Road Trip – Darwin to Alice Springs

These are crazy times; and much the same as most people, our travel plans have been interrupted. Having arrived in Darwin in April, halfway through delivering a boat to Sydney, we found our plans cut short. While we sat in a hotel room in enforced quarantine, we debated our next move… a road trip!

During our crossing of the Timor Sea, from Indonesia to Darwin, we were hit by a storm which disabled SY Nomad (the boat we were sailing). Therefore, after our two weeks in quarantine, it would take some time to fix the problems on Nomad. By being delayed, we missed the window of good weather for taking Nomad across the top of Australia and down the east coast to Sydney. Along with the COVID restrictions and closed borders, taking Nomad to Sydney at the time was really out of the question. So we came up with the idea of travelling and camping through the centre of Australia and back to Adelaide.

Neither Dwayne nor I had visited the centre of Australia before, and we both thought this was a great idea. As we were to find out travelling during COVID restrictions had its pros and cons.

Darwin

Once out of Quarantine, we stayed with my sister in Darwin. We didn’t have a chance to visit Darwin’s attractions as they were still closed due to the pandemic. Fortunately, we had visited Darwin in the past, so we didn’t feel like we were missing out on an opportunity. Although we were very disappointed, the Mindle Markets were not open! One change to Darwin, which I noticed since our last visit, was the introduction of street art. The CBD has some sizable murals that are worth seeing – check it out here.

Over the next two weeks in Darwin, with the help of ‘Gumtree’, ‘Facebook Marketplace’ and a few opportunity shops, we were soon set up for camping and ready to head into the outback. When we departed Darwin, many destinations were still closed due to COVID restrictions. For example, we would not be able to visit Kakadu or Uluru. This was disappointing, but we decided to make the best of it.

Litchfield National Park

Our first stop was Litchfield National Park. Litchfield had only just opened to the public the weekend before. This was one of my favourite stops because the weather was still hot and swimming at Florence Falls was delightful. Also, it was here we fired up the campfire and cooked the first of our delicious campfire meals! Click here for my campfire cooking series and here to read more about our stay at Litchfield National Park.

Mount Bundy Station

After Litchfield we headed south, driving about 80km to Mount Bundy Station at Adelaide River. We were moving slowly towards our destination, very, very slowly. Remember, it was going to get cold as we drove south and we were not looking forward to that! Mount Bundy Station is a small working cattle property. The campground is grassy, has a pool and there is a bar that is open on Friday and Saturday nights, and they do an ok pizza. The surrounding paddocks have a few animals such as buffalo, donkeys, horses, a pig and many kangaroos roam wild. It is a great camping spot if you have kids.

Adelaide River War Cemetery

Nearby in Adelaide River, the Adelaide River War Cemetery is a sobering reminder that Australia did not survive WW2 unscathed. We walked through the cemetery, where there are 434 military burials and a memorial to the missing. There are many compelling interpretive signs, as well as an informative video presentation. Did you know that Darwin was bombed on 64 different occasions? Or that places such as Broome in WA and Townsville in Queensland were also attacked multiple times? I didn’t. I’m glad we went there to have a look, we both came away with a greater understanding of WW2 and its impact on Australia.

Mataranka

From Adelaide River, we drove to Katherine. Once there, we discovered everything was more or less still closed due to the vulnerability of the indigenous communities to COVID. Therefore, we decided to keep moving onto Mataranka. At the information centre in Katherine, we discovered that only one area in Mataranka was open for camping and that we were able to swim in the hot springs.

Unusually quiet for this time of year, we had many visits from wildlife. We had the place mostly to ourselves as the usual ‘dry-season’ travellers were not around. This was one of the benefits of travelling at this time. If a tourist destination was open, it was not busy. So although travelling during COVID was limited, we did get to enjoy the sights and activities without the crowds.

None of the walking tracks were open, which was disappointing, so Dwayne just went bush. Making his own tracks, he dragged me along as an unwitting participant. We saw evidence of the wild boars that live in the area. If you have seen photos of Australian feral pigs, you would understand why I was a little hesitant to their invade their territory.

Elsey Homestead Replica

The Homestead is an authentic replica that was constructed for the 1980s film “We of the Never Never”. It is stunning in its detail; everything duplicated just-so, right down to the hand-hewn local cypress pine.

Daly Waters Pub

We had visited this famous pub before back in 2004 when we travelled around Australia. Back then, we just stopped for a drink. This time we stayed for the night in the campground and had their famous beef and barra for dinner. We got talking to some of the locals and were told that usually at this time of year they would serve 500 meals and the line-up at the bar would be 5 deep. I bet the atmosphere would be great, but I for one was glad we didn’t need to wait for our drinks.

The pub is famous for all the bras hanging from the ceiling and walls. It all started in the ’80s as a bet between a coach driver and his female passengers. The losing females would leave behind their bras. Nowadays, the momentoes left behind include business cards, stickers, flags, and so much more. Read more about this iconic Aussie pub here.

Stuart Tree

Before settling into the pub for the afternoon, we walked to the Stuart Tree. This ‘stump’ is a memorial to the explorer John McDouall Stuart who on his third attempt became the first European person to cross Australia from south to north.

On the way back to the pub, we stopped by and visited snappy Kevin. Snappy Kevin is a crocodile that lives in a pond in the front yard of a house.

Tim’s Junkyard

Across the road from Daly Waters Pub is Tim’s Junkyard. Initially the local petrol station, it now also houses a small museum displaying everything motorised, outback and seriously Australian.

Tennant Creek

I was pleasantly surprised by what Tennant Creek had to offer in the way of things to see and do.

Bill Allen Lookout

A trip up to Bill Allen Lookout gave us a few ideas of where to visit. At the lookout, we were presented with a 360-degree panoramic view of Tennant Creek and outback Australia. There were plaques indicating places of significance and providing interpretive information about them, including the distance they are from where you are standing. So with some information now at hand, we decided how we would fill our one day in Tennant Creek.

The Old Telegraph Station

We got hold of the key to the old Telegraph Station and did a self-guided tour. The station was built in 1872 from a stone quarry nearby. Extensive conservation works have been undertaken to maintain the condition of the site, and you can enter the telegraph office, cellar, smokehouse, kitchen and blacksmith’s workshop. We borrowed the key from the caravan park we were staying at. It is also available from the Battery Hill Visitor Centre. You will need to show ID and pay a $20 fully-refundable deposit.

The Pebbles (Kunjarra)

The same day we drove out to see The Pebbles, a site of cultural significance to the Warumungu Aboriginal people. It is a women’s place, surrounded by myth and legend, where dancing and healing rituals have been traditionally carried out.

This is a good place for a walk as a track winds around the site. We found a ‘crocodile’ in the pebbles. Can you see it in the photo below?

Lake Mary Ann

The lake is in actual fact a dam, which was constructed to provide water for the town. The lake can be used for swimming and kayaking, and there are walking trails and excellent bird watching opportunities. What won us over was the old wood fire BBQs. We had a leg of lamb we needed to roast and, because the caravan Park we were staying at prohibited fires, we were on the lookout for somewhere to cook our ‘early dinner’ in the camp oven. This was the perfect place. So, as Dwayne set about lighting the fire, I wandered around looking at the wildlife.

After a delicious roast lamb, we followed a four-wheel-drive track to the top of the nearby ridge and was rewarded with a gorgeous view of the countryside.

Devils Marbles (Karlu Karlu)

The next day we packed up, left Tennant Creek, and headed towards Alice Springs. About 100km south of Tennant Creek lies the Devils Marbles. The ‘marbles’ are, in fact, huge granite boulders. At the time of visiting the Devils Marbles, the camping areas were still closed. However, we were able to traverse some of the walking trails and see this natural wonder. It is well worth a visit, and there are good interpretive signs that explain the geological forces that created this picturesque area as well as the cultural significance to the traditional owners.

Alice Springs

We spent just over a week exploring Alice Springs and the MacDonnell Ranges during our road trip. This included a visit to Megafauna Central, a museum depicting the giant mammals that once roamed this area, and are now extinct. We also camped at Ross River Campground and visited an old gold mine and ghost town, Trephina Gorge, ancient rock art at N’Dhala Gorge and so much more. Read about our time in Alice Springs and the MacDonnell Ranges here.

Like this post? Please share or pin using the image below, thank you!