Driving from Melbourne to Alice Springs

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Is a good site for trip planning. Will list points of interest and give you timings and distances.

Coober Pedy, Woomera, just a drop in on the way, A couple of days or so to do Uluru and the same for Kings Canyon, all OK for 2WD. Kings Creek Station is a good spot to stay for Kings Canyon.

The Allice could be a week by the time you have a look around the area, or more if you get really involved.

Hi Hevs,

I can recomend visiting the Alice Springs Dessert Park just a few km sw on Larapinta Drive. Open 7.30am till 6pm daily. I would recomend you go early incase it gets a bit warm although you may need a jacket in the morning at this time of the year. Take note of the times that the guides give their presentations and try and attend them. We enjoyed tasteing the indigenous 'bush tucker', the nocturnal house and the Birds of Prey display is first class. If you go early and don't dawdle you should see everything, have lunch and be finnished by mid afternoon.

G'day Hevs.

Unless you're a city person, consider going through Mildura. That way you'll well and truely dodge Adelade.

Burra is a great little town. An early coppor mining district, the original architecture is all in stone with differing designs and standards of consrtuction. Worth a walk around.

Had trouble finding the road out of town. It's the road to Broken Hill. You follow it for a km. or so.

The first time I went there, I'd camped by the roadside about half an hour away and arrived in town before anyone was up. Just like coming into a well kept ghost town.

Last trip we took a wrong turn somewhere and crossed the river on a ferry. Think it was between Waikerie and Morgan. Check it out. Great experience for the kids. Ferries may not always be around.

Wasn't like the fellow with the truck load of money though. High and dry!

Regards,
Laurie.

hevs,

Coming from Melbourne you don't need to go all the way up to Mildura, unless you would like to do that.

If you are coming from Melbourne on the Western Highway to Horsham you just head towards Warracknabeal on the Henty Highway. Following the Henty Highway you come to Hopetoun then turn left for Patchewollock and then up to Walpeup. The road is sealed all the way. You join the Mallee Highway here and that takes you to Pinaroo. From Pinaroo you go up to Loxton, Waikerie, cross the ferry to Morgan then on to Burra.

Walpeup has a grassed, clean camp ground and for not much money. There are toilets and showers there. On the other hand if you wanted to do a bush camp along the way...the Pink Lakes camping ground is about ten kms west of Underbool. It's quite a nice spot to stop.

We live in the mallee of Victoria and this is the way that we go when we head North to Alice Springs etc.

My two were 13 and 9 when we did our first trip up there. They enjoyed it all and I'm sure that yours will too.

Alice Springs has plenty of things that will interest you all. The West and East MacDonnell's will take a day or two each. If you go all the way out to Arltunga which used to be a mining town years ago that's an interesting day trip. Call in at Ross River Homestead. Trephina Gorge to the East, to the West, Glen Helen, Ormiston, Redbank, Simpson's Gap and Standley Chasm...they are all beautiful places

I don't know if Ted Egan still does his shows but that used to be a great night out..with lots of songs about the early settlers and pioneers as well as the aboriginal people and some of their history. It's all very interesting.

I'm sure you'll have no problems at all filling in your time.

Have a great time,

Viv

Wow!! Thanks for all of your help :) AND ideas I'm hunting for maps now.