Melbourne to Darwin road trip itinerary and map

The best stops on a Melbourne to Darwin road trip

Melbourne to Ararat

• Distance: 204km
• Time: 2.5 hours
• Because: The gaol and asylum have lots of sobering history to explore

Kick off your epic road trip with a drive north-west from Melbourne to Ararat. This country town, around an hour from RACV Goldfields Resort, boomed during the gold rushes: at one time, there were 40,000 people seeking gold in the district. By 1857, Ararat had its own shops, hotels and theatres. Its prosperity continued after the mining boom, becoming a government town complete with an imposing gaol and psychiatric asylum.

Today, you can tour Aradale Asylum (previously the Ararat Lunatic Asylum), a now-closed psychiatric hospital, and its annexe J Ward Gaol, which housed the criminally insane. Touring Aradale Asylum will help you gain a historical understanding of the Victorian mental health system, while the J Ward tour will impress upon you how awful conditions were for convicts who were declared insane.

On a lighter note, Ararat Gallery TAMA (Textile Art Museum Australia) is also worth a visit thanks to its unique commitment to textile and fibre art, including tapestries, quilts, baskets and embroideries.

To finish your day, pack a picnic and sit in Alexandra Gardens to enjoy colourful gardens complete with an ornamental lake within walking distance of the Ararat shopping strip.

More: The best places to find gold in Victoria

Ararat to Adelaide

• Distance: 522km
• Time: 5.75 hours
• Because: It's fast becoming one of Australia's leading cultural destinations

If you'd prefer a coastal route from Melbourne to Adelaide, check out the 10 best stops on a Melbourne to Adelaide road trip for iconic stops like McLaren Vale, Victor Harbor, Port Fairy and of course the Great Ocean Road.

Once you're in Adelaide, indulge in boutique shopping on Rundle Street and the Adelaide Arcade, hit the sand at Glenelg Beach, and embrace your inner art critic at the Art Gallery of South Australia and the South Australian Museum.

If you've had enough driving after getting to Adelaide, there's another option to get to Darwin: The Ghan, a legendary train journey that crosses through Australia's Red Centre.

More: The ultimate guide to The Ghan

Adelaide to Port Augusta

• Distance: 308km
• Time: 3.5 hours
• Because: It's where the Eyre Highway and Stuart Highway converge

Port Augusta has been called 'the Crossroads of Australia' and 'the Gateway to the Outback' for good reason. Here is where the Eyre Highway, the Stuart Highway and the Flinders Range Way meet, allowing for a multitude of iconic road trips.

While in Port Augusta, head to the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden to explore flora from Australia's arid zone, where ecosystems are complex, fragile and found nowhere else on earth.

The Wadlata Outback Centre is another great attraction in Port Augusta. Its Tunnel of Time exhibition takes visitors through the history of the outback, from Akurra the Dreaming Serpent gouging out the Flinders Ranges, to early explorers looking for an inland sea, to the creation of the Royal Flying Doctor Service - and much more.

You can also take a full-day or half-day trip aboard a restored steam or heritage diesel train on the original Ghan route between Port Augusta and Quorn on the Pichi Richi Railway.

If you have the time, take a side trip to the Flinders Ranges to see amazing outback sights like Wilpena Pound, Ochre Cliffs, the Oodnadatta Track and much more.

More: South Australia's top five road trip destinations

Port Augusta to Coober Pedy

• Distance: 540km
• Time: 5.5 hours
• Because: It's the underground opal capital of the world

Coober Pedy is famous for two things: vast quantities of precious opals, and being an almost entirely underground town to escape the summer heat and cold winter desert nights. Fun fact: 'coober pedy' is an Aboriginal term meaning 'white man in a hole'. Stay in an underground dugout at Coober Pedy for the full experience, like the Desert Cave Hotel or The Underground Motel.

Spend a day visiting the Umoona Opal Mine & Museum to discover the Aboriginal and mining history of Coober Pedy, before joining an underground mine tour to see how opals are traced and extracted. You can even try 'noodling' (no tool mining) for opal yourself in the Opal Fields, where there are an estimated 1,500,000 open shafts.

On another day, venture out of town to see the colourful Kanku Breakaways and the 3,000-mile-long Dog Fence built to keep dingoes out of cattle country. Back in Coober Pedy, explore the unique attractions like the grass-less golf course, the opal shops, and the stunning underground churches.

Don't miss Crocodile Harry's, a weird and wonderful dugout that belonged to a Latvian baron who hunted crocodiles in Australia for 13 years after fighting in World War II. Avid von Blumenthal (aka Crocodile Harry) left behind a dugout in Coober Pedy filled with a strange collection of sculptures, paintings, graffiti and displays.

Coober Pedy to Uluru

• Distance: 748km
• Time: 7.5 hours
• Because: It's the most iconic Australian landmark

Uluru is arguably Australia's most famous landmark, instantly recognisable to Aussies and tourists alike.

The Ayers Rock Resort in Yulara is a great base for a few days spent exploring the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Staying here, you can take advantage of free activities like bush yarns, bush food experiences, and didgeridoo workshops from Indigenous guides. Entry to the Gallery of Central Australia, full of incredible Indigenous art, is also free.

Since you're on a road trip, it's best to purchase a permit from Parks Australia and drive the 20 minutes to Uluru from Ayers Rock Resort yourself. There are three great walks by the base of Uluru to explore this natural wonder: the full 10.6km loop Base Walk, the short 1km return Kuniya Walk to Muṯitjulu Waterhole, and the 2km return ranger-led Mala Walk.

The gorgeous Field of Light Uluru, an acclaimed exhibition by Bruce Munro, covers more than seven football fields in 50,000 spindles of light, creathing a breathing and swaying fantasy garden.

Wintjiri Wiru is another unmissable experience, telling an ancient Indigenous story with choreographed drones, lasers and projections in the night sky at an open-air theatre upon a dune with views to Uluru and Kata Tjuta.

If fine dining is more your thing, Sounds of Silence offers a freshly-prepared bush tucker-inspired menu with native bush ingredients, accompanied by a didgeridoo performance, all in the desert.

Finally, ride through the red sand dunes atop a majestic camel with Uluru Camel Tours, Australia's largest camel farm.

While you're in the area, consider a half-day trip out to Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) for a hike around soaring rock domes that change colour with the sun's movements.

More: Exploring the Northern Territory in a four-wheel drive (4WD) or campervan

Uluru to Kings Canyon

• Distance: 302km
• Time: 3 hours
• Because: It's an incredible display of Australian landscape

Today you'll be starting the Red Centre Way: an iconic drive that connects Uluru with Alice Springs, touring Kings Canyon and the West MacDonnell Ranges in between.

Take the Lasseter Highway east from Yulara, stopping at Mount Conner Lookout to stretch your legs with a great view. Turn left at Luritja Road, making another pit stop at the picturesque Salt Creek Rest Area on your way.

Pause at Kings Creek Station, a working outback cattle station, for a bite to eat at the onsite cafe and to pick up a Mereenie Loop Permit: you'll need this to complete the unsealed Mereenie Loop from Kings Canyon to Alice Springs. If you don't have an off-roader, there's a sealed alternative.

From the station, it's just a 30 minute drive to Kings Canyon. This majestic place is dominated by red rock cliffs towering over a forest of palms. The iconic Kings Canyon Rim Walk is a gorgeous 6km circuit that takes you through the Garden of Eden (a rockhole surrounded by rare plants) before ascending to panoramic views over the sand dunes. There's also the Creek Bed Walk, a 2km journey along a boulder-strewn canyon creek. For an aerial view, book into a Kings Canyon helicopter flight to see the Domes of the Lost City and the Garden of Eden from the sky.

Stay overnight at the Kings Canyon Resort, the closest accommodation to Watarrka National Park. It's a great choice so you aren't backtracking on your route.

Kings Canyon to Alice Springs

• Distance: 374km
• Time: 4.25 hours
• Because: It's the gateway to the Red Centre, Australia's interior desert region

It's time to gear up for a 4WD section today: the famous Mereenie Loop, which stretches between Kings Creek Resort and Alice Springs through the West MacDonnell Ranges.

There are many great stops on the Mereenie Loop, notably Ellery Creek Big Hole and Simpsons Gap. Ellery Creek Big Hole is a spectacular waterhole that you can reach with just a five-minute walk from the car park (or you can amp it up with the 1.5 hour loop Dolomite Walk) - ideal for swimming, though the water can be very cold! Also stop at Simpsons Gap to see the big cliffs, permanent waterhole, and cute rock wallabies.

If you have a 2WD, you will need to backtrack back down Luritja Road and rejoin the Lasseter Highway, continuing west until you reach the Stuart Highway. Here you can turn north towards Alice Springs. This route keeps you entirely on sealed roads.

In Alice Springs, you'll want to check out the Alice Springs Reptile Centre to spot goanas, frill-neck lizards, thorny devils, geckoes, pythons, and much more. Among the reptiles are some of the world's most venemous snakes, from king browns to death adders. Visit between 11am and 3pm when the reptiles are most active.

The Alice Springs Desert Park is another unmissable attraction, where you can catch incredible bird shows, experience the night during the day in the Nocturnal House, or go spotlighting on a Nocturnal Tour to find endangered animals of the desert.

The Alice Springs Kangaroo Sanctuary is arguably the most heart-warming stop in town, where orphaned joeys are rescued and raised in the 188-acre sanctuary. Join a guided sunset tour to learn about these precious animals up close.

Finally, the National Road Transport Museum should be of interest to many, highlighting Australia’s unique transport heritage servicing remote areas of the outback.

Alice Springs to Tennant Creek

• Distance: 508km
• Time: 5 hours
• Because: It's a much-needed oasis between Alice Springs and Katherine

On your way from Alice Springs to Tennant Creek, stop in at the Barrow Creek Hotel for a cheeky pint. This was the first pub constructed between the two stops, and many of its original features remain, like its classic Aussie tin roof.

An hour further along from Barrow Creek Hotel is the famous Devils Marbles (Karlu Karlu): huge, precariously-balanced red granite boulders strewn among the desert of Barkly Tablelands. This is a sacred site to the Warumungu people, so please refrain from climbing on the boulders.

At Tennant Creek, you can learn about the town's mining heritage on an underground mine tour at Battery Hill Gold Mining & Heritage Centre and explore the stone buildings where European workers originally came to labour at the Tennant Creek Telegraph Station.

Stay the night at one of the caravan parks or motels for a much-needed sleep.

Tennant Creek to Katherine

• Distance: 674km
• Time: 7 hours
• Because: It's home to Katherine Gorge, an incredible natural location

Leaving Tennant Creek, stop in at The Pebbles (Kunjarra), a mini version of the Devils Marbles.  Here, dancing and healing rites of the Munga Munga dreaming take place.

Along the road to Katherine, tour eclectic old outback pubs like the Daly Waters Pub and Larrimah Hotel. Have a dip at the warm, blue Bitter Springs in Elsey National Park, just a short drive from the small pastoral town of Mataranka. Just outside of Katherine is Cutta Cutta Caves, tropical limestone caves that you can delve through 15 metres below surface level.

In Katherine, book in to the Katherine Outback Experience: a two-hour show full of working horse and dog demonstrations, live country music and humourous bush tales. Afterwards, have another swim to beat the heat in Katherine Hot Springs, located within the township on the banks of the Katherine River.

Katherine is most famous for being near Nitmiluk National Park, home to Katherine Gorge (Nitmiluk). This 13-gorge system is perfect for cruising along in a series of boats with Nitmiluk Tours. Your tour guides will show you 10,000-year-old Indigenous rock art, seasonal waterfalls and rock pools, dreamtime stories and local wildlife among the limestone escarpments.

Explore the western end of the gorge system on foot via the Baruwei Lookout Walk for incredible views of Nitmiluk Gorge and 17 Mile Valley over a 1.8km return track. There's also the Baruwei Loop Walk, a longer 4.8km loop that takes you along the escarpment.

Katherine to Kakadu National Park

• Distance: 295km
• Time: 3.25 hours
• Because: It's one of Australia's largest national parks, filled with saltwater crocodiles, wetlands and prehistoric Aboriginal rock paintings

You'll need at least a few days to explore Kakaudu National Park: there's simply so much to see. On your way there from Katherine, drop in to Edith Falls (Leliyn) for a beautiful swimming hole under cascading waterfalls. Pine Creek township is another good pit stop for a refuel and streching your legs.

Once in Kakaudu National Park, make your way to Cooinda Lodge. Not only is it a lovely place to stay the night, but two great tours depart from here. The Bush Tucker Tour is a walking tour about Indigenous bush tucker, uncovering the traditional uses of various local plants and their cultural significance to the Bininj people. Yellow Water Billabong cruises also depart from the lodge, offering the chance to see crocodiles, buffalo and jabiru among the wetlands.

The next day, head up to Nawurlandja Lookout for a breathing panorama across the Arnhem Land escarpment. The Anbangbang Billabong Track is right next door: an easy, quiet 2.5km loop through savanna woodlands and paperbark forest, framing a billabong teeming with birds. Just 30 minutes further north is Burrungkuy (Nourlangie), a 1.5km loop walk taking you to an ancient Indigenous rock art site. Spend the night at another resort nearby.

The Guluyambi Cultural Cruise on East Alligator River provides a fantastic insight into local culture and mythology. An Indigenous guide will explain the river’s abundant food chain, traditional uses for many plants and animals, and bush survival skills. You'll disembark on the Arnhem Land side of the river for a display of traditional hunting and gathering implements. Close by, the Bardedjilidji Walk allows you to look for a small cave that once sheltered Indigenous hunters. Look for the deep grinding holes which would have been used to prepare food. Also nearby is the famous Ubirr Rock Art, the longest historical record of any continuous civilization on Earth.

Kakadu to Darwin

• Distance: 151km
• Time: 1.5 hours
• Because: It's the Northern Territory's action-packed capital city

After a fairly short drive, you will have arrived in Darwin, effectively ending your road trip. But it's not quite time to relax yet - there's still too much to see and do!

Look up the tides and book in to Aquascene Doctor's Gully, where fish have congregated to be hand-fed for 60 years. Then head to Crocosaurus Cove, where you can get up close to lots of crocodiles with activities like crocodile fishing (feeding juvenile croct via a fishing line) or the notorious Cage of Death: swimming 'with' a large saltwater croc separated only by clear plastic.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service is also well worth a visit to learn about the heroic service and the shocking 1942 Bombing of Darwin Harbour. So is the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, offering free entry to Aboriginal art and ancient artefacts, a Cyclone Tracy interactive exhibit, and Sweetheart the giant taxidermied saltwater crocodile.

Finally, relax at the Darwin Waterfront Precinct, filled with delicious dining options as well as saltwater lagoon, a wave pool, and a bouncy aqua park that will delight kids big and small.

From Darwin, you can also explore the legendary Litchfield National Park. Take a day trip from Darwin in your own car or join a tour. Make sure to include the Adelaide River Jumping Crocodile Cruise, visit the impressive Magnetic Termite Mounds, and cool off at Florence Falls, Buley Rockhole or Wangi Falls.