Roadhouse Accommodation

Graeme,
Stuarts Well is the first stop Just down from the Rainbow Valley turn off.
Erldunda roadhouse has a Motel plus c|van park.
Yulara resort has the lot, at a price.
Mt Ebernezer Roadhouse has some facilities, on't know the Quality.
Curtain Springs has some Hotel accomodation and free camping.
All in all its only a days drive albeit a long one.
Don't forget to look at Rainbow Valley & the Henbury Meteorite Craters as you go.
A high clearance vehicle will be required for these maybe even a 4WD.
If you visit both these then you will probably have to stay / camp somewhere.

Enjoy yor trip.

We did the run in July last year. Ran the Mareenie Loop and pulled up in Kings Canyon. BIG mistake for the camper, most expensive overnight stay in a park and fuel, apparently the hotel and cabin charges were astronomical. Looked at the prices for a meal then cooked our own. Without working it out on a map,the shortest route may be Alice, Kings, Curtin Springs, Uluru. The other way is Alice to Erldunda (which looks reasonable) then to Uluru

Graeme,
My family and I with another two families stayed at MT Ebenezer in july of '02.
Basic facilities are clean and the showers are hot. Good meals and cold beer.
And artwork is a lot cheaper.
It might have been that the circumstances were just right but we all had a ball.
And the proceeds go to help the local community.
If I remember right the 1st of july is Independance Day in the Territory. (fireworks ect)
Have a good trip,
Will

Graeme
The first question is what will you be driving? If you are not in a well set up 4x4 don't even contemplate the Mereenie Loop. The corrugations will destroy your vehicle. I know a lot of people take "normal" cars on it, but they are either crazy or driving a rent a car. Do the loop in a couple of years after the N.T. government has sealed it. If you don't have the appropriate 4x4 go straight down the Stuart Highway to Erldunda and turn right. Bitumen all the way to Uluru.

If you use the Mereenie Lop you only have a couple of options for a roadhouse. Kings Canyon as stated above - expensive but good. Or, Curtin Springs much cheaper, but you get what you pay for. I.e. basic accommodation. AND its a long, hard drive around the Mereenie Loop and on to Curtin Springs, with only a short hop then to Uluru.

If you go down the highway you have a number of middle of the road roadhouses as stated above. They all have some sort of motel accommodation attached to them. If you go that way you have the option of doing Hanbury Craters and Rainbow Valley as mentioned above. I can't tell you what the roads to them are like now, but I did both of them in June and they were very well maintained dirt roads. With careful driving you could have negotiated them in any vehicle.

I hope this helps
Tessa

Graeme, it's only 400ks from Alice to The Rock via the highway. Easy half days drive. The roadhouses in between don't offer very much in the way of tourist attractions.

Cheers, John.