Port Wakefield (98km) is a town at the head of St Vincents Gulf on the Princes Highway on the way north from Adelaide. Stayed at a Motel on the highway but there is a hotel and a pleasant camping ground in the town. North of Port Wakefield the road goes through farming country to Lochiel, Snowtown and Red Hill, where food or drink is available. There is a nice downhill just before Port Pirie (197km), an ore processing and smelting town, as the road descends from the farmland to the Spencer Gulf.
Port Augusta (290km) is a large town at the head of the Spencer Gulf. The Stuart Highway and the desert start just out of Pt Augusta. The red soil and purple mesas were immediately striking. The Standpipe Motel, run by a friendly Sikh, north of the town is recommended to get a better start in the morning for the long ride to Woomera.
Woomera (490km) is a modern town with good facilities (mostly supplied by the USA Government) that services USA tracking stations and secret installation at Nurrungar and was the centre of the British and = Australian rocket research effort. Very arid country with spectacular salt lakes to the south and west. Turn right off the highway at Pimba Roadhouse ("Spud's"). Woomera is a 7 km mostly down hill ride from there.
Glendambo (600km) is a large new roadhouse with big comfy motel rooms, (wheel bikes right in), petrol station and a general store and diner. Out the back were cheaper cabins, a camping area and the ubiquitous enclosure with a few emus and kangaroos. More salt lakes and interesting scenery on the way, including views of the vast Nularbor to the west.
Coober Pedy (853 km) - an opal mining town with unique character. Underground accommodation, including backpacker hostels, although there are standard aboveground motels and shops too. The town is surrounded by thousands of mining shafts and spoil heaps. Fascinating desert scenery to the east - the Breakaway country and Painted Desert as filmed in Mad Max. Take a minibus day tour around the area. You can also join the 12 hour Mail Run out to William Creek and Oodnadatta twice a week, helping deliver goods to remote stations.
Cadney (1002 km), Marla (1082km), Kulgera (1263km), Erldunda (1342 km) Roadhouses.
Cadney had neat motel rooms, basic worker cabins, a camping area and a swimming pool. At Marla and Kulgera roadhouses we stopped only for lunch, camping out at at Agnes Creek (dry, no facilities) 88km north of Marla. Erldunda consisted of an attractive leafy roadhouse and a motel, the Desert Oaks Resort, with a swimming pool and reasonable food in the restaurant. The turn off to Uluru, 240 km to the west, is at Erldunda.
The country was uninspiring and heavily grazed by cattle to Cadney but was more interesting further north and over the border into the Northern Territory, when desert oaks started to appear. The Palmer and Finke Rivers cut across the road north of Erldunda, with varied scenery and stands of eucalypts. Mountain ranges can be seen to the north and beckon you on.
Stuart's Well Roadhouse (1495 km). The Roadhouse (Jim's Place) has basic caravan and cabin accommodation, but is clean and friendly and has a pool. The owner used to own the Kings Canyon Resort but ran into problems, which you may well find out about if you get talking. The McDonnells come into view. Some interesting scenery with Simpson Desert out-lyers to the east and mountain ranges to the north and west. The highway goes through a gap in the ranges just out of Stuart's Well, with some hilly sections and eucalypts.
Alice Springs (1602 km from Adelaide). The major Red Centre tourist destination. Set in a scenic gap in the Ranges, with modern supermarkets, lots of shops, restaurants and galleries, Alice is a lively place. The Desert Park flaura and fauna centre is worth a visit. Use central booking agency at tourist centre to find accommodation. Take a tour to the McDonnels or hire a car/4wd and do it your self. We drove to Palm Valley. There are extensive bike and walking tracks too, (The Larapinta Trail goes over 200 km to the west).
Aileron. (133km from Alice Springs). A friendly roadhouse off the main highway with an unusual name. Small cabins but adequate. An Aboriginal community is down the road. We passed a cairn marking the highest point on the Stuart Highway and another marking the Tropic of Capricorn, but the road was generally flat and boring after a climb out of Alice Springs. Luckily the last few kilometres were downhill, something we always appreciated.
Ti-Tree. (60 km from Aileron). A small town with a store and garage. Friendly owners. Good lunch spot. Passed Central Mt Stuart north of Ti-Tree, an impressive isolated mountain climbed by Stuart in 1861 and near the geographical centre of Australia.
Barrow Creek. (285km from Alice Springs). Downhill run again for last few KM into a picturesque tiny place in a gap between some hills. An old pub and garage, and an Aboriginal community centre. Overland telegraph station historic buildings nearby. The pub full of WW2 memorabilia with a few large rooms out the back. The owner has a policy of giving cyclists 2 litres of scarce fresh water free.
Barrow Creek to Wauchope (pronounced "walk-up"). (397km from Alice, and the 2000-km point from Adelaide passed on way) Long, long straight sections. Stock country. Old Wauchope pub has newer cabins out the back - small but reasonable and a welcome swimming pool. The original owner of the pub cycled there from Bourke in the 1920's!
Had lunch at Wycliffe Wells, 18km south of Wauchope, which has a large camping ground behind the roadhouse, and boasts about having the best and biggest bore water supply on the Track. Plenty of flowing bore water in what looked like a small river opposite the roadhouse. Looked inviting but pressed on to Wauchope to make the next day a bit shorter.
Devil's Marbles. An interesting rock formation 10km out of Wauchope. Can take short detour through the Marbles and rejoin the highway a little way on. Rest area at Taylors Ck.
Tennant Creek (517km). A large but not particularly friendly-feeling mining town, with a big supermarket and plenty of other shops. Three Ways is a large roadhouse about 24 km north of Tennant Creek at the Barkly Highway turnoff and gives a good start for the next days ride.
Three Ways to Renner Springs (655km) - undulating country. Magnificent vistas of green and yellow valleys and ridges. Reached 50 km/h on one long downhill. Road tended N to NW so the prevailing SE winds were a great help.
Renner Springs to Elliot (746km). Elliot is a medium sized town, predominantly Aboriginal. Stayed in Midland Caravan Park in a cabin. Outside gas grill. Nice pool and shady trees.
Elliot to Hi Way Inn Roadhouse (893km)- becoming more tropical looking with lush grass and taller trees. Stopped at Dunmarra RH for lunch (100km from Elliot). A cool swimming pool at the Inn. Daly Waters was a few kilometres further on but we didn't investigate.
Hi Way Inn to Mataranka Hot Springs Resort (1070km). Had lunch at Larimah (91km from Hi Way Inn). Water tank at Dingo Creek, 37 km N of Larimah. Passed turn off to Newcastle Waters, which is an historic ghost town with no facilities, we were told. Crossed a long causeway over wetlands on the Newcastle River. Good road into Mataranka, with more trees.
Mataranka Hot Springs Resort. Turn off to right a few kms before Mataranka township. Stayed in Resort in a basic small room. Good food in Bistro. The famous hot springs are a short walk down a pandanus-lined river. Beautiful for tired limbs.
Katherine. (1183km). A large town with plenty of accommodation and good shops. Also a bike shop with friendly staff. Stayed at the Beagle Motel.
Nitmiluk National Park (Katherine Gorge, Edith Falls). One of the great National Parks. Take a river cruise up the many gorges. Edith Falls is some way out of town towards Darwin, and some way off the highway, but has some great swimming holes and a camping area.
Pine Creek. (91km from Katherine). Old mining area. Small town. Stayed at Diggers Rest Motel in new cabins. Camping ground nearby.
Adelaide River. (120km from Pine Ck) Small town. Nice and tropical. Stayed at Adelaide River Hotel, an old pub with garden and 1940's barrack style accommodation. WW2 War Graves cemetery nearby. Took old Stuart Highway from Hayes Creek to Adelaide River to avoid a new section which was shorter but said to be hilly. Very scenic but also fairly hilly diversion.
Batchelor.(42km) Ex mining town (Rum Jungle Uranium). Now college town for aboriginal health and legal studies. Wide and spacious with lots of trees. At entrance to Litchfield National Park, a few km off the highway. Stayed at Carravillage van park.
Litchfield National Park. Many scenic waterfalls and swimming holes. Tour companies from Darwin pick up in Batchelor.
Darwin. (100km from Batchelor) On the Arafura Sea. A very cosmopolitan City. Good food and interesting places to see, such as the NT art gallery and museum, the new Parliament House, markets, beaches, wharves, parks and gardens. Stayed at the Hotel Darwin (since demolished in 1999), but plenty of more modern places. Try the Visitors Information Centre for good deals on hotels and backpackers hostels.
|1 Intro|2 why and when to go|3 what to take|4 Water and road trains|5 on the road|7 distances and water|8 web info|9 Trevor Briggs|