Compare Melbourne to Alice Springs Overland by Adventure Tours Australia

Day 1: The Great Ocean Road
Departing cosmopolitan Melbourne, hit the road west to Geelong and the famous surf town of Torquay. After stopping for a quick photo opportunity at iconic Bells Beach, begin the journey along one of Australia’s most beautiful and famous drives, the Great Ocean Road. Stop in at Kennett River for some koala spotting, then break for lunch in Apollo Bay. Continue on to the Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge, spending the night in Warrnambool.

Included Activities
12 Apostles & London Bridge
Kennett River
Melba Gully Walk - Otway Ranges
Swim at Lorne (Summer months)
Teddy's Lookout (Winter months)

Meals Included
Lunch

Day 2: The Grampians
Begin the day checking out more of the Great Ocean Road's wonders, then drive into the Grampians National Park – an area rich in Aboriginal culture and beautiful landscapes. We'll visit the Brambuk Aboriginal Culture Centre to learn about the period known as the Dreaming, then hike up to the Pinnacles for impressive views across the Grampians. Tonight we enjoy a traditional Aussie BBQ in Halls Gap.

Included Activities
Brambuk Culture Centre
Loch Ard Gorge
Mackenzie Falls - Grampians
Pinnacles Walk - Grampians

Meals Included
Breakfast
Dinner

Day 3: The Grampians to Adelaide
Hike up to McKenzie Falls, the highest waterfalls in the Grampians, and check out other sights such as The Balconies and Reeds Lookout. Leaving the Grampians, pass through the town of Horsham before crossing the famed mighty Murray River and making the last leg of the journey into Adelaide where we stay tonight.

Included Activities
Reeds Lookout (The Balconies)

Meals Included
Breakfast

Day 4: Adelaide/Flinders Ranges
Barely 100 clicks north of Adelaide lies the Clare Valley, an undulating sprawl of vineyards, wine cellars and quaint bluestone cottages. Renowned for its production of world-class Rieslings, this is one of Australia’s oldest wine regions – and one of its prettiest too. On the drive through to Wilpena Pound you’ll be treated to some extraordinary views of the Flinders Ranges, which, stretching for over 430 km across South Australia, are the state’s biggest mountain range. Arriving at our campsite there’ll be time for hike before snuggling down in a swag.

Total driving time takes around five hours.

Accommodation
Camping (with shared facilities) (1 night)

Included Activities
Wilpena Pound

Meals Included
Lunch
Dinner

Day 5: Oodnadatta Track/William Creek
Leaving the flinders Ranges, we cruise north towards the tiny town of Lyndhurst, where the entrance sign proclaims ‘Welcome to Lyndhurst. Pop. 30 (most days)’. Hitting the famous Oodnadatta Track, we’ll make a stop by Lake Eyre (Australia’s largest salt lake), before arriving at our campsite in William Creek – base for the night.

Total driving time today is approximately 8 hours

Accommodation
Camping (with basic facilities) (1 night)

Meals Included
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner

Day 6: Coober Pedy
Covering an area of six million acres, Anna Creek Station is the world’s largest working cattle station. The estate was founded in 1899 by Sir Sidney Kidman, a distant relative of Nicole who set from home out on a one-eyed horse at age 13 to make his fortune. By mid afternoon we’ll have reached the opal-mining town of Coober Pedy. The weather here is so hot that life’s better lived underground. After taking a guided tour of this subterranean society, and checking into an underground bunkhouse, you’ll have the afternoon at leisure. Try your luck ‘noodling’ for opals, or finish the day at Josephine’s Kangaroo Orphanage to see what’s hopping about.

Total driving time today is approximately 6.5 hours

Accommodation
Underground Multishare (1 night)

Included Activities
Anna Creek Station
Coober Pedy Mine tour
Josephine’s Gallery and Kangaroo Orphanage

Meals Included
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner

Day 7: Coober Pedy / Yulara
We’ll be honest, there’s a fair bit of driving today. From Coober Pedy we travel across the Moon Plains, past the Dingo Fence, past Breakaways Reserve, and into Yulara. Make sure you have your Ipod fully charged and your neck cushion handy.

Today driving time will be about 8.5 hours.

Accommodation
Permanent tented camp (with shared facilities) (1 night)

Included Activities
Dingo Fence

Meals Included
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner

Day 8: Yulara/Uluru (Ayers Rock)
Translating to the Pitjantjatjara word for ‘Many Heads’, the 36 domes of Kata Tjuta are a defining feature of the Red Centre landscape both topographically and spiritually. Rising 546 m above the surrounding plain, Mt. Olga’s tip is the highest point for miles around, while the site’s ridges and ravines are closely connected with numerous indigenous creation-time stories. Many of these stories are kept secret from outsiders, but you’ll learn a little about the local Anangu culture, and come to appreciate the beauty of their land, on a guided walk.

Tonight you can sleep in a permanent tent or curl up in a swag (Aussie bedroll) as you watch the desert sun set over Uluru and enjoy a night under the outback stars.

There isn't much driving today, about an hour in total between destinations. You will walk approximately 5-9km, depending on how much of Uluru's base you would like to walk.

Accommodation
Permanent tented camp (with shared facilities) (1 night)

Included Activities
Mala cultural interpretative walk
Uluru & Kata Tjuta National Park Fee
Uluru Base Walk
Uluru Cultural Centre
Kata Tjuta

Meals Included
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner

Day 9: Uluru/Kings Canyon
Uluru isn’t Coober Pedy, but it still gets pretty hot here come midday. If you’re keen to beat the heat on a walk around the rock’s base, we recommend an early rise. Uluru holds great significance to the local Anangu people, and appreciating this is key to appreciating Uluru itself. An indigenous guide will explain a little about the land during a cultural interpretative walk, after which there’s the opportunity to learn more at the onsite Cultural Centre. Later in the day there’s also the opportunity of taking a helicopter flight over Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park before we hit the road again for Watarrka National Park (Kings Canyon).

Today, driving time is about four hrs and walking is up to ten kilometers.

Accommodation
Permanent tented camp (with shared facilities) (1 night)

Included Activities
Watarrka National Park Entry Fees

Meals Included
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner

Day 10: Kings Canyon/Alice Springs
With its 300-metre high sandstone walls, hidden waterholes, fern forests, chasms, canyons and caverns, Watarrka National Park is central Australia’s answer to an oasis. The highlight attractions here are the Garden of Eden, the Amphitheatre and the Lost City – all sites you’ll get to visit on the Rim Walk. Following lunch it’s back on the road for the onward drive to Alice Springs, where this adventure concludes.

Driving time today is approximately 5 hours back to Alice Springs, and the Rim Walk is approximately 6km.

Included Activities
Kings Canyon Rim Walk

Meals Included
Breakfast
Lunch