Adelaide to Alice Springs travel
Clare Valley, Flinders Ranges, Coober Pedy, Pichi Pichi railway...
Mar 3, 2007
Visitors to the South Australian desert can see Wilpena Pound, Rainbow Valley, Quorn, Lake Eyre and Mt Remarkable or go wine tasting, camel riding or opal mining.
It's not just desert between Adelaide and Alice Springs in Australia - you can go go wine tasting in the Clare Valley, camel riding or opal mining in Coober Pedy for starters. Here are ten suggestions of things to do and places to stop on the way up the middle of the country.
- Go wine-tasting in the Clare Valley. Though not as famous as the nearby Barossa, there are still some great drops to be sampled here, and it’s only a couple of hours’ drive out of Adelaide. Go wine-tasting at a few of the wineries, and you may just have to add an extra day to the journey, as the designated driver is telling some random old gimmer that they really, really love him.
- Go wandering around Mt Remarkable at the foot of the Flinders Ranges. Alligator Gorge, in particular, is well worth a couple of hours meandering through, with the jagged rocks looking like they could close in on you at any minute.
- Chug along the Pichi Pichi railway from Quorn to Port Augusta. It’s a bit like Thomas The Tank Engine, but with better scenery and Ringo Starr told to shut the hell up.
- Check the wildlife, rock carvings and jaw-dropping landscapes of Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges. It covers about 80 square km, and is like a giant inverted dome, with the outer walls almost a sheer 500m.
- Gasp at the massive expanses of salt that make up Lake Eyre. If you’re very lucky, it may have some water in it, but don’t stake too much on this happening. Just make sure your camera can do all that panoramic jazz.
- Begin to understand how massive and empty this country is. On the way up to Alice, you plough through much of the Simpson desert. There’s not exactly a lot to see, but it sure can make you feel extremely small.
- Make your fortune, noodling for opals in the giant mounds of dirt in Coober Pedy town centre.
- Get your obligatory group photo at the South Australia/ Northern Territory border.
- Go for a ride on a camel at Stuart’s Well, 90km south of Alice (www.camels-australia.com.au).
- Take in sunrise at the extraordinary Rainbow Valley Conservation Reserve. It’s an underrated treasure that more than matches the more famous highlights of the Red Centre.
The copyright of the article Adelaide to Alice Springs travel in Australia Travel is owned by David Whitley. Permission to republish Adelaide to Alice Springs travel in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
