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Destinations > Outback Oddyssey
Outback Oddyssey
Departing north you'll pass by New Crown within two hours, which has no facilities, despite what some maps say. Then there is the settlement of Finke a further 20 minutes west, which is a dry town and known for the desert race. Although it has accommodation and fuel it is not a popular stopover.
Lambert's Centre of Australia is a major attraction and another 20 minutes down a good dirt road, then it's half an hour along an easy 4WD track to the centre itself. It's a great campsite but no facilities, only wide open bush, suitable for big groups.
If you continue north you'll backtrack to Finke, and then up Old Ghan Railway Heritage Trail. This track starts with the sandy Finke River, and then the road is largely follows the old Ghan line. It's a great drive; the scenery changes from creek beds to cuttings to all sorts of terrain, the Race route follows close by, and there are a number of historic sights to view along the way. Plan around 3.5 hours to get to Rodinga with stops, and then another 20 minutes to get to Maryvale.
Titjikala (Maryvale) has a pleasant Outback station which offers basic supplies and camping with facilities, plus local artwork. But for most travellers it's a brief stop on the way to Chamber's Pillar, a 90-minute drive over roughish roads with the last few kilometres over sand hills but these present no problem as they are clay capped. There's a large hill with good views but again nothing vaguely 4WD will have any problem with it at all, even towing.
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At Chambers there is the awesome Pillar, and the magnificent Castle Rock. There are sunset and sunrise viewing areas, you can partially climb the Pillar and the campsite has toilets but few campspots. Do make an effort to see the rocks at sunset and sunrise and walk around the formations.
After Chambers the next major attraction is the Ewaninga Rock Carvings, about an hour north of Rodinga, which are ancient Aboriginal etchings in rocks and worth taking the time to admire.
Half an hour later you're into Alice Springs. Plenty of attractions; the old Telegraph Station is a fascinating look into olden-day communications, but the Desert Park didn't offer much beyond what most of us could see in local zoos.
Out to the east of Alice there's the East MacDonnells, and to the west...the West MacDonnells, easily accessed via a quick bitumen arterial road so you can do day trips and still see a lot. You could start at Glen Helen Gorge, then work your way back in via Ormiston Gorge (the favourite by consensus), Serpentine and the others. These are gorges with various natural features that have particular scenic or historic value, and in some of them swimming is permitted. Probably better to spend some time at a couple of them rather than try and see the lot. While you're there, it's definitely recommended to look at the ochre pits between Ormiston and Serpentine.
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Lambert's Centre of Australia is a major attraction and another 20 minutes down a good dirt road, then it's half an hour along an easy 4WD track to the centre itself. It's a great campsite but no facilities, only wide open bush, suitable for big groups.
If you continue north you'll backtrack to Finke, and then up Old Ghan Railway Heritage Trail. This track starts with the sandy Finke River, and then the road is largely follows the old Ghan line. It's a great drive; the scenery changes from creek beds to cuttings to all sorts of terrain, the Race route follows close by, and there are a number of historic sights to view along the way. Plan around 3.5 hours to get to Rodinga with stops, and then another 20 minutes to get to Maryvale.
Titjikala (Maryvale) has a pleasant Outback station which offers basic supplies and camping with facilities, plus local artwork. But for most travellers it's a brief stop on the way to Chamber's Pillar, a 90-minute drive over roughish roads with the last few kilometres over sand hills but these present no problem as they are clay capped. There's a large hill with good views but again nothing vaguely 4WD will have any problem with it at all, even towing.
read on below advertisement
At Chambers there is the awesome Pillar, and the magnificent Castle Rock. There are sunset and sunrise viewing areas, you can partially climb the Pillar and the campsite has toilets but few campspots. Do make an effort to see the rocks at sunset and sunrise and walk around the formations.
After Chambers the next major attraction is the Ewaninga Rock Carvings, about an hour north of Rodinga, which are ancient Aboriginal etchings in rocks and worth taking the time to admire.
Half an hour later you're into Alice Springs. Plenty of attractions; the old Telegraph Station is a fascinating look into olden-day communications, but the Desert Park didn't offer much beyond what most of us could see in local zoos.
Out to the east of Alice there's the East MacDonnells, and to the west...the West MacDonnells, easily accessed via a quick bitumen arterial road so you can do day trips and still see a lot. You could start at Glen Helen Gorge, then work your way back in via Ormiston Gorge (the favourite by consensus), Serpentine and the others. These are gorges with various natural features that have particular scenic or historic value, and in some of them swimming is permitted. Probably better to spend some time at a couple of them rather than try and see the lot. While you're there, it's definitely recommended to look at the ochre pits between Ormiston and Serpentine.
next page »
