Have you ever travelled on a self-drive holiday (such as a campervan) from Adelaide to Darwin? If not, you should look at planning a trip like this and experience the perfect adventure on the way.
A road trip from South Australia’s beautiful capital Adelaide to Darwin, the capital of Northern Territory, is without doubt one of the best road trips in Australia.
Considering you travel through fairly dry parts of South Australia to amazingly beautiful green areas of the tropical north, a self-drive campervan road trip is extremely exciting. As you proceed onto Explorers Highway, you will start discovering startling attractions on the way which will fascinate you tremendously. Nothing beats the feeling as you uncover this beautiful country in the same manner as John McDouall Stuart, one of the greatest explorers in the world, had done initially.
On the way, you will get an opportunity to explore numerous renowned wineries, World Heritage-listed national parks, Aboriginal rock art, beautiful park lands, a range of small villages and towns and much more.
Upon the very first day of this journey, you can explore the Barossa Valley and Port Augusta
When you start your journey from Adelaide, after driving for approximately an hour, you will reach a beautiful place called the Barossa Valley, all you need to do is stop there and explore it fully as it has lots to offer you in very short distances. The Barossa is one of the most renowned places in Australia when it comes to wine production and delicious cuisines.
Along with the well-known wineries, historic sites and enjoy mouth-watering dishes, there are sales of local art as well as hand-crafts from a range of galleries.
Barossa Valley
Inside the Barossa Valley you will learn a hundred things about wines and wine production. What I really feel like recommending here is please don’t leave the place without tasting Eden Valley Riesling, it will really provide you a unique and memorable experience.
Port Augusta
After fully exploring Barossa Valley, your next big stop should be Port Augusta, wherein you can stay overnight. Port Augusta is again a beautiful city in South Australia, and it is well-known among people as being the gateway to Flinders Ranges and exciting outback areas. You will find a number of good restaurants in Port Augusta.
Ranges National Park
Start you second day by driving yourself to Flinders Ranges National Park and discover stunning mountains, Wilpena Pound, distinctive wildlife, unique plants and trees, amazing gorges. Along with that, you can spend an amazing time exploring Aboriginal rock art sites, which will a great insight into the Aboriginal people.
If you are interested you can also make a visit to copper mine, and believe me it will prove to be the best self-drive campervan trip in Australia. As part of travelling is always the additional bonus of learning new things, exploring Coober Pedy mining town and the lives of the people living there is another experience you won’t find anywhere else in Australia. You would be surprised to see that people here live underground in order to stay comfortable and safe from the heat. Whether it be houses, hotels or churches, you will find almost everything located underground.
Alice Springs
After Coober Pedy, the another beautiful town to explore is Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. Alice Spring is famous for being the gateway to Red Centre, which is one of Australia’s largest deserts. Discover the sand, rocks and mountains which all take on a red appearance, almost like being in another world, then when you are ready, continue your journey to the north.
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
Once you are done with discovering everything about Alice Spring, you should seriously consider visiting Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, the iconic natural landscape of Australia, and sacred to local aboriginal tribes. You can undertake the support of a guide to understand the significance of the site and surrounding landscape. As far as your accommodation in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is concerned you can either opt for beautiful resorts or basic camp sites.
Kings Canyon
After Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park comes Kings Canyon, where you can climb on the upper canyon rim to obtain spectacular views. It is a beautiful part of Watarrka National Park, which offers endless amazing natural attractions to visitors.
Daly Waters
After visiting Kings Canyon you should come back towards Alice Spring and explore Tennant Creek. After that continue travelling to the north and you will find a beautiful hamlet called Daly Waters.
Apart from these places, upon further heading north you can also discover Katherine (a beautiful township), Nitmiluk National Park, and Kakadu National Park before you reach the Northern Territory capital city of Darwin.