Road trip: Adelaide to Darwin in 14 days

Cross the plains for 1.75 hours from Port August to the tiny but popular roadside town of Pimba. Sleep and eat at Spud Roadhouse, named after a local character who entertained guests until he passed away in 2007. The roadhouse serves as a refuelling point for tourist and freight vehicles, and offers cheap hotel rooms and caravan and camping sites. The tiny town sits at the crossroads of the Stuart Highway (named after the explorer) and Pimba Road, and its railway siding is a stop for the Ghan (to Darwin and Adelaide) and the Indian Pacific (to Perth and Sydney). If you get in well before dark, take a short 15-minute drive to visit the rocket museum and missile park at Woomera, or 55 minutes to the bustling mining town at Roxby Downs, built in the late 1980s.

Known as the Opal Capital of the World, thanks to its dominance of the gem-quality opal supply worldwide, Coober Pedy sits in the middle of a desert that heats up to 45 degrees Celsius in the shade during summer. Because it’s so hot outside, most buildings are below ground, with several metres of insulation to keep cool.

Start at the tourist centre to get the, well, lay of the land. Mine tours are popular with all ages, as is The Coober Pedy Art Project, which is run by Ananguku Arts and hosts more than 50 aboriginal painters from the region. There’s also a cute hybrid art gallery/wildlife refuge at Josephine’s Gallery and Kangaroo Orphanage.

Sleep and eat at the Lookout Cave for a wonderfully unique experience. The accommodation is underground, which celebrates the quintessential underground architecture while still offering the contemporary extras travellers seek. Alternatively, stay at the Mud Hut or Comfort Inn.

About 20km north of the NT border (and almost in the physical centre of our island), is a tiny town that gets its identity and name from the Pitjantjatjara people, who called the chunky granite ridge nearby ‘Kulgera’. Sleep and eat at Kulgera Roadhouse Hotel, which has a range of accommodation from backpacker dorms to campsites, cabins and hotel rooms, plus a proper country pub.

Of course you’ll want to settle in before sunset so you can experience Uluru’s magical transformation. There are plenty of accommodation options, but book ahead – even for a camping ground – if you’re coming mid-year, because Uluru is, after all, iconic. Budget choices include Ayers Rock Campground, Outback Pioneer Lodge and Hotel at the Ayers Rock Resort, with access to BBQ facilities, tennis courts, swimming pools and a tour desk. At the edge of the resort site is the luxury Sails in the Desert hotel with five-star rooms, suites and its own gallery, spa, swimming pool and restaurant. Eat at one of the venues within the resort to have a classic three-course set menu at Ilkari Restaurant, pizzas, pastas, salads, burgers and steaks at Gecko’s Café, or modern Asian at the pun-tastic Ayers Wok Noodle Bar.

The final word in luxury at Uluru is the ‘tent resort’ of Longitude 131 on its own private site within Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. All of the tents face Uluru and if you treat yourself to a night or two here you’ll also have access to an open bar and complimentary scenic helicopter flight. The resort does not accommodate children under 10. Dine under the stars at Table 131 or beneath the soaring dome of Dune House – both venues offer fine dining with matching wines.

See the sun set over Uluru or Kata Tjuta, then (if you’ve booked well ahead) take a tour of the solar powered Field of Light made up of 144 projectors and 50,000 little coloured spheres on stems covering a few square kilometres of desert like an electric dot painting near Uluru. Field of Light was created by Bruce Munro and will be on display until March 2018.

Whether you take a guided tour or make the shorter South Wall Return Walk, you’ll want to leave at least 3.5 hours to traverse the rim of the canyon before sunset. Both have views down into the Garden of Eden. A shorter Kings Creek Walk takes you into the middle of the canyon for an overwhelming view of the cliff face. Sunrise walks are equally amazing.

Sleep and eat at Kings Canyon Resort, which offers hotel rooms, cabins and campsites, plus a pool, playground, communal kitchen and general store. The Resort houses three dining venues: Carmichael’s Restaurant, with a breakfast buffet and evening banquet; Desert Oaks Bistro for light meals, snacks and picnics; and Under the Desert Moon for modern Australian cuisine outdoors. If you’d like a luxury farm stay and a home-cooked camel burger, hire a safari cabin or glamping tent at Kings Creek Station.

Wrapped in the stunning Aranda or MacDonnell Ranges, Alice Springs is a bustling town in the middle of the Red Centre with thriving arts and sports scenes. The infamous Henley-on-Todd Regatta is a bizarre series of races in bottomless boats along the dry bed of the Todd River held on the third Saturday of August.

Explore the story of the man on the Australian $20 note via the Flynn Trail, which takes in historic sites such as the John Flynn Memorial Church, Adelaide House Museum and the Royal Flying Doctor Service (the first of its kind in the world when built in 1926).

Good value accommodation is available at Desert Palms which offers studio villas. If you're looking for luxury, options include the Crown Plaza Lasseters Hotel Casino and Hilton Double Tree Hotel Alice Springs.

Eat at your hotel or head out for a light meal at Watertank café, Bean Tree Café or Page 27. Lasseters recently opened The Goat and Bucket, serving up gourmet fare based on natural local flavours plus craft beer and wines.

A two-and-a-half-hour round trip further into the West MacDonnell Ranges will get you to the spectacular (and cooling) Udepata or Ellery Creek Big Hole which is encircled by massive, sheer red cliffs. BBQ and picnic facilities are open all year round, so bring lunch.

In the dreamtime, this area was the stomping ground of a spiky tailed goanna called Nyinkka. You can learn more about the legend from the Warumungu people at the Nyinkka Nyunyu Art and Culture Centre, which includes a gallery, shop and performance spaces owned and managed by local Aboriginal people.

Kunjarra (The Pebbles) is a sacred site for women in the middle of hundreds of beautiful granite rock formations about a 40-minute roundtrip north from town. The Winanjjikari Music Centre is a popular concert venue, recording studio and music industry skills development centre for Aboriginal musos and production technicians – check the notice board for info about gigs in town tonight.

In the late-1800s, Tennant Creek became a small outpost on the Overland Telegraph line from Melbourne to London then it metamorphosed during Australia’s last proper gold rush in the 1930s. You can see how mining methods evolved over the years on a tour at the Battery Hill Mining Centre and nearby Tuxworth-Fullwood Museum.

Places to sleep include the pet-friendly Blue Stone Motor Inn, which has a large outdoor pool and popular Anne’s restaurant and Goldfields Hotel Motel which offers value accommodation in a central location for those on a budget. Try the Top of Town Café for breakfast.

The tiny town of Daly Waters has a colourful connection with aviation history in the first half of the twentieth century. In 1926, it was an important stop in the London to Sydney air race and a refuelling station for Qantas flights to Singapore until 1965. The Daly Waters WWII Historic Airstrip was also a resting point for fighter planes being flown to Darwin via Cloncurry in World War II. Several USAAF and RAAF planes crashed nearby during training and other manoeuvres.

Refuel and rest here before driving to Katherine. Sleep and eat at the Daly Waters Hi-Way Inn, which offers motel rooms, cabins, camping sites, BBQ area, restaurant, bar and a swimming pool. Or you could enjoy a night out at the historic Daly Waters Pub, which has motel rooms, cabins, camping sites, caravans and a pool plus a kooky display of ‘memorabilia’ donated by travellers from near and far including an Irish Hurling stick and hundreds of bras.

Katherine and Nitmiluk Gorge are colloquially known as ‘Adventure Territory’, with stunning natural attractions including Katherine’s Hot Springs, Katherine Low Level Nature Reserve and Nitmiluk Gorge. Discover the history and art of the region at Katherine Museum and Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Art and Cultural Centre – the latter includes regular cultural performances, exhibitions and workshops celebrating the Yijard Rivers stories.

If you want to stay in town, budget accommodation includes hotel rooms at Ibis Styles Katherine, which is located centrally, or Katherine River Lodge Motel, which has a range of rooms including a family unit. 

Out of town there are caravans, camping sites, cabins and chalets, a luxury eco-resort at Cicada Lodge Nitmiluk National Park with local aboriginal art in each room and fine dining, and the Djakanimba Pavilions near the Ghunmarn Culture Centre at Beswick, 100km out of Katherine. Eat on site wherever you stay or try waffles and jaffles from The Black Russian Caravan Bar or bush tucker at Marksie's Stockman's Camp Tucker Night at the Top Didj Cultural Experience grounds.

Buy a pass for Kakadu National Park online so you can experience gunbim (rock art), waterfalls, birdwatching, swimming holes and crocodile tours in the heartland of the Bininj and Mungguy people. Start your adventure at either the Bowali Visitors Centre near Jabiru or Warradjun Aboriginal Cultural Centre near Cooinda.

Value resort-style accommodation is available at the Aurora Kakadu: and Kakadu Lodge Cooinda while luxury accommodation includes Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel and Wildman Wilderness Lodge. Eat at your accommodation or tuck into some barramundi and bush tucker at the Barra Bar and Bistro in Cooinda.

Litchfield National Park is close enough to Darwin for a day trip to some parts, though you’ll enjoy it more if you can stay overnight – even better if you have a 4WD so you can explore off-the-track sites such as Blyth Homestead, Rum Jungle Lake and Bamboo Creek Mine. Many of the popular swimming spots are accessible in a standard vehicle though make sure you have enough fuel, water and food. Check the safety signs about crocodiles and road closures, especially during the wet season.

Visit Batchelor’s Coomalie Cultural Centre for aboriginal art exhibitions, bush tucker garden and educational tours. Sleep and eat at Pandanus on Litchfield, which offers a range of rooms including those suitable for families. Barbecue facilities are available, alongside a restaurant and outdoor pool. All rooms at the Litchfield Motel overlook the Motels gardens for a relaxed setting. A restaurant and small shop are also on site so you have everything you need. Alternatively, Rum Jungle Bungalows is conveniently located on one acre of quiet and idyllic tropical gardens. There are just six detached bungalows on site, all with their own private verandah. 

Darwin is sometimes remembered more for its tough times, including the World War II bombings, which are presented in spectacular and moving interactive displays at the Darwin Military Museum, and Cyclone Tracy, detailed at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. There are plenty of beautiful cultural experiences to enjoy in and around the city, like an Aboriginal cultural tours with Pudakul, which shares tens of thousands of years of history, including lessons on bush tucker and medicine, spear and basket making, ochre art, clap stick and didgeridoo music and dreamtime stories. The Territory Wildlife Park includes native animal and bird adventures through tree top aviaries and around natural lagoons. On Thursday and Sunday evenings eat and shop at Mindil Beach Sunset Market, with a heady mix of international cuisine, buskers, artists and fashion designers. Drink in the dreamy sunset at Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Dudley Point, Fannie Bay Mindil Beach or Stokes Hill Wharf.

For great views and luxury rooms book at Adina Apartment Hotel Darwin, Travelodge Resort Darwin, Vibe Hotel Darwin Waterfront.

Enjoy brunch and a coffee to kick-start your day at Laneway Specialty Coffee located on Vickers Street. Or lunch at the popular Vietnamese restaurant Ruby Pho and head for dinner on the wharf at the Oyster Bar, conveniently located in the Darwin City Waterfront Precinct. They serve up fresh oysters all year round and sharing platters to enjoy.