Stuart Highway - Adelaide to Alice Springs

Stuart Highway - Adelaide to Alice Springs

by Anonymous

Glendambo Roadhouse - Stuart Hwy

How desolate is the Stuart Highway?

I'm driving with 2 small children on the Stuart Highway from Adelaide to Alice Springs in July for a holiday and returning on the Ghan. Is the road that desolate that nobody would be there to help in case of an emergency?

Thanks for any info.

Response to Stuart Highway from Adelaide to Alice

Hi there,

although distances between towns and roadhouses along the Stuart Highway are up to 250 km (it's not always that much), I would say the Stuart is definitely not desolated.
By Australian Outback standards it is a road with a lot of traffic.

Of course, the scenery is is true Outback, fairly flat most of the times. But the landscapes are changing every so often, it is not boring.

You really don't need to worry. You won't have to wait long for another car to arrive in case of emergency.
In my opinion, the biggest problem while driving along the Stuart Highway is fatigue. However, I reckon the kids will keep you awake, and they will make you stop quite frequently.

Let me give you an overview about the towns and roadhouses along the way. You'll get fuel, drinks, food and accommodation at these places, along with mechanical assistance if needed.

Port Augusta - Pimba 172 km

Pimba - Glendambo 113 km - Don't miss the rest area at Lake Hart about 40 km past Pimba. It is one of the salt lakes that are really close to the highway.

Glendambo - Coober Pedy 252 km - This is the longest part without supplies, so fill up petrol at Glendambo. There are a couple of rest areas along the road, and an emergency phone halfway between.

Coober Pedy - Cadney Homestead 155 km

Cadney Homestead - Marla 84 km

Marla - Kulgera 180 km - Kulgera is already 22 km north of the South Australian/Northern Territory border.

Kulgera - Erldunda 74 km - The Lasseter Highway to Uluru and Yulara turns west from Erdunda.

Erldunda - Stuarts Well 108 km

Stuarts Well - Alice Springs 91 km - and that's it.

All roadhouses along the way have motel-style accommodation and camping facilites. I really liked Erldunda, but Glendambo and Cadney Homestead are also pretty nice.
Of course, Coober Pedy has a good choice of accommodation. Why not sleep underground? This is an unique experience. Check my Coober Pedy hotels page for more information.

Have a wonderful trip.

Rita

Comments for
Stuart Highway - Adelaide to Alice Springs

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Jun 04, 2009

Stuart Hwy In July
by: Amanda

Hi there,

I live in Alice Springs and regularly drive the Stuart Hwy, for both work and holidays.

July is probably the busiest time of year in Central Australia. The highway will be packed with Grey Nomads and other tourists. Should anything befall you (I'm sure it won't) there will be lots of people around to help you. There are emergency phones every so often and there is Telstra Next G mobile reception at Pimba, Coober Pedy, Marla and Erldunda. If you don't have a Next G phone, I recommend getting one.

The road is extremely boring in places - Glendambo to Coober Pedy is my least favourite slice of the journey. I hate this part with a passion. Once you get close to the NT border, the landscape becomes much more interesting to look at. There are low mountain ranges all the way into Alice Springs thereafter (e.g James, Waterhouse).

As Rita has written, there are loads of roadhouses along the way - Cadney is the best. Personally, I find the BIG Glendambo roadhouse too expensive, although it's very clean. The smaller one has more reasonable food.

Marla's outside toilets are often grotty and it will be packed with buses. We avoid stopping at Marla at all. Erldunda Roadhouse is always ridiculously busy because it's the turn off to Uluru - but it's clean and the accommodation is good.

Kulgera is nice and quiet and clean, and so is Stuart's Well (but if you're at Stuart's Well, you've got less than an hour to Alice Springs so you might as well keep going).

I'm not sure how small your children are, but there are a many things to stop and see along the way (like the OUtback Botanical gardens, lookouts, salt lakes, Coober Pedy, the NT/SA border, the dingo fence. I also recommend audiobooks - get something like Harry Potter to keep them captivated (get the ones narrated by Jim Dale). Also there are GEOCACHES all along this road. Geocaching is a fun hide-and-seek treasure hunt played with a GPS. Check it out at www.geocaching.com It's great for kids and long trips.

Hope this is helpful,

enjoy your trip to Central Australia.

Amanda

Stuart Highway Disappearing on Horizon, Australia

Jun 07, 2009

Great advice
by: Rita

Hi Amanda,

thank you for your comment and great advice.

We saw lots of wedge tailed eagles between Marla and Glendambo, that outweighed the boring stretch of the road. :)

Rita

Related pages in the Outback Guide:
Stuart Highway main page
Uluru Tours
Alice Springs Tours

Reader's FAQ & tips
Epic trip to Uluru and the follow up by the same author
Bush flies in the Australian Outback
Stuart Highway - Adelaide to Alice Springs
Stuart Highway with conventional car
Driving Sydney to Uluru in September

Jun 28, 2009

thanks
by: Anonymous

Fantastic info thank you both! I had this vision we would be on our own most of the way on a long and lonely road.

We are so excited and leave on Saturday, downloading harry potter audio book sounds a great idea for my two boys, they're 8 and 6.

We are camping and are well equipped I hope, got a little heater for the tent in case of a night that's too cool!

This website is probably the best I've seen on here, great job Rita for setting it up!

Thanks

Jun 28, 2009

Have a great trip
by: Rita

Thank you for your kind words about the Outback Guide.
It is fun to work on the site and I am adding more content all the time. If travellers like you find it helpful, is a big reward. :)

There is another reader's submission with info about the Stuart Hwy. Check out Epic trip to Uluru

Have fun, and a safe trip. Let us know how it was, would love to hear about your journey.

Rita

Aug 09, 2009

Cold showers and great bacon and egg sandwiches
by: rojomusa

Hi
My experience in August 2009. Stopped at Erldunda caravan park on way to Darwin and on the way back and there was only cold water in the showers both times. Wouldn't stay there again.
Showers at Marla are fabulous.
Glendambo Mobil Roadhouse has great food, is very clean and well managed. The BP is exactly the opposite.
We travel this road frequently and have worked out where and where not to stop. Marla gets the best vote for the caravan park there, and Glendambo MOBIL only, for food and service.
Cadney is also a good caravan park, and a relaxed atmosphere. great stop off point for Painted Desert which way too many people miss

Aug 09, 2009

Thanks for the update
by: Rita

Hi rojomusa,

Thanks for the update! This really proves that things can change.

My stay at Erldunda was a few years ago, 2001, and we didn't have any problems. One thing I remember is that the shower block attracted all kind of insects at night, and the basins were covered with little flies in the morning.

We usually take a shower in the afternoon when we arrive at a place. Shower blocks are freshly cleaned and not so busy at this time of the day.

We stopped at Glendambo November 2008 and enjoyed the stay, and a delicious meal in the hotel.

Rita

Aug 31, 2009

Erldunda
by: Dave

I have just returned to Perth from travelling with the West Australian Variety Bash and we stayed at Erldunda for one night, I found this a great spot and it looks like there are a number of 4 x 4 tracks in the area. I have just purchased a caravan and told my wife that we will be going back to that area again and base our self at the road house for a few days. Lover the Northern Territory even though we did not have a lot of time to look around.

Oct 04, 2009

Oodnadatta Roadhouse
by: Joe

Hi All,
Anyone planning to head to the fabled Pink Roadhouse should expect just that. We were extremely disappointed upon a recent visit, the place was in such poor repair and it was obvious not much had been spent on the place for years. Everyone at the campground behind the roadhouse seemed to be of the same opinion. The girls in the shop were friendly, can't say the same about the older woman who seemed to run the show.
In all, we were very disappointed about the condition and poor value for money. Everywhere else along the track was as anticipated and we had an interesting experience, even at Maree where our powered site had not power from the outlet, still an interesting place

Oct 05, 2009

Thanks for the update
by: Rita

Hi Joe,

well yes, the caravan park facilities at the pink roadhouse were very basic, my visit was 8 years ago. However, they just had added a few new shower blocks, so I thought things would have improved.
My disappointment was that the roadhouse closed the kitchen at 5 pm on the day of our arrival, no "Oodnaburger" for me!

Yes, Marree is a beautiful place, even after the third visit, I still love this town.

Rita

Oct 05, 2009

Pink Roadhouse
by: Joe

Thanks Rita,
Unfortunately, the Pink Roadhouse, although with a 'new' shower block, does not really live up to many peoples expectations, it really is quite dilapidated.
The 'burger is not bad, luckily the kitchen remained open while we were there. we had to have food orders in by 6pm, but were able to go set up camp then return and eat at the tables.
The museum is well worth a visit,it was a bit of an eye opener for the kids to see how people used to live in the outback.
we found the road pretty good all the way from Marla to Maree, although we could see where it would turn bad if wet.
Cheers
Joe

Nov 13, 2009

Also driving the thru the centre.
by: Stuart

I am also planning to do this drive in December.
Can someone please tell me if the road is sealed all the way thru?

Nov 14, 2009

Stuart Highway conditions
by: Rita

Hi Stuart,

the Stuart Highway is a sealed road all the way from Port Augusta to Alice Springs and further north to Darwin.

If you plan to go to Uluru, the Lasseter Highway to Ayers Rocks Resort is also a sealed road.

Rita

Nov 15, 2009

Excellent information
by: Rob

A wealth of information for us too - thanks very much Rita and friends.

We are heading up to Uluru / Alice Springs for December also and we were wondering where would be good to stop and eat etc along the Stuart Highway.

One question I have is what would we be expecting to pay for petrol up there and where are the "cheaper" places to fill up the tank ??

Nov 15, 2009

Fuel Prices
by: Rita

Hi Rob,

I'm glad you found some helpful information here.

This website lists the fuel prices for the major places in the NT, so you'll get an idea what to pay for fuel in Alice Springs and Uluru.

I am sorry, I can't say anything about prices between Port Augusta and the NT, but maybe someone else can help.

Have a great trip.

Rita

Sep 15, 2010

days
by: Steffi

Hello everyone,
great information in here! We are planning to do the stuart highway drive around christmas - we would love to explore the area. Do you think 7 days planning are enough for the distance or rather ten?
thanks
steffi

Sep 16, 2010

From Port Augusta to Darwin?
by: Rita

Hi Steffi,

do you plan to do the entire Stuart Highway, from Port Augusta to Darwin? Then even the ten days would be too short, especially if you want to explore things away from the highway like Uluru, stay two nights in some places etc.

There are so many places worth a visit, Coober Pedy, the painted desert, Uluru/Kata Tjuta National Park, the MacDonnell Ranges east and west of Alice Springs to name a few.

So depending on how much you want to drive each day, I would suggest ten days from Adelaide or Port Augusta to Alice Springs.

Always carry (and drink) lots of water, it will be hot in the centre around Christmas.

Rita

Sep 16, 2010

thank you
by: Steffi

Hi Rita
Thank you for your quick feedback. Yep we would do Adelaide to Alice springs in 10 days. Amazing I am excited!!!!
Thanks
Steffi

Oct 09, 2010

travelling in December
by: Raj

I am planning to drive from Sydney to Alice Springs this December.
Just wondering how the climate will be. Will it be too hot? Will that affect the engine of the car?

I have full roadside assistance with NRMA but bit scared if the climate will be too hot and the car might break down.

Please give some tips. Or am i just too scared?

thanks

Raj

Oct 18, 2010

Thanks to Bundy
by: Vince

I just want to thanks to a bloke named Bundy who about 12 years ago on New Year's Eve gave me a hand when I broke down out of Glendambo on my way to Adelaide. I never did thank him, but I think he was well known at Spuds Road House at that time.

Oct 29, 2010

RE: Car Overheating in high temperatures
by: Rob

Just a comment on the car overheating, on our way back last January (it would have been over 40 degrees C)- our car blew a hose - there are parts of the highway in NT that are 130km/h speed limit. We found out the hard way and broke down sitting on 135 or so. We later found driving at around 120km/h kept the temperature gauge in the middle - but certainly keep an eye on the temperature gauge in high temperatures

Nov 09, 2010

Adelaide to Alice in two days
by: Peta

Hi Everyone,
I know this may sound a little crazy - but I have three days to get to adelaide from alice, pick up a 4wd and drive it back to Alice. I have not done the trip before and will be travelling by myself (am a 29yr old female). I have sort of a day and a half to do the trip and was thinking adelaide to maybe the Glendambo roadhouse on first day and then all the way to Alice the next day.
I need to keep costs down so was going to take my swag and camp somewhere around glendambo - but have heard the campground isn't all that great? Any recent reviews would be great!
Also wondering if there are any points of interest along the way that won't take me off the highway more than 5 or 10kms?

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Dec 02, 2010

Adelaide to Alice
by: Andrew

Hi,

I am planning on driving from Adelaide to Alice in December school hols, but not sure exactly where we will be stopping yet. Does anyone know if it is necessary to book at a roadhouse beforehand in Dec (thinking Kulgera or Erldunda particularly)?

Also, any advice on road trains? Never even seen one, so I'm not sure what to expect. I've heard I should pull over to allow then to overtake but I thought I would be doing the overtaking!

Dec 06, 2010

Holidays can be busy
by: Rita

Hi Andrew,

It can get busy during holidays, and distances between stops are be quite long on the Stuart Highway. It is a good idea to ring places a day before your arrival, so you know where to stay. It is easier to plan your day then.

Well, road trains are not all that long, but they can be up to 50m. You can imagine that it is hard to stop such a thing.

So, who's the one doing the overtaking depends on the situation. If you see a road train coming closer in your rear mirror (driving faster than you), don't force the truck to slow down. You should slow down and move off the road and let the truck pass.

If you want to overtake a road train, be sure that you have a long stretch of clear road ahead before you begin overtaking.

If you approach a truck on an unsealed road, it is a good idea to slow down and move to the left. This can save your windscreen. Also, you won't see much in the dust cloud the truck leaves behind, so be careful and don't run into another car.

Always remember, it takes a long time for a road train to stop, and they are stronger. So don't do stupid things around them.

Have a good trip.

Rita

Dec 06, 2010

Ta
by: Andrew

Thanks for the comments Rita. Great website, by the way!

Jan 27, 2011

Glendambo roadhouse
by: Anonymous

Try to avoid Glendambo Roadhouse unless it is an emergency or if you need fuel. The place is a shit hole run by goats who have no idea of service and hospitality. The food is terrible and the rooms are awful. Keep going to Coober Pedy.

May 30, 2011

Grey nomads
by: Robyn

Arrived home yesterday after 7000 kilometres of driving from Bathurst to Alice Springs.
The Stuart Highway is an excellent highway.
Road trains no problem but the convoys of grey nomads travelling at 80kph make overtaking very difficult. When you have 4 huge caravans being towed by underpowered vehicles all travelling close together it is becomes quite dangerous and frustrating for drivers wanting to travel over 100 kph. The speed limit is 130 for most of the way. That was the only problem we encountered in 3 weeks.
Fabulous weather and so many wonderful attractions to see.
Erldunda was an excellent place to stay with the caravan. Very clean shower blocks and laundry. Green grass was very welcome.
Kings Canyon Resort was a rip off with a powered campsite $42.00 per night. Poor maintenance on the amenities block and cleaning was minimal. The supermarket was very expensive. $1.50 for an apple and over 2 dollars for an orange. Petrol was $2.90 per litre. However Kings Canyon rim walk (6 kilometres) is fabulous.
Ayres Rock Resort at Yulara is fabulous and worth the $41.00 per night for a powered site. Amenities very clean, big laundry and a free shuttle bus from the resort to the shops every 10 - 15 minutes. great base for visting Ayres Rock and the Olgas. Petrol at Yulara also reasonable as were the prices in the supermarket.
Wintersun Caravan Park in Alice Springs was very good although quite crowded. Advisable to book ahead during May to ensure a powered site.
In Coober Pedy can recommend the Stuart Range Caravan Park just off the the highway. Amenities very good but no water connected to the sites. Need to buy water or bring it with you. A fabulous pizza place attached to the reception area. Josephine's gallery in Coober Pedy an excellent place to buy art works.

All in all a wonderful experience.

Jun 02, 2011

Great report
by: Rita

Thanks Robyn for your detailed report, it is much appreciated.

Good to hear you enjoyed your journey. :)

Rita

Jul 22, 2011

travel north
by: chevman

hi my wife and i are planning to travel to darwin, i have built a camp trailer, its like a trademans traler with side opening doors, we hope to get to darwin in 10 or so days, and if its not to muggy up there plan to do a bit of work there, i lived in darwin between 1996 and 2001, so i know what the weather is like, if it gets to sweety we may go to kununurana in west australia and look for work there, i have lived there to many years ago, we love to travel and see the sights of australia, it is a beautiful country, why would you want to go over seas if you havent seen out of your own back door,
thanks paul

Oct 25, 2011

Thanks
by: Sunil

Hi Rita

I am thankful to you for publishing this information and helping travelers.

I went on a 7 day road trip from Adelaide to Darwin and back and your website was extremely helpful.

I could not have managed to do this 7day-7000km trip without the maps/guidelines/tips from here.

Thanks once again.

Cheers

Sunil

Oct 25, 2011

Adelaide to Darwin
by: Rita

Hi Sunil,

Thanks for the comment. I am glad you found my guide helpful. That's what the site is for :).

Rita

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