Darwin to Melbourne

Darwin to Melbourne

by Nate
(Melbourne)

Uluru with Kata Tjuta in the distance

We have 9 days from Darwin to Melbourne

We're getting a 4WD in Darwin & heading down, can you give us a good idea of the best places we should go in the limited time we have? Thank you! :)

(Photo: Wikipedia Public Domain)

Comments for
Darwin to Melbourne

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Dec 27, 2010

Litchfield NP, Uluru, Painted Desert
by: Rita

Hi Nate,

well, you are aware that your time is limited. You'll probably have some days of long driving ahead to save time to visit a few attractions.

I haven't been north of Alice Springs, so I don't have many suggestions there.
Perhaps a detour to Litchfield NP is worthwhile. There's a 4WD track down south from the main road in the park. You'd go back to the Stuart Highway via the Daily River road.
Check the PDF fact sheet and map of the NT Government website.

If you haven't been already there, Uluru would be worth to look at, of course.

Further south, you can leave the highway again at Cadney Homestead for a detour via the painted desert to Coober Pedy. This is a beautiful trip.

Refer to my Port Augusta and Adelaide pages if you need info on these cities.

If want to avoid Adelaide and want to see some pretty scenery instead (I don't say Adelaide isn't worth a visit!), go from Port Augusta via Wilmington, along the Main North Road to Clare and Kapunda. You can continue on the back roads via the Barossa Valley and the Adelaide Hills to Murray Bridge.

Depending your time left, take the quickest route to Melbourne, or go along the coast to the lovely Great Ocean Road. But this is pretty much in your backyard anyway, and not worth the effort on this long trip.

Anyway, before you go to the Lichfield NP and the Painted Desert, check out the weather reports and road conditions.

Have a safe trip.

Rita

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