Most people think of visiting Sydney or Melbourne in Australia. Some dream of snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. Those all sounded amazing to us, but our dreams included something a little different. We wanted to experience the Outback, specifically the Red Center. We envisioned starry southern skies, kangaroos hopping in the distance and being covered in red dirt while enjoying some breathtaking sunsets. I’m happy to report that we made all of those dreams come true.
When deciding how to fill the weeks between my mom flying back to the US and our Namibia itinerary starting, we were faced with a lot of options. We looked at spending some time in South Africa or Botswana or possibly returning to SE Asia. We looked at flying to India, Dubai, or the Maldives on our way west. All of those options were pretty expensive and required more than a few weeks prep. We decided to stay in Australia and fly from there to Namibia by way of Perth and Johannesburg using credit card miles.
Knowing we had two weeks, we decided to finally try out the Campervan. It was amazing. With no plans, we hit the road from Melbourne and made our way north. The middle of our time in the van was spent in the “Red Center.” We spent three days exploring the various areas we could reach in our camper van.
Day One
Alice Springs
Alice Springs is the biggest city near the Red Center. There is an airport, hotels, campgrounds and a few attractions in the town itself. We stayed a night there after a long drive day. With our amazing luck, we pulled in to the campsite and got the last spot (there was some parade in town). On top of that, the campground was next to a brewery with AMAZING pizza. It was a small slice of heaven. We restocked on groceries, but didn’t do much else in town.
Click here for information on the caravan park we stayed in. The owner was wonderful and we would definitely recommend this spot.
If you are just driving through and looking for a lunch spot, here is the website for the brewery we visited. The pizzas were awesome and the beers even better.
Day Two
Kings Canyon Resort
Unfortunately, there aren’t many places to choose from in this area for camping. We read the reviews and ended up booking a campsite at this resort. It was expensive for a campsite, but the views were incredible. The photo below was right from our camper van at sunset. Plus, we saw a few wild dingos that afternoon at camp. There are rooms as well to rent at a few different price points if you aren’t a camper.
It took us most of the day to drive here from Alice Springs after getting groceries. The resort does a happy hour right before sunset, so you can meet some of your fellow campers and swap outback stories.
Day Three
Kings Canyon Hike
This was my bucket list item while in the outback. I wanted to get out and hike and I had read great things about Kings Canyon. It took us around two hours, but we could have stopped for longer at the different view points. There is a tough incline at the very beginning, but the rest of the hike isn’t too challenging. We wanted something that could be enjoyed even with the heat and the sun, so we began around 9 AM to avoid that midday heat.
The flies were obnoxious on this hike, but the views made up for it. Climbing around the rim of this huge canyon with nothing but red rocks and desert plants around made us very excited to spend some time in the American Southwest.
Uluru
The famous Uluru/Ayers Rock (Uluru is the aboriginal name) was definitely something we wanted to see. However, the picture below is about as close as we got. This was the only place we could not find a place to camp for the night. No matter the season, you have to book in advance. We were bummed, but jumped back in the van to drive to the furthest spot you can get before paying the permit. Paying the fee to drive closer would not have been worth it to us because we weren’t able to spend the night and needed to drive while it was still daylight.
Many people have travelled there to climb the famous rock, but as of October 26, 2019, the climb will be prohibited. It made me really sad to read the owners of the land did not prohibit the climb, but asked people to respect their culture by not climbing. It is a sacred place for them. According to the Wikipedia site, over 1/3 of visitors do climb it. It just feels so wrong to me. I’m glad that they have voted to prohibit it going forward.
To be honest, the scenery around Kings Canyon was way more beautiful. We also got to feast our eyes on Mount Connor (the second picture below) and it is equally as beautiful from afar. I think it’s good to feast your eyes on the most recognizable site in Australia, but if you plan a visit, make sure you understand the importance of the place to the people of the area and respect their culture.
Again, the places sell out. Book in advance at one of the six places here.
Erldunda
After striking out at Uluru for camping, we settled on a roadhouse that we had passed on our way to Alice Springs. The location is right off the main highway, but they have everything you need and more. Wifi is free if you hang out in the main building. Fun fact: it’s where we wrote this post. The roadhouse has some animals on their property that are fun to see up close. They have camels, emus, and kangaroos that roam freely in their giant open plot of land. Sunsets are pretty beautiful from their viewing platform also.
Here is a link to the property.
Our 3 Day Driving Route
Exploring the Red Center involves a lot of driving, but the scenery is beautiful and you will have the roads to yourself much of the time. There is a four wheel drive road from Alice Springs to Watarrka National Park, but we went the long way in the van for comfort and safety. If you do not have a four wheel drive car, those gravel roads get VERY uncomfortable.
Let us know if you are planning a trip to the Red Center of Australia and if you have any questions. You can also check out our YouTube video for more real life clips.
Pin this for later:
