Brisbane to Ayers Rock

Hello Adam and welcome to the Forum!

The quickest way to get to Alice Springs from Brisbane is to go via Roma, Mitchell - and after driving through Barcaldine and Longreach - go onto Mount Isa. From here you cross into the Northern Territory and head to the Stuart Highway (a few hundred kilometres away) and then head south to Alice Springs.

After Alice Springs you head south through Cooper Pedy and onto to Port Augusta and Adelaide, you can then cross straight into Melbourne via Nhill and Dimboola (the inland route) but the coastal route is much more interesting (but longer).

The route from Brisbane to Alice Springs is a long looping itinerary, but there is no way you can go directly to Alice Springs unless you are very, very exprienced to tackle the Simpson Desert.

Along the way, it is good to stop at Longreach in Queensland - it houses a few historical/museum sites - and near Winton, there are the dinosaur tracks of Lake Quarry. Mount Isa has a mine tour, but you will need to book in advance. Inbetween Mount Isa and Alice Springs, there are not a lot of sites - except for Devils Marbles which are 100km south of Tennant Creek. After looking at the sites around Alice Springs you can go to King's Canyon and Uluru/Kata Tjuta before you get to the South Australian border. After the border, and before you get to Adelaide, you should consider a side-trip into the Flinders Ranges. You'll probably need to stop at Cooper Pedy along the way - where people live underground. By taking the coast road between Adelaide and Melbourne, you can stop at Mount Gambier, see Port Campbell National Park and drive the Great Ocean Road. I personally like the tourist site of Sovereign Hill in Ballarat - but it is another detour before you get to Melbourne. Reply to this

There was a similar discussion on this last year:
Australia from Darwin to Melbourne
I made some comments on the dangers of driving at dusk and on the presence of road trains - please have a look.

My biggest tip is to be prepared for long, long distances. You may drive 300 kilometres between each petrol station, so it is wise to fill up while you can. See if there is some way to bring some music (via an MP3 plugged into the car stereo). Some of the radio stations out there are fairly dreary to listen too for extended periods, but it is great to do so for a while to get a feel for the Outback.

As for other things to do - whilst in Alice Springs, see if you can go to the Old Telegraph Station, the School of the Air and the Royal Flying Doctors Service - they all give you a great understanding of how large and harsh this country is. Anzac Hill gives you a good view of the whole city. I greatly enjoyed walking Ormiston Pound (west of Alice Springs) and the obligatory Hot Air Balloon experience - but it was terribly sad that the balloon I was in (and the same pilot) crashed 8 weeks later and killed all of those aboard :-(

One other thing to be aware of is the drinking problem in Alice Springs - I would treat the city the same as Nairobi - don't go anywhere at night, even short distances, unless you are in a car. The area around the dry Todd River is a problem.

If you have any more specific questions please post them here or send me a private message. I am more than happy to answer your questions!

I personally find the Australian outback to be very beautiful, there are no soaring mountains and expansive lakes, but a more rugged beauty. I do not believe you have seen Australia until you have seen the Outback. Reply to this