Painted Desert

Painted Desert

by Yanna
(Melbourne)

Painted Desert

Dear Rita,

We're planing the campervan trip from Melbourne to Darwin next month. Before anything else,I just wanna say your website is the best I found with so many information we need about this trip. Thanks a lot !!

About the painted desert, could you tell me the best route we should choose if we are really short of time(only got 14 days from Melbourne to Darwin) and still wanna get a glance of the best scenery of painted desert. We are thinking of taking a detour off Stuart Hwy from Coober Pedy, and back to Stuart Hwy from Cadney Homestead. How much extra time do you think we should have for this detour (we're not going to do any climbing or hiking)? and is our campervan gonna be ok for this? Thanks a lot!
Regards,Yanna

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Painted Desert

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Nov 17, 2010

Painted Desert Detour
by: Rita

Hi Yanna,

I am really happy that you found my website helpful to plan your trip, thanks for the kudos :).

Yeah, Coober Pedy to Cadney is exactly the detour where you get to see the marvellous scenery. I roughly drew the route on the map. Click on view painted desert in larger map and zoom in, so you'll get an idea of the terrain.

The detour is roughly 120 km more than driving on the Stuart Hwy. With the occasional photo stop, you'll need approx. 4 hours for the 270 km detour.

It's been a while that I did this trip, the road was in good condition then. I can't remember any hard creek crossings along the way.
The road north Coober Pedy is a wide gravel road. When you turn left to the painted desert area and until Cadney, the road is narrower, but okay.
But it is definitely a dry weather road, so you better ask at Cadney about the conditions.

Is your campervan okay for this? Well, I don't know your van, and again, it depends on what the road and the weather is like at the time you'll be there. If it is too wet the road will be closed anyway. Be prepared for that disappointment.

But I'll keep my fingers crossed. Would be great if you tell us how the trip was when you are back.

Rita

Nov 18, 2010

Re:
by: Yanna

Dear Rita,

Thanks a lot for your prompt reply, makes me less worried about our trip. I only planned 14 days for the whole trip from Melbourne to Darwin(via Great Ocean Road & Ayers Rock). Didn't realize there are so much to check out in the outback area before I booked the flight tickets back to Melbourne. Hope I will come back with some good stories and pictures to share with you beside all the driving:) Cheers,Yanna

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