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Exploring central Australia by campervan is by far the best way to go. There are so many more choices for staying overnight and definitely the cheapest way PLUS driving through the McDonnell ranges is nothing but a jaw-dropping experience! As Uluru-Kata Tjuta is so isolated, accommodation is limited, expensive and you’d have to hire a car anyway so might as well live in a motor home, am I right?
Central Australia covers the outback town of Alice Springs and world-famous Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the Red Centre. Its spectacular desert landscapes, exceptional wildlife, breathtakingly bright stars and the oldest living culture in the world make Central Australia a top destination for a true Aussie road trip!
Keep reading for your ultimate 5 day Alice Springs to Uluru return road trip...
Highlights:
Alice Springs
Uluru-Kata Tjuta national park
Day 1: Alice Springs to Ormiston Gorge (via Simpson’s gap)
1. Fly into Alice Springs
Your flight will most likely arrive in the middle of the day so don’t plan anything big on Day 1!
There are a limited number of taxis in Alice Springs so prepare to wait a while. Taxis come to the taxi stand every 15 or so minutes and take you into Alice Springs town centre. It’s about a 15 minute drive and a fixed rate of $45 (pricey, I know!) but the drivers are more than happy to let you split it with other passengers. If you’re hiring your campervan from Apollo, the hire shop is about 15 min from the airport.
2. Pick up your campervan
The people at the hire shop will explain everything to you but refer to the list at the bottom of the page to see what essentials you should bring!
It’s best to do one big Coles shop for the next five days as soon as you pick up your van so you’re all set to start your road trip!
3. Visit Simpson’s gap
After arriving, picking up the van and buying all your groceries there isn’t much day light left so you’ve only got time for one stop then it’s time to find a campsite to stay the night!
You can hire mountain bikes from Alice Springs town centre and ride 8km to the start of the trail, where it is a further 17km ride to Simpson's gap. It is an easy, scenic ride with panoramic views of the hills and ranges around Alice springs.
Top tip: ‘Outback Cycling' is the name of the bike hire shop and is closed on Sundays and public holidays.
Alternatively, drive to Simpsons gap and there is a short trail walk from the carpark to the waterhole through red cliffs, past creeks and rocky hills. Look out for black-footed wallabies!
4. Stay at Ormiston gorge campground (~1.5 hour drive):
Ormiston gorge is the ideal place to stay as it is free, has toilets, barbeques and is perfect for starting tomorrow’s walk. Plus you can watch the sunrise at Mt Sonder lookout, a 15 min drive away, a perfect spot for a coffee!
Top tip: If you’re considering staying over at Red bank gorge, keep in mind that it requires a 4WD for 5km to reach it (not ideal for campervans), there are no facilities, except for a smelly dunny, and you need to bring $3.30 per adult ($1.60 for kids or $7 for a family [2 adults + 4 kids]) in cash, which you leave in an envelope in an honesty box. Ormiston campground is recommended instead!
Day 2: Ormiston Gorge & Ellery Creek big hole
1. Sunrise at Mount Sonder lookout
15 min drive from Ormiston campground. We recommend bringing along a percolator for coffee as there are not many cafes in the outback!
2. Ormiston Gorge
Start the walk! The walk offers breathtakingly beautiful views of the red cliffs and sweeping landscape, definitely worth it! There are a variety of walks you can do from 1km to 8km.
You can do the shorter walk to the waterhole or you can do a loop back to the start.
Top tip: Be prepared to take your shoes off if you’re doing the loop as you might have to wade through some shallow water (ankle-to-shin-high).
3. Ellery Creek big hole
This is a popular and picturesque spot for a swim in the cool waterhole along with a picnic. Surrounded by tall, red cliffs, this is an ideal spot to float in your inflatable donut! You can camp here but fees apply.
4. Start your road trip!
Hope you like driving because it’s 4 hour 45min to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National park.
Break up the trip a little by staying over at Curtin Springs Campground about 1 hour 15 min out from Uluru.
Top tip: There is limited reception when you’re in the outback so make sure you book your stay here in advance (using reception from Alice Springs town centre). Curtin Springs is a popular campground and you must book your stay.
Curtin Springs campground:
Powered sites: $50 per van
Unpowered sites: free
Showers ($4 each, unlimited use)
They also sell alcohol but you have to purchase after 10am
They’ve got a water pump to fill up water in your van
Make sure you arrive by 7pm to Curtin Springs!
If you have more time in Alice Springs:
Red bank gorge and climb Mt Sonder: It’s 1380 meters high and the highest point in the West McDonnell ranges, which marks the end of the Larapinta trail. Look out for wedge-tailed eagles, peregrine falcons and wood swallows circling the summit.
Serpentine gorge: has a bunch of waterholes and walking trails, which are accessible by two-wheel drives.
Kangaroo sanctuary: If you feel like holding and feeding a joey for 5-10 minutes then take a visit to the kangaroo sanctuary. However, you can’t simply drop in, you must do a 3-hour sunset tour after 4pm which picks you up from your accommodation (not ideal when you’re on a campervan adventure!)
Day 3: Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
1. Drive to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
2. Have breakfast at Uluru Sunset viewing area
This is a big car park with a clear view of the giant red rock – a perfect spot to set up for brekky. Make sure you keep the doors closed as there are a LOT of flies!
If you require a barbeque head to the nearby cultural centre.
3. Uluru cultural centre
Before starting your walk, visit the cultural centre to read all about the Aboriginal ancient creation stories related to Uluru and why it is such a sacred site. Learn about the wildlife, local indigenous people and how they thrived and survived there for thousands of years.
4. Uluru base walk
The walk around the base of Uluru is 10.6km, slightly longer if you choose to include the 800m return Kuniya walk to see Mutitjulu waterhole, a sacred indigenous site.
You can also rent bicycles or Segways to go around the base as it is flat.
Remember to bring plenty of water and snacks as it takes approximately 3-4 hours.
There are sections along the way where photos are forbidden as some sections of Uluru are sacred.
Other walks you can do around Uluru:
1. Mala Walk: Grade 1, 2km return with an optional free Ranger guided tour at 8:00am (Oct-April) or 10:00am (May to Sep).
2. Dune walk: Grade 2, easy 500m return
3. Talinguru Nyakunytjaku walk: grade 2, easy
4. Liru walk: Grade 2, easy to moderate 4km
5. Lungkata walk: Grade 2 easy to moderate 4km
5. Sunset at Uluru/Ayers Rock viewing platform:
I’d recommend getting here early as everyone wants to come here to watch the sunset. Bring some wine, cheese and crackers and watch the contours of the rock change from orange to bright red. You can also watch the sunset over The Olgas / Kata Tjuta sunset viewing spot.
Top tip: You can purchase alcohol from Curtin Springs after 10am
6. Stay at Ayers Rock Resort
This is one massive resort that encompasses 4 separate hotels, cabins and a giant campground.
Unfortunately, they sometimes decide not to answer the phone so your only option is to email them in advance or just rock up and wait in line at reception to see if they have any availability.
As you are camping, there is almost always space for unpowered sites as there is a humongous open space for trucks, vans, trailers etc where you can just park anywhere.
At Ayers Rock Resort:
Kitchen facilities with fridges, barbeques and microwaves (so you don’t even need a powered site anyway!)
4 toilet and shower blocks with laundry facilities
Swimming pool, volleyball courts and giant chess
Water pump for filling up your van
7. Field of lights
A trip to Uluru-Kata Tjuta isn’t compete without a visit to the luminous and romantic Field of Light exhibition.
It was set up in 2016 for 6 months but it was so popular that they decided to keep it until 2027 so don’t miss out on this 12-acre light installation of multicoloured lights that change colour in sync.
There is also an option to dine under the stars and enjoy canapes and wine while taking in the dazzling light show.
The coach picks you up at 5:35pm from Ayers Rock resort and you have an hour to wander around the lights with some parts of the walking path coming very close to them. The coach picks you up at 8pm to take you back to Ayers rock resort.
Make sure you book this in advance as it is super popular! $44 per person for the walk, more for the wine and dine, which is only open September to May.
Day 4: Kata-Tjuta / The Olgas
1. Watch the sunrise at Uluru sunrise viewing spot
Alternatively, you can catch the sunrise over The Olgas at Kata Tjuta sunrise dune viewing platform.
Both require a short walk to the viewing platform so you can’t watch the sunrise from your cosy bed with a cuppa in hand, like you can at Uluru sunset viewing spot.
You will see the sun shine onto a few contours of Uluru as it rises but the angle the sun hits means you’ll have to stand there for hours to see the whole rock light up.
You will see The Olgas / Kata Tjuta looming in the distance with its 36 gigantic round domes catching the sunlight. The Olgas are actually 200m higher than Uluru at a whopping 546m and for many, although it is not as well-known as Uluru, it is even more spectacular.
2. Breakfast at Kata Tjuta sunset viewing spot
This is the ideal place to cook up some eggs as there are toilets, bins to empty all that rubbish you’ve had to carry around and water tanks to fill up bottles.
3. Walk The Olgas / Kata Tjuta
You can tackle the Olgas two main ways: Walpa Gorge and The Valley of the Winds:
Walpa Gorge walk:
2.6km return, allow approx. 1 hour, grade 3 moderate.
This walk starts from the Kata Tjuta sunset viewing spot.
There is a bridge for half of the walk, making it easier to clamber over all the rocks. You’ll be fascinated by the towering domes as soon as you leave the car park and start the walk. The rocks are so red it seems as if you have step foot on Mars.
Valley of the winds walk:
There are 2 lookouts you can walk to or you can do the full circuit:
Valley of the winds; Karu lookout: Grade 3, moderate 2.2km return, 1 hour
Valley of the winds; Karingana lookout: Grade 4, difficult, 5.4km return, 2.5 hours
Valley of the winds; Full circuit: 7.4km, 4 hours.
All 3 walks provide remarkable views of the bright orange domes, meteor-like rocks, tiny birds and purple flowers.
Ensure you bring plenty of water, your camera and wear a proper set of walking shoes.
There is one rest spot along the way to fill up water (on the full circuit walk, a bit after you have passed the 2 lookouts.
4. Stay at Mount Connor lookout, Curtin Springs or Erldunda road house
Might as well break up that trip up by doing a bit tonight and the rest in the morning (especially if you have a flight to catch!). Mt Connor lookout has toilets and a great view for sunrise!
Day 5: Drive back to Alice Springs, drop off the campervan and fly home!
If you’re a first time campervan tripper:
It may seem a little confusing understanding when you need power and when you don’t but it’s simple:
Powered site: You will need to connect to power every 2 nights to charge up the lights in the back of the van. When you are connected to power you can use the microwave, toaster and power points (for charging phones, cameras), pretty much anything that needs to be plugged into power.
Unpowered site: Don’t stress if you can’t book into a powered site or if you are staying over at a rest stop without power facilities. You can still use the gas stove to cook meals. The lights will still turn on as they have been charged from the last connection to a powered site. If you run out of gas or are concerned about running out, use barbeque facilities at campgrounds (and some rest stops).
If you have more time, King’s Canyon and Rainbow Valley should be next on your itinerary!
Top 6 tips for your campervan trip:
1. Plan out your meals and buy all your snacks & groceries on Day 1, as soon as you pick up the campervan and before starting the long drive to Uluru, as there is no supermarket in the outback! You can buy snacks from petrol stations but they are very pricey! If you plan out each meal, you can save so much time at Coles. Buy a packet of wraps or rolls to have leftovers in for lunches.
2. Make sure you know exactly how to assemble the bed. The pole in our campervan wouldn’t go down so we had to sleep with a pole in the middle of the bed on the first night! There is a tool kit with wrenches in case you have a situation like us!
3. Use a paper map: Pick up some maps at the campervan shop or at the visitor centre. There is limited reception in the outback so you can’t always rely on google maps!
4. Look up petrol stations along your route before starting your long drive as there can be massive gaps between them. No one wants to be stranded in the middle of the Australian outback!
5. Look up which campgrounds require 4WD access only. You are not supposed to take the campervan on dirt roads…there’s nothing worse than setting off on your van trip only for it to be towed! If you really want to go four wheel driving it might be best to hire a 4WD instead and bring tents.
6. Download the free app ‘Wikicamps’, which finds free campsites around your area. The symbols show you which facilities are available so you can decide before heading there.
Read reviews to see previous visitors’ opinions. Sometimes they provide good tips like unexpected costs, facility conditions and bringing your own toilet paper!
Top 7 things to bring:
1. Sponge, detergent, cooking oil, salt & pepper. Of course this will differ between companies but we went with Apollo and they only supplied tea towels and a dust pan. We bought a 10 pack of multipurpose cloths for $1 and used some for dishwashing, some for drying (when the tea towels got manky) and some for cleaning.
2. Tissues: There is nothing worse than eating a saucy meal and discovering your water pump has run out. Or finding a dunny with no toilet paper. Your tissue box will be your best friend.
3. Big water bottles: Like the previous point, washing dishes without water is pretty difficult (and kinda gross). The water pump should last you a couple of days but sometimes you can’t book into a campsite and even when you can, there can be a long queue for the hose. If you bring along a couple of empty 2L water bottles (or orange juice containers / milk cartons) you can fill them up with water for washing dishes or cleaning. Many campsites and rest stops have giant water tanks with drinking water too so don’t throw your bottles away!
4. Hot water bottle / heat pack, beanie, scarf, blanket, bed socks and trackies (in Winter). Even though it is outback Australia, it gets to zero degrees Celsius at night time (midnight-6am). The campervan only supplies towels, pillows, bed sheets and a duvet, which isn’t quite warm enough!
5. Thongs / flip flops: If you are using public showers, you’ll be walking from the van to the shower block. The shower and toilet facilities in all the places we stayed were surprisingly clean and well-kept.
6. Slippers or Ugg boots: You will find the red dust from the outback gets absolutely everywhere, especially from the bottom of your shoes. If you don’t let people in your house with their shoes on then keep it that way for your mobile home! Leave your shoes on the step and put on some slippers while inside to keep the floor clean.
7. Car charger: Some of these campervans are quite old and don’t have a USB port so if you’re planning on charging your phone or camera while driving, bring along an adaptor that fits into the cigarette hole.
Let’s talk money:
1. Petrol: Expect to be filling up on petrol regularly, with prices increasing the further you get from Alice Springs (at Ayers Rock Resort, Unleaded 91 was $2.01/L!). Of course, larger campervans will use up more petrol.
2. Cash: Remember to bring some cash if you do end up at a campground like Red Bank Gorge where they accept an inconvenient amount of money in coins only ($3.30pp).
3. Curtin Springs Campground: $50 a night (powered)
4. Ayers Rock Resort: $30 a night (unpowered) or $43 (powered)
5. Uluru-Kata Tjuta national park: $38 per adult entry fee for 1-3 days. Don’t lose this as you pay once and use the same ticket every time you enter.
6. Insurance: I’d recommend paying a bit extra as we paid for insurance covering the wind screen and a small rock caused a crack as we drove along at 130km/hr roads, so we were covered! They also threw in a picnic table and fold-up chairs.
Enjoy your aussie road trip in the campervan!
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