Regional Travel and Tourism Information 

Central Australia offers a range of truly unique experiences. There’s a massive list of things to do while in region. The winter months provide an ideal temperature to get out bush sit around a fire while crisping up some marshmallows. The good weather generally lasts till October with a combination of warm summer days and spurts of rainfall through to February.  

https://www.discovercentralaustralia.com/events/desert-song-festival

Planning your holiday: 

Getting to Central Australia 

Flights 

Both Alice Springs and Uluru have flights from all major cities around Australia. The most frequent flights come via Adelaide and Melbourne to both locations. Tickets are available via regional operators using the short codes ASP for Alice Springs and AYQ for Ayers Rock Airport (Uluru). 

Car Hire is available from both Airports with a number of providers, speak to the Visitor Centra Staff if you’re looking for the best deals with Unlimited Kilometres – Contact here.  

Special rates have been arranged for Festival goers with Budget Rent a Car Alice Springs Airport @ (61) 8 8952 8899.

Self – Drive

While there’s a massive list of roads leading to the centre, the most used would be along the Sturt Highway from Port Augusta in the South and from Darwin in the North. From the East drivers need to follow the Flinders Highway on the Barkly Highway making their way to Central Australia starting in Tennant Creek. If you’ve got a 4WD and are keen to explore the backroads use the Plenty Highway from the East and the Great Central Road from the Southwest. Check out the guide on permits required before travelling to the region here.

For those who haven’t driven on country roads in the outback remember our distances are significant and car insurance doesn’t work at all times. Speak to the insurance provider but most hire companies don’t provide insurance for night-time driving outside city limits. Cattle, Camels, Bulls and Kangaroos roam free and can cause unavoidable accidents in the dark. Additionally, a number of roads are unsealed and google maps doesn’t do a good job of highlighting this information. Speak to a local or check out the visitor information centre’s regional map here.

Local Distances 

We generally estimate an average of 100 Kms per hour(Sealed Roads) of travel outside of planned stops in a regular vehicle, and longer in larger vehicles or if you are towing.  

Alice Springs to Tennant Creek – 501 kms (5.5 Hours)

Alice Springs to Uluru – 468 Kms (5 Hours) 

Alice Springs to Kings Canyon (Sealed Route) – 473 Kms (5.5 Hours) 

Alice Springs to Kings Canyon (Un-Sealed Route) – 332 Kms (5.0 Hours)  

Kings Canyon to Uluru – 324 Kms (4 Hours) 

Bus 

Greyhound Australia offers tours from some major capital cities to Alice Springs and provides the comfort of reclining seats, WiFi and large windows to enjoy the journey. See a list of printable timetables here.

A trip from Adelaide to Alice Springs takes 20.5 hours on the bus with stops at a range of locations including Coober Pedy, Marla and Indulkana. The coaches leave daily for this route. The service also offers a daily service from Darwin to Alice Springs, with 21 hours 40 minutes of travel time, and a 6-hour trip from Tennant Creek.

If you need help booking a Greyhound bus, contact our Visitor Information Centre.

Railway

The Ghan is a much-loved option to access the region, offering a range of price points and comfortable way to reach Alice Springs. Travelling up from Adelaide, through to Manguri, Marla and then Alice Springs, it extends as far as Katherine and Darwin in the North. The Ghan departs from the Adelaide Parklands Terminal, about 3 kilometres from the city centre.

From March to November, The Ghan leaves on Sundays at 12.15pm from Adelaide, stops in Marla on Monday for a morning experience and arrives in Alice Springs at 1.45pm the same day (Monday). Passengers can depart Alice Springs that evening (Monday) at 6.15pm to reach Katherine for a morning experience on Tuesday before arriving in Darwin at 5.30pm that evening (Tuesday).

There is another option operating from April to September, leaving Adelaide at 12.10pm on Wednesday, arriving in Marla on Thursday for a morning experience before an afternoon experience at 1.45pm in Alice Springs. The Ghan departs Alice Springs at 6.15pm that day to reach Katherine by Friday for a morning excursion before arriving in Darwin at 7.50pm.