Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
if you're heading into remote areas, and always tell someone where you're headed.
And if you make it through, try for a book deal - this is intrepid travel defined.
Organised Tours
If you don't feel like doing all the planning and driving, a guided tour is a great way to
experience the outback. These range from beery backpacker jaunts between outback
pubs, to indigenous cultural tours and multiday bushwalking treks into remote wilder-
ness.
Outback Tracks
The Australian outback is criss-crossed by sealed highways, but one of the more interest-
ing ways to get from A to B is by taking a detour along historic cattle and rail routes.
While you may not necessarily need a 4WD to tackle some of these roads, the rugged
construction of these vehicles makes for a much more comfortable drive. Whatever the
vehicle, you will need to be prepared for the isolation and lack of facilities.
Don't attempt the tougher routes during the hottest part of the year (December to
February, inclusive); apart from the risk of heat exhaustion, simple mishaps can lead to
tragedy in these conditions. There's also no point going anywhere on outback dirt roads
if there's been recent flooding.
Red Centre Way & Mereenie Loop Road
Starting in Alice Springs this well-used track is an alternative route to the big attractions
of the Red Centre. The route initially follows the sealed Larapinta and Namatjira Drives
skirting the magnificent MacDonnell Ranges to Glen Helen Gorge. Beyond Glen Helen
the route meets the Mereenie Loop Road. This is where things get interesting. The
Mereenie Loop road requires a permit ($3.50) and is usually so heavily corrugated that it
will rattle a conventional 2WD until it finds its weak spot. This is the rugged short cut to
Kings Canyon, Watarrka National Park, and from Kings Canyon the sealed Luritja Road
connects to the Lasseter Highway and Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.
Oodnadatta Track
Mostly running parallel to the old
Ghan
railway line through outback SA, this iconic
track is fully bypassed by the sealed Stuart Hwy to the west. Using this track, it's 429km
from Marree to Oodnadatta, then another 216km to the Stuart Hwy at Marla. As long as
there is no rain, any well-prepared conventional vehicle should be able to manage this
fascinating route, but a 4WD will do it in comfort.
