Recommendations for Red Centre

Hi just got back for there towing my Cub Camper.

I wouldn't worry to much about how you get there but Burra and Petersborough ares a nice stop for a cupa.

We went
Renmark to Woomera (had a look at Roxby Down - 80ks from Woomera, good place to fix a puncture,Renmark Big 4 by the river is great)

Woomera to Coober Pedy - depending on how much time you want to look around but can see a lot in a few hours. We left next day after a short look around

Coober Pedy to Yulara/Uluru where we spent two nights - in my opinion enough. I reckon the Olgas is better value and worth seeing why you are there

Yulara to Kings Canyon where we spent two nights - did the Rim walk which was great. Could have spent another night as the camp site there was great

Kings Canyon to Alice Springs (via bituman but there is a dirt track you can take if it is OK) where we spent two WET nights. I think if weather is better and have time you may want to spend more time here. We went and saw the West McDonald Ranges and had time to do only one of the walks. We left camper at Alice. Big 4 camp is good.

On the way back we went from Coober to Williams Creek and down the Oodnadatta to Marree then Marree to Renmark (broke a bloody back window on trip to Marree - I did not put some cardborad up to defelect stones bouncing off camper

Just a hint - lots of driving here - we get those CD story books to listen to - keeps ya awake - good thing while driving.

Weather was hot going up - 39 degrees and coober very humid. Once we got there it was mild, nights cold.

Don't you guys go to bed??????????????

Marky

Remember that there is a Fruit Fly Roadblock just before Renmark. Don't attempt to bring oodles of fruit and vegies with you. You can buy good quality fresh food in the Riverland.

The road from Renmark to Morgan is OK. Have a look around Morgan and a relax by the river. There is a nice bread shop there. Morgan to Burra is one smooth bitumen highway and you could go over the speed limit quite easily. Burra to Peterborough needs an upgrade. Peterborough to Port Augusta is reasonable and quite a pretty drive. The boring bit is PA to Uluru or Alice Springs. Coober Pedy is an interesting place for a one off visit. A day would suffice.

Out from Alice you could spend a lifetime looking at all the natural wonders. The length of time to do them is up to you. I could go up one of the gorges with an inflatable mattress and just laze around all day on the waters. There are many places that tourists do not know of. A nice drive is out along Namatjira Drive via Glen Helen, Tylers Lookout, Gosse Bluff and back to Alice via Hermannsburg. Don't forget to head out to the East MacDonnel Ranges to Arltunga, Ruby Gap or N'dhala Gorge.

Take your woolies with you as the nights can be a tad fresh in the Centre.

Cheers

A few brief thoughts on th centre.........
The Rock is the Rock of course (a walk round the 9.5km base is worthwhile too)...... the taller Olgas are better value IMO .... the Valley of the winds walk is outstanding !
Kings Canyon, early or late on a lovely day is fabulous on the rim walk (the short valley walk does nothing to display the 'riches' there IMO) - takes a few hours to appreciate the rim - with a blue sky and some sunshine, you might be blown away (few pics on my site - http://users.picknowl.com.au/darian).
Palm Valley is great - several visits to date - we will be back. Three walks - the one right down to the bottom of the valley (the one that takes a loop track back to the carpark) is good - from right down there you can see west to the "palm paddock" - a giant basin that locals used to hold stock in.
The Mpara walk (the longest) has outstanding views of the areas - in several places, kids would need to be supervised very carefully though - possible to take a tumble here and there - no guarding used, but sensible walkers have nothing to worry about. Gosse's bluff west of Glen Helen, plus Ormiston Gorge are good - as you get closer to the Alice though on that Namatjira trail, the gorges get a bit tiresome and are thrashed by tourists (like us :-o).

Having lived at Waikerie for 9 years I'll give you a quik one on the Riverland, Renmark to Burra section, Sealed good road, , a bit windy through Glossop, Nice C/park on Lakeside Drv Barmera near Lake Bonney, Site of failed attempt of world water speed record by the late Sir Donald Campbell in 1964, From Barmera to Morgan you have 2 ways North or South of the River, if you want to see Waikerie, Ramco, stay on the Sturt Hwy, after going through Ramco , up the hill and 1.9 Ks from the old Church turn Left and have a look at Sunlands Irrigation ,after that keep heading to Morgan and cross the Ferry , Some very old buildings and Pubs in Morgan plus the Wharf,

Doug

Mark, We (2 adults, 3 kids ) drove from Melbourne to Port Wakefield, then to Coober Pedy, and spent 2 nights there. Toms working mine is a must see, oasis pub and many other underground houses and churches. We spent 4 nights at Ayers Rock, there are many reasons why they won't let u climb the rock, eg: to windy, to wet , to hot, it pretty much has to be a perfect day. The Olgas are also fantastic, and a must see. From there we went to Kings Canyon where we spent 3 nights and did the walk around the rim, magnificent!

Alice Springs, we spent 12 nights at Alice and everday we spent sightseeing, West and East Mac. Ranges including all the gorges, Larapinta Drive Meerenie Loop, Palm Springs Finke Gorge National Park , Flying Doctors,, School of Air, a reptile park which has all the deadliest snakes in Australia where u can carry a large python and last but not least is the Alice Springs Desert Park of Australia.

Coming home we came down the Oodnadatta Track , via Ood. and Willem Creek ( great little place ) and Coward Springs, a fantastic camping spot, then we turned down the Borefield Track to Roxby Downs 2 nights, Woomera then home.

Hope some of this helpful in your trip,
Have a great trip,
cheers, Lance

Gday,
Sounds like you pretty well know what you want to see, but I wouldnt try and plan too much, just take each day as it comes.
Dont want to put a dampener on your trip BUT dont walk around Alice at night, even down well lit areas, if you want to go out get a cab and get dropped of at the door.
Cheers

If you want some serious off road adventure we did the boggy hole track ..2 days one night ..stayed at Kings canyon then through Boggy Hole to Helensburgh the most fantastic off road experience you could expect to get travelling up the Finke river valley mostly in the dry river bed with a great free camp site at boggy hole room for 20 vehicles

Regards
Graham

For peacefulness: Rainbow Valley - there is still water in the claypan.

Thanks everyone for your replies.

Oldman, I had heard the Big 4 in Alice was good, unaware of one at Renmark which we'll be staying at (I think) so that'll be handy. Do you need to pre-book a site during school holidays for either, or are they big enough?

Willem, thanks for the reminder of fruit fly area. We often travel up to the murray and buy it up there, heaps to choose from and fresh! Will look into those spots listed along Namatjira Drive.

Darian, nice website, very professional, did you do that yourself? We have small kids in tow (youngest 6), do you think they could do the Valley of Winds walk? We won't take them on the rim walk at Kings Canyon but will do the bottom one instead.

Doug, thanks for detailed report of Renmark and on areas.

Lance, was mentioned above Coober Pedy could be done in a few hours, is that enough time to visit the things you mentioned?

Hairy, cheers on the warning in Alice.

Graham, was wondering about that track, we'll have to miss it due to time limits. Thanks anyways.

Marilyn, hadn't even heard of Rainbow Valley, thanks for the tip!

While I'm at it, will we have to book camping sites at Uluru, Kings Canyon & Alice? I'm sure the parks themselves will tell us we have to, so they lock in our business, but what's the go?

Cheers everyone.

Hi - I would pre book the Renmark Big 4. They told me they were full up at Easter (we were there the day before) so school hols will be worse.

try to get a river frontage site and enjoy the view of the sunsets.

Only problem I had weas there was a bit of road noise .

Have a good one

Hi Mark,
We have just returned from 5 week trip to Perth and back to Brisbane via the Centre. This is our second trip to the Centre, our first in 2002.
We recommend possibly 2 nights at Coober Pedy as I am sure you could fill in a day looking around.
As an alternative to climbing Uluru, we decided on a cultural tour with 2 local elders in the early morning after viewing sunrise on the rock. This trip we did 'Valley of the Winds', Kata Tjuta, shorter walk (2.5 hrs) and worth the effort.
Ormiston Gorge is a good choice. Small campground with bbqs and a kiosk with basics. Standley Chasm also worth a visit. If you find yourself with free time, visit the East Macs. In my opinion, more scenic than the West Macs. Corroboree Rock and the road into N'Dhala Gorge are both very interesting.
Good idea to make Alice your base. There is so much to see around Alice and Alice Springs itself. As a guide, it took us a full day, getting back to Alice after dark, to go to Palm Valley and returning via Ormiston Gorge, etc.
Hope this info helps. No doubt you will get more.
Truk