Roadtrip Australia: The Uluru - Flinders Ranges Adventure (Part One)

Another roadtrip adventure means another week of grabbing a coffee and settling in for a long read!  I hvae split it into part one and part two so it isn't quite so long... :)

Since our first Uluru trip was a failure, in the sense that we didn't actually make it to Uluru (haha), we booked Easter 2017 to try again.

For a second time, I made a plan for where to go and what to do and where to stay, although I was a little less detailed with it after last time's adventure.  We were still vaguely aware that we were going into the desert, but it wasn't Summer this time so we weren't expecting to be burnt to a crisp.

Let's get right to it - hope you enjoy!

Day one - getting on the road

Again leaving late evening, we got going, to give us a head start on tomorrow!  Slept at a campspot we know well in Capertee.

Day two - powering through

The goal for day two was to successfully get to Broken Hill without any issues.  10 hour drive non-stop anyone?  Nothing eventful happened (which was probably a great thing), as we drove through Dubbo, Cobar, Wilcannia and arrived at Broken Hill.  We checked into the same camp ground as last time, and treated ourselves to a pub schnitzel and beer for arriving!  We ended up sleeping at around 8pm after that mammoth drive, but now we were ready to get going up to Uluru.

Day three - visit South Australia

Started the day off at 6am, heading straight to Silverton.  You might know this from one of the Mad Max movies!  The museum itself was closed because ... well.. it was 6am.  But we looked at the stuff they had outside, and admired the desert views.

It is some incredible view, especially from Mundi Mundi lookout!

After Silverton, we headed out to Peterborough, and then continued through to Melrose.  We had lunch here, and then we thought this was the access point to Alligator Gorge... but it wasn't.  Got back on the road towards Port Augusta, and en route, saw the access road to Alligator Gorge.  Followed the windy road down into the gorge, and to the two lookout points.

There are plenty of walks and things you can do here, but we just didn't have time.  Once we hit Port Augusta, our goal was to not stop until we had to!  We got fuel in Port Augusta and Pimba (this has a great Roadhouse), and then settled in for the night at a rest stop next to Lake Hart.  This lake has no water, and is all salt - SO cool!  We got there right before sunset, and walked all the way out onto the lake to photo the incredible sunset.  It was such a clear, beautiful night :).

Day four - heading Outback

Had a little sleep in (until 7.30am), and got on the road around 8.  Past Glendambo (another good roadhouse), and arrived at Coober Pedy around lunch time.  Now Coober Pedy is a sight to see.  Your landscape changes from super flat as far as the eye can see, to SO many piles of dirt from where people have dug opal mines.  Literally everywhere.  It's crazy!

Since the visitor centre was closed (the perils of traveling over a public holiday.), we cruised around a little bit.  Saw the Big Winch, with some pretty town views, and then found the Old Timers Mine (which was open!).  Escaped the heat by exploring this mine, and then headed to a cafe for lunch.  There wasn't really much open, so we ended up having a coffee in an opal shop, and admiring the jewellery and art.  If you are in the market for some rather expensive opals, or some insanely beautiful didgeridoos, this is the place for you!  Got back on the road, and headed to our goal for the day - Marla.  Detoured a little on the way to see the Breakaways - well worth the 9km dirt road detour.  SO beautiful.

Day five - King's Canyon

We woke early, excited to be finally making it into the Northern Territory!

Made it to King's Canyon in about 6.5 hours.  We checked into the campground, and started off with a beer.  Had dinner in the bar, and headed to the sunset area to watch the sunset... which was super cloudy and anticlimactic, but that's ok.

Day six - adventuring

Woke up early to watch a sunrise that didn't really happen either, and then went to the Rim Walk (after topping up fuel for $2.10 per litre!!  There will be a whole post on fuel soon..).  This walk begins with a super steep climb, and then its quite cruisy around the top of the canyon.  SO gorgeous.  We had such a perfect day for it.  The time it says this walk will take is 3 - 4 hours, but we did it in 2, and we didn't feel like we were rushing.  Don't forget water on a walk like this!

There are other walks you can do, but we decided to finally finish our journey to Uluru.  Wandered around Kathleen Springs on the way (because why not), and then arrived at Ayers Rock Resort around lunch time.  Had lunch in one of the restaurants, and then settled into our camp spot.  Spent the evening planning our Uluru adventure, and then went to see the viewpoint of the Rock - so cool!  Watched the (cloudy) sunset, and then went to bed early to be ready for tomorrow!

That's it for now - join me next week to discover all about Uluru, and the Flinder's Ranges... and what to do when all it does in the desert is rain!

Hx