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Melbourne, Australia
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Adelaide, Australia
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Broken Hill, Australia
Crossing the border during the night, you'll wake up in Broken Hill, New South Wales. Enjoy
a hearty breakfast, ready for the day's activities in the Silver City. You'll have a choice of five
Off Train Experiences, including guided history, art and cultural experiences that showcase
the highlights of Australia's first heritage-listed city.
Returning to the train for lunch, admire the scenery as the Indian Pacific travels through
regional New South Wales. Tonight, dinner is served on board as you make the most of your
final night exploring Australia by train.
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Blue Mountains, Australia
The Blue Mountains is a World Heritage-listed area that is bound to delight your senses with its
rugged cliffs, forests and formations.
After disembarking, it's onwards to Scenic World for four phenomenal mountain experiences.
The Scenic Skyway takes you above ancient ravines, visible 270 metres below through the glass
cabin floor. Your vista is 360 degrees and features the Three Sisters, the Jamison Valley and
Katoomba Falls.
Join the Scenic Cableway and glide over the forest as you descend more than 500 metres to the
valley floor, before boarding the Scenic Railway, the steepest passenger railway in the world.
Next, travel to the Echo Point Lookout, perched on the edge of the escarpment in Katoomba to
enjoy a light lunch paired with award-winning wine and beer to complement more amazing
views. After lunch, you'll board a private charter train which will take you through to Sydney
Central Station concluding your epic journey.
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Sydney, Australia
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Uluru, Australia
ALICE SPRINGS – ULURU
4.5 hours of driving (450 km)
The drive from Alice Springs to Uluṟu will be the longest of the whole road trip and, with some breaks, will take somewhere between five and six hours.
I don’t think you need to start particularly early because it’s unlikely you’ll want to do anything at Uluṟu in the afternoon heat. My suggestion is to head off mid-morning with a plan to arrive at about 3 pm so you can have a rest before doing something at sunset.
Once you leave town, you’ll find yourself on the long roads with the Outback desert stretching out in both directions. At first, you may think it all looks quite similar, covered in spinifex grasslands and saltbush scrub, but the longer you look at the landscape, the more you’ll appreciate its desolate beauty and its slowly changing hues as you get closer to Uluṟu.
Once you arrive at Uluṟu, I suggest settling in and having a rest – or grab lunch at Geckos Cafe at Ayers Rock Resort, if you’re hungry.
Regardless of how long you’re going to spend at Uluṟu, I recommend planning your time in advance because there’s a fair amount of driving between the sites, so you don’t want to be backtracking too much. Also, sunsets and sunrises are the most important times of the day, and it’s worth having an idea of what you’ll do for them.
With that in mind, try to do something for this first sunset, even if you’re tired. I’ve got some suggestions here of things to do at Uluṟu, but a good option for the first night would be the Field of Light.
day 2
ULURU
With just one full day in Uluṟu, there are so many options of how to spend your time. I’m going to suggest an itinerary of how to spend a day, but you could also create your own plan with my tips on things to do at Uluṟu.
To make the most of your time here, I would suggest the morning at Uluṟu and the afternoon at Kata Tjuṯa.
For the morning, start with sunrise at Talinguṟu Nyakunytjaku, also known as the ‘sunrise viewing area. If you’re after something a bit more special, there are some options for sunrise experiences here:
After sunrise, while it’s still cool, head off on one of the walks around the base of Uluṟu. The whole 10.6 kilometres of the Base Walk is definitely worth doing if you have time, otherwise, the Mala Walk is probably my favourite (there’s a free ranger-guided walk each morning, so that could be an option for you too.
The Kuniya Walk is another good one to do, or head to the Cultural Centre to see the art and grab a coffee if you need a break from the sun.
In the afternoon, head to Kata Tjuṯa, which is about 50 kilometres away. While ‘The Rock’ gets most of the attention, these beautiful red-domed formation have their own special beauty and offer quite a different experience.
There’s this 3-hour afternoon small-group tour, which is one of the best experiences to get up close to all the domes. Or there are some other options at different times of the day here:
If you time things right, you’ll be able to do sunset at Kata Tjuṯa or head back to the Ayers Rock Resort for one of their special evening dining experiences.
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Kings Canyon Access, Australia
ULURU – KINGS CANYON
3 hours of driving (300 km)
If you’re going to give yourself a full day in Kings Canyon tomorrow, then there’s no rush to leave Uluṟu first thing in the morning and you can probably squeeze in another sunrise or base walk before you head off. (Or just have a sleep-in!)
The drive from Uluṟu to Kings Canyon takes you back along the road you came in on, before turning left and heading north towards Petermann.
This section of the Red Centre Way starts to offer more dramatic landscapes as the drive approaches the stone country of Watarrka National Park. Rocky hills appear on the horizon and the earth seems to turn an even darker red.
With a day and a half, you’ll be able to cover most of the main things to do at Kings Canyon. The majority of activities involve hiking in the national park, but it’s also worth making time for the special Aboriginal Cultural Experience at Karrke.
There’s lots to learn about the local Indigenous culture and the family at Karrke will lead you through it with hands-on demonstrations and lots of stories. The tour is run just a few times a day so have a look at the details here and see if it makes sense to do it this afternoon on your way in.
day 4
KINGS CANYON
Kings Canyon is magical any time of the day, but it takes on an ethereal shine at sunrise. If there’s one strong recommendation I have for you, it’s to get up early and hike to the rim of the canyon for sunrise!
If you go clockwise, you’ll be able to see the sunrise from the north side of the canyon and then continue for the whole Kings Canyon Rim Walk (which can only be done in that direction). The downside is that it will be relatively crowded.
The other option is to go anti-clockwise and see the sunrise from the south side. It’s possible nobody else will be here, which makes the experience even more special. The only issue is that you’ll have to head back down the South Wall and return to walk the way you came up.
Some people tend to rush a visit to Kings Canyon. They think once they’ve popped in and seen it, then it’s done and they can move on. But, a bit like Uluṟu, Kings Canyon is best appreciated from different angles and at different times of the day.
There are a few hiking trails that you can choose from. If you do the South Wall in the morning, for instance, perhaps you could do the main Rim Walk near sunset. There’s also the Creek Walk that leads through the middle of the gorge, and the Kathleen Springs Walk goes to a charming water hole.
If you would prefer to have a guide show you the best spots, there is this walking tour that includes transfers from the Kings Canyon Resort. For an aerial view, this helicopter flight gives you an incredible perspective of the canyon. Plus the main accommodation options also offer their own activities.
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Alice Springs, Australia
KINGS CANYON – GLEN HELEN
2.5 hours of driving (240 km)
This stretch of drive from Kings Canyon to the West MacDonnell Ranges is the one that you need to be most careful about because it goes along the Mereenie Loop Road, which has about 140 kilometres of unsealed road.
As I discussed earlier, it really is better to have a 4WD (or at the very least an AWD with good ground clearance). There are times that you might be able to get through with a 2WD, but I certainly recommend getting the latest road conditions from the locals before you attempt that.
But assuming you can drive along the Mereenie Loop Road, you’re going to find some beautiful Outback countryside, as the red dirt is slowly replaced with eucalypt trees and denser flora as you get closer to the water sources in the ranges.
The West MacDonnell Ranges stretch for about 160 kilometres, creating a natural playground with gorges and waterholes spread out along the length, and hiking trails around them – or even between them!
Don’t think of the West Macs as somewhere that you have to tick off all the sights, because it’s more about experiencing the attraction here, rather than seeing as many as possible. Choose a couple of waterholes to visit for a swim, and then perhaps another site for a walk.
Assuming you’re going to stay at Glen Helen (it’s really the only decent accommodation unless you’re camping or have a caravan), you might want to concentrate on the sites to the west of it today, such as Redbank Gorge and Ormiston Gorge.
You could also see some of the sights to the east of Glen Helen today, but that’ll involve some backtracking with the driving. You could save spots like Serpentine Gorge, Standley Chasm, and Simpsons Gap until the drive back to Alice Springs tomorrow if you have time.
GLEN HELEN – ALICE SPRINGS
1.5 hours of driving (130 km)
This final stretch of the Red Centre Way back to Alice Springs is quick and easy. It’s all along good roads and you’ll be able to drive quite fast.
If you haven’t seen some of the sights along the stretch that continues through the West MacDonnell Ranges, you might want to leave time to see some of them along the way. Otherwise, you’ll be able to get to Alice Springs quickly and do some things there in the afternoon.
It’s definitely worth spending at least a day in town because there are lots of things to do in Alice Springs. I would suggest giving yourself a night at either end of your Red Centre Way road trip to relax and see some of the sights.
ANZAC Hill gives you a great view across the city, and there are important institutions to visit like the Royal Flying Doctor Service, School of the Air, and the Alice Springs Telegraph Station. Get a dose of the culture at the Araluen Arts Centre, and a dose of cuteness at the Kangaroo Sanctuary.
And that brings you to the end of the Red Centre Way itinerary, a drive of 1,100 kilometres in total! Congratulations!
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Manchester, United Kingdom