Canoe Adventure

Your self-guided canoe adventure tour begins with a scenic journey by boat through Nitmiluk's first gorge. Then you will take to the waters to explore the second gorge and beyond.

Exploring the gorge system at a relaxed pace, you will have ample time to admire the scenery & wildlife, take a swim, and enjoy a bushwalk or picnic.

Accommodation: Katherine - 2 Nights

Approximate Distance: 276 km | 171 miles   Total Driving Time: 3 hours 4 mins

Soar over the 13 Gorges of Nitmiluk on a breathtaking helicopter journey, ending with a swim at your own private water hole.

Nitmiluk Scenic Flight & Adventure Swim Tour

Fly over all 13 Gorges and continue via the Katherine River into the rugged rock country of Nitmiluk National Park. Here you will discover one of the most remote and beautiful waterfall swim sites in Australia.

Enjoy a swim at this pristine wilderness rock pool, which is yours exclusively.

Your final leg of the journey takes you to Darwin via the woodlands and waterfalls of Litchfield National Park.

Litchfield National Park

Known for its cascading waterfalls, natural spas and whirlpools, this is the ideal place for a refreshing swim.

Litchfield is also famous for its bizarre landscape of giant termite mounds. Standing up to two metres tall, they are astounding feats of architecture not to be missed.

Darwin

Darwin is nearer to Singapore than it is to Sydney, which gives you an idea of the sheer size Australia. This multicultural, fast-developing city has a chilled-out feel and a beautiful climate.

Between cyclones and bombing by the Japanese in World War Two, Darwin has been rebuilt several times in its history. While the architecture is modern and stylish, it's still very much a "frontier town" with a small-town feel.

Relax and see a movie at the outdoor Deckchair Cinema, catch sunset over the Timor Sea, or try street food at the Mindil Beach Markets. You'll feel like a laid-back local in no time.

Approximate Distance: 259 km | 161 miles   Total Driving Time: 2 hours 40 mins

Accommodation: Darwin - 1 Night

Enjoy the city of Darwin and all it has to offer. On your last day of touring, you have free time to spend it how you like! Visit Crocosaurus Cove for a chance to hold a crocodile, feed them or simply watch some of the largest saltwater crocodiles in Australia as they interact with each other. Explore Cullen Bay Marina or cruise the Adelaide River (all at own expense). Your Northern Territory adventure ends here in Darwin.