12 days · 3,000 km · Self-drive
Adelaide to Darwin via Uluru and Alice Springs, 3,000 kilometres through the heart of the continent.
The Trip
The Explorers Way is the official tourist name for the drive between Adelaide and Darwin via the Stuart Highway, a 3,000 kilometre crossing that bisects the continent along its north-south axis. The route follows the path of explorer John McDouall Stuart, who completed the first successful south-to-north crossing in 1862 on his third attempt. The sealed highway was completed in stages through the 20th century and the last section was finally tarmacked in 1987.
Unlike the Gibb River Road or the Savannah Way, the Explorers Way is entirely sealed, does not require a four-wheel-drive, and can be driven in a standard rental car. Distances are real (Adelaide to Darwin is farther than London to Athens) but fuel, accommodation and mobile phone coverage are more reliable than on the true outback tracks.
This 12 day plan includes the major side trips to Uluru and Kings Canyon plus time in Kakadu at the northern end. The drive is doable year-round but the best months are May to September when temperatures are mild and the wet season has not begun in the tropics.
Day by day
Day
01
Drive north out of Adelaide on the Princes Highway, then the A1. Port Augusta sits at the head of the Spencer Gulf and is the last real city before the drive into the outback proper.
Day
02
The Stuart Highway officially starts at Port Augusta. Drive north across increasingly empty country. Coober Pedy is the opal mining capital of the world and the only town on earth where most residents live underground to escape the summer heat. Book an underground room.
Day
03
A short day. Marla is a tiny roadhouse settlement on the NT border and the logical overnight for travellers not wanting to do Coober Pedy to the NT border in one push.
Day
04
Cross into the Northern Territory and continue north. At Erldunda Roadhouse, turn west onto the Lasseter Highway for the 250 kilometre drive to Yulara. Aim to arrive mid-afternoon so you can do the Uluru base walk or sunset viewing on the same day.
Day
05
Dawn at Uluru. Base walk around the rock in the cool of the morning. Valley of the Winds at Kata Tjuta in the late morning. Back to the resort for an afternoon rest, then return to Uluru for sunset.
Day
06
Drive north on the Luritja Road to Kings Canyon. Easy walk along the canyon floor in the afternoon. Save the famous Rim Walk for an early start tomorrow.
Day
07
Start the Rim Walk at 6am. Three to four hours on the rim, then drive east to Alice Springs via the sealed Ernest Giles Road (the dirt Mereenie Loop is the shorter alternative for 4WD).
Day
08
Drive north on the Stuart Highway, stopping at the Tropic of Capricorn marker. Arrive at Karlu Karlu (Devils Marbles) in the late afternoon for the sunset golden hour on the red granite boulders. Camp at the basic campground or overnight at the nearby Wauchope Hotel.
Day
09
Continue north through Tennant Creek (lunch stop) and past the Elsey National Park turnoff to Mataranka. Swim at the Mataranka Thermal Pool, a spring-fed pool surrounded by Livistona palms.
Day
10
Drive north and east to Kakadu, entering via the Pine Creek and Jim Jim road. Set up at Cooinda Lodge and book the dawn Yellow Water cruise for the next morning.
Day
11
Yellow Water cruise at dawn. Nourlangie rock art gallery in the morning, then Jim Jim or Twin Falls (4WD only) in the afternoon. Ubirr for sunset.
Day
12
Drive west out of Kakadu to Darwin, dropping the rental at the airport or in the city. Celebration drinks on the Darwin Waterfront. Mindil Beach sunset markets if it's market day.
Editorial shortlists
A 1,100 kilometre loop from Alice Springs through the heart of the Red Centre. Sunrise at Uluru, the Valley of the Winds at Kata Tjuta, the Rim Walk at Kings Canyon, and a long quiet drive home along Mereenie Loop.
Four days from Melbourne to Adelaide along Australia's most photographed coast. Surf coast beaches, the Twelve Apostles at sunrise, the Otway rainforests and a long final stretch through the Coorong wetlands.
Five days based in Cairns covering the only place in the world where two UNESCO World Heritage areas meet: the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest.
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