Travel Guide - SA to NT in 15 days
Introduction
This trip is one that is very special to us for many reasons, a few of them being it was our first ever “Van life” trip and actually the reason why we started our very own van life dream in the first place.
We decided that we wanted to head on a trip to see the iconic Ayres Rock, and the both of us love a good road trip. The only problem was we needed to rent a van. We had a look on multiple websites for van hire, after lots of research it was proving to be quite expensive to hire (out of our budget) and we were a bit worried of the risks involved. As a bit of a joke Ryan had a look on Gumtree for vans, and the dream soon became a reality. Within a week of looking we became super lucky and bought our 1984 Toyota Hiace. By all means we put a lot of thought into our decision, and weighed up all pros and cons. With only 3 weeks to fully convert the van until we set off, it was a challenge, but well worth it. All up we saved a lot of money by investing in our van. You can head over to our blog “Van Build” for the full story and see our van conversion.
In this blog we are going to take you through how we did a road trip from South Australia to Darwin in just 15 days, some handy tips and the must see spots.
There are multiply ways to course this journey however we decided to take is slow on the way there, and drive directly back as it seemed to be the best solution for us at the time.
Throughout the whole journey we used an app on our phone called Campermate. This app can be used as maps, as you can use this offline with no service, Campermate is also a great tool for choosing where to camp, on the app it shows you where you can and cant camp, how long you can stay for, and if it is paid or unpaid. The app also shows main attractions and landmarks worth stopping for a look. We found Campermate to be super handy for this kind of trip.
Day 1
We left Adelaide in the morning around 9am and drove to Coober Pedy which was a 9 hour drive. Between Adelaide and Coober Pedy there was not a whole lot to see, just beautiful open land that seemed to go forever. That night the sunset was so amazing, something we hadn’t seen in a long time. We slept at a little pull in off the main highway in a place called Hutchinson Memorial which is shown in the pictures below.
Things to see in Coober Pedy:
Cooper Pedy is known for its mining of opal
Opal museums
Underground restaurants
A lookout called “The Breakaways”
Driving through Coober Pedy there are so many holes in the ground from all the opal mining, this is very surreal to see. The town is quite small, but its cool to adventure around.
Day 2
After watching the sunrise we left Coober Pedy early and headed for Uluru National Park which is a 8.5 hour drive. We arrived just in time for sunset where we headed straight for the sunset look out car park, and set up for the afternoon. This is where you can experience the famous Uluru change colour, as the sunsets behind the massive rock it glows an unbelievable orange colour. A MUST SEE
Handy Ayres Rock Tips:
Ayres rock is within the National Park where they forbid camping. Therefore we decided to drive back out to the main highway and sleep there for the night, as it was close to the national park where we were able to make it back for sunrise.
It costs $25 Per Person for entry into the National Park and that ticket lasts 3 days.
Stop at the NT boarder and take a photo with the sign.
If possible make sure to catch either sunrise or sunset at the rock to watch it change colour.
Explore around the whole National Park as there are multiple sights and walks you can do.
Visit Kata Tjuta also known as the Olgas, this rock formation is just as incredible as Ayres Rock
Day 3
After a quick breakfast at sunrise we headed straight back into the Uluru National Park which was about a 20 minute drive from where we slept. We drove around the whole national park which took a couple of hours. Where we visited both Ayres rock and Kata Tjuta, which if you aren’t doing a guided tour we strongly encourage you to do the same as some tours don’t include both the rocks. And Kata Tjuta was AMAZING!
Whilst in the National Park we went on a couple of walks through some pretty unique trails. Be sure to pack some fly spray, and keep in mind some walks are only 20 minutes and some can be hours so make sure to read the signs. Whilst out exploring we got quite lucky and saw a wild camel, just be careful when driving as there are a lot of wild life roaming close to the roads. After an amazing day of exploring the Uluru national park we set back on the road and headed to Ghan about 3 hours drive.
Day 4
We left early from Ghan to head to Alice springs 4 hour drive. Where our next adventure was the West MacDonnell National Park, about half an hour from Alice Springs. We stopped at all the stops in the national park, where we saw all the spectacular water holes. They are like a mini oasis with white sand and the most vibrant colour waters. Our favourite stops were Simpsons Gap and Ellery Creek Hole.
We left the national park after exploring for a few hours and camped at Anmatjere Caravan Park which was about a 2 hour drive. This was the first caravan park we stayed at on the trip so far. where we enjoyed a hot shower and caught up on some washing. This Caravan park cost $20 for a powered site.
West MacDonnell National Park must sees:
Simpsons Gap
Ellery creek hole
Glen Helen Gorge
Ochre Pits
Ormiston Gorge
Standley Chasm
(All these places have a car park that includes a small walk to the destination, no further than 5-10 minutes.)
The national park is Free of Charge
Day 5
Today we drove to a town called “Daly Waters” which is an 8 hour drive and we arrived just in time for dinner at the famous Daly Waters Historic Pub. We had been told this was a must see place, and whilst we were certainly happy to have a pub meal, which was a treat, it was the actual pub that blew us away.
The pub is located in a tiny town where the town itself is unique, however its not until you walk inside the pub that you know why its a must see. The atmosphere was amazing, such lovely staff employed from all over the world, with live music outside in the garden. We enjoyed walking around and looking at all the walls filled with unique bits and pieces from peoples visits here, the food was amazing and nothing beat a cold beer after an 8 hour drive in the stinking heat.
This place is a MUST SEE, if you are driving through. After dinner we drove about 8 minutes to our location for that nights sleep, which was tucked away in the bush off a side street in the town.
Day 6
We woke up at sunrise and after cooking a delicious batch of pancakes we drove from Daly Water to Mataranka 2 hours drive. Its bizarre driving through the Red Centre and country sides. Then all of a sudden you reach Mataranka… and there are palm trees everywhere and hidden hot springs you would never guess would be here.
We decided to pull up for the day and hang in the Hot springs. In Mataranka there are two Hot spring pools, the Natural hot springs called Bitter Springs in Elsey National park and the man made pool Mataranka springs. We decided to visit the Bitter Springs Hot Springs in Elsey national park. We had decided to head to Bitter springs as we were told it was free entry and a lot less crowded.
Good Tips for the Bitter Springs
If you can, take a noodle (you can purchase these at petrol stations or road houses near by also the local shops. they cost about $10) then you can float up stream and relax
No entry fees
Huge car park with only a short 5 minute walk to the springs that is all on a paved path, full of palm trees
Use goggles if you can as the water is really clear and you can see wild life in the water such as turtles
Beware of logs under water, Jess stubbed her toes one to many times
The flow of the stream is quite intense, so when you make it down the end you have to get out and walk back down the path. Or else be prepared for a big swim, we recommend leaving a towel and thongs at the other end before you get in, so that you have a comfortable walk back
If possible try and avoid mid day as this is when it is busiest
Great for underwater pictures if you have an underwater camera- would highly recommend packing it
At sunrise the steam comes of the water all the way down the hot springs, mist is everywhere and it looks so cool and moody
The water is super warm like a hot bath
As they are natural springs there have been a few crocs caught here, but there are park rangers that man the pools and make sure it is a safe space.
Day 7
We stayed a short drive from Bitter springs and deiced to wake up before sunrise to catch a morning dip, in the hot springs misty water whilst the sun rose. After a refreshing hot dip we drove to Katherine 1 hour Drive where we went to Katherine Hot Springs. We loved the first lot of hot springs so much, we decided to check out more.
The hot springs in Katherine were free of charge and also amazing, with so many different entrances and hidden spots it was a very fun morning exploring these springs. We found mini waterfalls and rope swings among this magical place.
After we were finished having a swim, we drove to Edith about an hour away where we went for an afternoon walk to Edith falls. This took about an hour to walk to where we then had a quick swim before it got dark and headed back to set up camp in Edith for the night.
Day 8
From Edith we drove straight to Litchfield National Park, 1.5 hour drive just as the sun was rising we arrived. We spent the entire day in Litchfield National Park and explored all the waterfalls spots possible. There is no entry fee into Litchfield. It does become quote crowded quickly, so we encourage you to do this first thing in the morning or after lunch in the peak seasons to avoid crowds. Some of the hikes were small and some bigger, listed below is all the spots that we went to and the time it took to get to them. Each spot is signed and easy to find and all have accessible car parks, with no issues to access in a van.
We Slept the night in the Litchfield National Park. There are a couple of paid campsites here, we couldn’t find a site to pre book online and drove to the first lot of sites at about 5pm, these were all booked out. We headed to the next lot of sites, they were about a 15 minute drive, these were also fully booked. We had no choice but to pull up in a car park within the Caravan Park, as it was now dark and we couldn’t drive else where. The park rangers came around and we explained the situation to them. They said this happens often and we were more than welcome to stay in this car park as long as we paid, $7 Per person. This campsite had facilities such as washing, toilets and showers. We would encourage you to head to the camp sites first thing when you arrive to insure you reserve a spot before you then head out and explore.
Please Note: You drop cash in a box at the front of the sites and write the site number down on a piece of paper, no online bookings are made.
Places to visit
Florence Falls - A 20 minute walk from the car park down, and you can swim amongst the two waterfalls here.
Wangi Falls - 1 minute walk from the car park, you can swim in this water hole, its quite large.
Tolmer falls - 15 minute walk to a look out where you can see this amazing waterfall, no swimming
Bluey Rockhole- 10 minute walk to these rock holes, you can swim in all the water holes here.
Day 9
We woke up in Litchfield National Park and went back to Wangi waterfall for a morning dip. We then headed to Darwin 1.5 hours drive. We Arrived in Darwin just in time for the sunset, so decided to head straight to the beach as we had been told sunsets in Darwin are such a beautiful site. We decided to go to Mindil Beach which was one of the main beaches in Darwin.
When we pulled up into the car park we set up and cooked a fresh dinner as we did a food shop in Darwin to re stock our pantry. We then were entertained with fire throwers that were practicing, as we cooked an amazing dinner and watched the sun go down. It was a night that we will never forget. We slept in a car park near the main beach which was filled with lots of other vans, no signs stated no camping. We only stayed in Darwin for 1 night to stop for our essentials, stock up on food, wash the van and continue on our road trip.
Day 10
We woke up by the Sea and went for a morning walk. We then drove from Darwin to Jabiru which is at the top of Kakadu National Park, its a 3 hour Drive from Darwin. Entry into Kakadu National Park cost $40 pp which lasts 5 days, there are signs upon entrance to tell you where to stop and purchase the park pass. You can also slept in the national park which is great.
When we arrived inside the national park we decided to explore for the day. We would not recommend a van for Kakadu, although the lady at the kiosk where we purchased our park ticket from said that we would be fine to get to all the spots we wanted to go, this was not the case and we would do a tour next time or take a 4WD. We were unable to go to all the places we wanted to, we also ended up mechanically hurting our van due to some of the tracks we went down.
Here is a list of the places we recommend visiting in the Kakadu National Park
Jim Jim falls and Twin falls we sadly couldn’t visit as we had no 4WD
Gunlom plunge pool, we sadly couldn’t visit as we had no 4WD
Cahill crossing, to see the crocs feeding in the wild, 5 minute walk from the car park
Plunge pools at Maguk, we went here and it was our favourite spot in Kakadu, about a 45 minute walk from the car park although we would highly recommend a 4WD to get here
Kakadu is known for spotting crocs, we heard of a place where the crocs come to feed in their natural habitat. They sit in the waters and when it is High tide they wait for the fish to swim upstream and they all start feeding, Such an amazing experience to see these creatures in the wile.
If you are wanting to see them feed in the wild this is at Cahill Crossing at high tide. \
Day 11
We woke up in Jabiru and went exploring more of the national park. We also found a local pool which cost $2 each for entry, so we hung here and went for a swim as a bit of down time, then kept exploring in the afternoon. We headed to the Plunge pools at Maguk. The roads are definitely 4WD only and we would not recommend going here in anything else. having said that It was such an incredible place, with the deepest plunge pools on the top of a cliff, where Ryan even got a few backflips in.
Day 12
We woke up in Jabiru and made our way back to to Darwin, where we stopped at the beach to stretch our legs. We saw a ton of hermit crabs on the beach, no crocs thankfully. After our beach walk we had a 3 hour drive back to Daly Waters, of course we headed back to the pub for a feed, and stayed in the same location as we did on the drive over.
Day 13
We woke up in Daly Waters and drove to Devils Marbles 5 hour drive, after a short stop we drove another Hour to where we slept this night which was on route back towards Home. Devils Marbles is such a cool place to see. As you are driving through on each side of the road there huge boulders scattered on each side of the road. definitely worth pulling over and having a look.
Please note you cannot actually climb on the rocks “this photo was photo shopped”
Day 14
We drove 10 hours to Coober Pedy with a couple of food and toilet breaks.
We also pulled over and had a look at these termite mounds, which are insane. The termite mounds are literally everywhere on this road trip some are tiny and other are SO big.
Our last night under the stars before we arrive back in Adelaide.
Day 15
The drive from Coober Pedy to home 9 hours and our last leg of the journey.
Packing List:
Essentials for the Van
Card games
Books
Map
Solars
Gym equipment
Mini fan
Washing powder, line and some pegs
Torch/ ferry lights
Esky
Spare batteries
Hand sanitiser
Toilet paper
Baby wipes
Car chargers for phones
Mini deck chairs
Rug
Speaker
Battery
Dirty clothes wash basket
Food storage box
Snorkels
Toiletries
Bug spray and insect repellent
Food Equipment
Picnic basket with all appliances
Gas bottles and cooker
Pan and Saucepan
Kettle
Sink
Water
Recipes for van life coming out soon
Its best to have a well, self contained vehicle for this trip that allows you to be able to sleep anywhere.
FAQ
Where did you shower?
As we did not always stay at a camp ground, although we tried to book Camp grounds every 3-4 nights to catch up on our washing and have a shower. We would otherwise swim in the water holes and at beaches to freshen up. Every night before bed we also used baby wipes.
Did you run out of petrol?
We did run out of petrol yes, and not just once but twice… it was quite a funny experience in the end. Long story short, we were only about 10 kms from the petrol station. We ended up waiting on the side of the road for an hour hoping someone would be able to help us, everyone was super friendly and helpful that stooped, the only problem is no one had unleaded, everyone had diesel. If possible carry a little jerry can with you, as we got super lucky that we didn’t have to wait even longer, and you don’t want to get caught out in the dark with no petrol. There are no shortage of petrol stations though, just be sure to keep a full tank as much as possible. Even if we had half a tank and came across a station we would fill up to be safe.
What was the biggest encounter you had?
Probably the heat, we knew it was going to be hot, but it just didn’t cool down at night and some sleeps were a bit restless. We invested in a battery operated fan mid trip to help this though.
How did you find driving long days and at night?
The long days were not a problem, the both of us love driving long legs and are use to it from previous trips. It was more the Dead animals that were an issue, the roads are quite dangerous because of this, a lot of wild life and dead cattle are just in the middle of the road, we would highly recommend not driving at night. Apart from that make sure you have a awesome playlist and dance with the windows down, no better feeling.
How did you go getting around? did you get lost?
We used a Map and an app called camper mate. both were super helpful, the map helped keep us on route from a to b and we knew where we needed to get to next Campermate we couldn’t recommend more, this app is so handy. You can use it as maps, and it will show how many Kms till the next destination. It also shows you facilities like showers, shops, petrol stations, toilets. The most handy tool we found was it shows where you can and cant camp. and how much the camping costs.
How did you get power?
We got power if we stayed at a powered campsite we were able to get power through the van. Otherwise we used our portable solars and a battery. This worked really well for charging everything in daylight.
Did the car have any troubles?
Yes, it did, once! As we tried to take it on a dirt track which turned into a 4WD track, Don’t attempt this. We are so glad we had a big service done before we left as we had no other problems.
How much did it cost all up?
$1300 together this includes (food, accommodation, petrol, park fees, attractions)
Note: Petrol prices are extremely high on this trip, especially from the roadhouses in the middle of nowhere, where you have no choice but to stop and fill up.
Did you climb Uluru?
No we did not climb the rock. we decided against this last minute, we just touched it. Please Note: You can now no longer climb Ayers Rock.
Did you ever feel unsafe?
No we never felt unsafe. We always made sure we slept in places where other people were around.
What did you do for food and did you ever run out of food?
We did 2 main food shops for this trip, one before we left and one mid way through. We made sure we had a breakfast dinner and lunch sorted for every day, also lots of snacks and tea and coffee. We didn’t run out of food, although its safe to say we got sick of tinned food and pasta.
“Some of the food we made, and wine of course”
“This is how we did our washing”
Thanks for reading
Love, Jess and Ryan @takeus_withyou