Journey Through the Outback: Complete Guide from Adelaide to Cairns The Explorer's Way

Cross the Australian Outback - South to North

There are some road trips that are more than a journey. Adelaide to Cairns through the Australian outback is one of those. Here we’ll show you how to bring that adventure to life on an unforgettable expedition through the heart of Australia, south to north, with the option of visiting Darwin.

Australia is the 6th biggest country on earth, covering around 5% of the world's total land area. To put that into perspective, Adelaide to Cairns is roughly the distance from London to Istanbul. But instead of crossing multiple countries, you're crossing one continuous landscape that slowly turns from coastal to outback to tropical.

With a country so large, there are countless ways to travel from Adelaide in South Australia to Cairns in Far North Queensland. This epic road trip takes you the Explorers Way, following in the footsteps of 19th-century explorer John McDouall Stuart (the first ever European to travel from Adelaide in the south all the way to Darwin at the top of the Northern Territory.)

Adelaide to Cairns Road Trip Overview

• Distance - Adelaide to Cairns: 3,780 km
• Distance - Adelaide, Darwin, Cairns: 5,709 km
• When to visit: May to October during dry season. The days are cooler (20–30°C), there's minimal rain, and an ideal time for camping.
• Recommended duration: Allow 10 days to 3 weeks depending on how much of the route you take and what attractions you want to see.

Outback Road Trip Safety

The outback does not mess around. It’s vast, remote and extreme. Here’s what you need to know to stay safe:

Never pass a fuel station. As well as filling up your tank, it’s an opportunity to get more water, drinks and snacks. From time to time, check your oil levels and top up on the long drive. Check tyre pressures and your windscreen wash. The next stop could easily be a few hundred kilometres away - that's like driving from Boston to New York without seeing a single gas station!

Pack smart. Temperatures can swing wildly, from scorching days to surprisingly cool nights. Bring plenty of food and water, always topping up where you can, as well as things like warm layers, a sun hat, sunscreen, and a torch with spare batteries. Set up an eSIM on your phone and keep it well charged using your campervan’s USB ports. And of course, on an epic road trip like this, you’re going to need to expand your playlist! Spaceships campervans have bluetooth so you can listen to music in even the remotest outback, just don’t forget to have it pre-downloaded. Tunes? Yes! Cell signal? Not so much.

Kangaroos, wallabies and other wildlife are most active at dawn and dusk, so plan your driving around daylight hours to stay safe on the roads.

Why a Spaceships Campervan is Perfect for This Journey

Spaceships campervan rentals come with unlimited kilometres, which is lucky, because you're going to need them! No matter the route you take, you’ll be racking up a huge number of kilometres.

Your Spaceships campervan is multi-point checked before you pick it up and is well maintained and serviced. There’s a spare tyre on board and with our detailed “How To Use Your Spaceship” videos and How To Do Things on Your Road Trip you will blast off fully prepared to explore the outer space of Australia.

And of course, our friendly customer service crew are always at the end of the phone, email or chat if you need some help or advice.

First Stop: Adelaide to Port Augusta (310 km)

All great adventures start somewhere, and this one is right in the heart of Adelaide, Australia's Garden City. As the capital of South Australia, there’s plenty to see and do. From beaches in Glenelg to the French Renaissance-style Mortlock Wing of the State Library, and of course, the world-class wine region, Adelaide is for the foodies to art lovers and everyone in between.

To start your journey, pick up your campervan from our Adelaide depot and head north on the A1/Stuart Highway. Here you can stop in at one of the famous wineries such as Clare Valley, Barossa Valley or Eden Valley, all located just north of Adelaide.

Continue north and you will reach Port Augusta, AKA “the crossroads of Australia”, as the roads from Sydney to Perth (east to west) and Adelaide to Darwin (south to north) all pass through the town.

This coastal city is your last chance to taste the ocean before thousands of kilometers of red dirt, so make it count! Take that beach dip while you can because it’ll be red dirt and endless horizons from here on out. If time allows, visit:

• Wadlata Outback Centre: A great introduction to the landscape you're about to tackle and the history that goes with it.
• Arid Lands Botanical Gardens: Showcases the surprisingly diverse range of flora of Australia’s drier regions.

For accommodation you’ll find several campgrounds in the area, including a budget-friendly option at Discovery Parks not too far from the city centre. Spaceships campervans make overnight stays like this easy! Pull up, snuggle in, and you’ve got your accommodation sorted without having to pitch a tent.

Into the Outback: Port Augusta to Tennant Creek (1,700 km+)

Once you leave Port Augusta behind, the landscape transforms dramatically. This is where your outback adventure really begins! Think wide open spaces, broad blue skies, quirky old towns and some of Australia's most iconic tourist attractions. The roughly 1,700 km route to Tennant Creek (not including detours) is packed with stops, so take your time!

Woomera: The small village of Woomera, a former missile testing settlement, feels like stepping into a time capsule. The visitor centre here offers a glimpse into the history of Australia’s defence force.

Lake Hart & Coober Pedy: Lake Hart is a great rest spot between Port Augusta and Coober Pedy. With easy access from the Stuart Highway down to the salt lake, it’s the perfect chance to snap a photo and a popular spot for overnight stays at the free campground, even with no facilities.

Then it’s on to Coober Pedy, hands down one of Australia's strangest towns. Located 847 km north of Adelaide on the Stuart Highway, the “opal capital of the world” is famous for one thing: 70% of its residents live underground to escape the heat. It may sound crazy, but when temperatures get up to 45°C, suddenly underground doesn’t seem so bad. You may not have to cook there either. There are a couple of restaurants in town, including the Sunset View Diner and the Outback Bar & Grill with Pizza, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, or use their grab-and-go option for those on a timeline. If you’re planning to stay, try out one of the many underground accommodation options!

The Northern Territory Border: Pull over at the border sign for your classic road trip photo. One state down. Two to go!

Detour to Uluru: Worth Every Kilometre! From Stuart Highway, about 235 km west on the A4, lies one of Australia's most sacred sights, Uluru. The massive sandstone monolith rises from the Red Centre like nothing else on earth. Take time to learn about the Anangu people, the traditional custodians of Uluru, which holds deep spiritual significance in their history. 
While you’re here, don’t miss Kata Tjuta (The Olgas). A collection of 36 domed rock formations covering 20 square kilometres of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. The Valley of Winds walk here is absolutely stunning.

Alice Springs: Call into Stuart’s Well Roadhouse for food and drinks, with a mini mart and laundry or, if you’ve ever fancied a camel ride, this is your chance! You're headed through Alice Springs. Originally known as Mparntwe, meaning “watering hole” in the indigenous Arrente language, as the town grew around the watering hole on the Todd River.

Alice Springs is a great place to top up on supplies, as it’s roughly the halfway point of your Australian outback journey.

Tjoritja/West MacDonell Ranges & Simpson’s Gap: 150 km west of Alice Springs, the Tjoritja/West MacDonell Ranges await. Enjoy spectacular scenery, walking trails, and swimming holes with plenty of camping grounds to relax and unwind after all those highway kilometres. With your Spaceships handy bed and kitchen setup, you can camp at these beautiful places in actual comfort. Pop open the rear awning, let the fresh air flow through, and wake up to kookaburras instead of alarm clocks.

"Smooth running Toyota that was comfortable for our regular 6-9hr drives." - Sam Burns

Two Roads Diverged: Your Road Trip, Your Choice

You may know the famous Robert Frost poem, The Road Not Taken, “Two roads diverged in a wood, And I, I took the one less travelled by.” It’s a metaphor for life and travellers. At Tennant Creek, the roads diverge, not in a yellow wood, but in the red desert!

It's decision time. Do you push north on the Stuart Highway to Darwin on the Timor Sea or head east to the tropical Far North Queensland to land in Cairns, the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef? This is where having unlimited kilometres really pays off. Whichever route you choose, your Spaceships campervan has you covered with no distance limits and no extra fees.

Firstly, don’t miss Tennant Creek! Dive into the 1930s Australian Gold Rush history, then head to Karlu Karlu (Devil’s Marbles), the ancient granite boulders balancing on each other, a special site to the Warumungu people.

Route 1: North to Darwin (via Stuart Highway)

• Distance from Tennant Creek: 989 km
• Why choose Darwin: Classic outback highway, iconic Aussie pubs, tropical Top End

If you head up to Darwin, make sure you call in at the iconic Daly Waters pub. It’s about 3 km off the Stuart Highway and around 600 km from Darwin. It’s home to owner Tim Carter’s Junk Yard, crammed with decades of collectables and a vintage Aussie Motor Museum. Proudly serving a range of 12 beers reputedly served at -1°C, just what you need in the heat of the outback. Here eggs are known as “Bum Nuts” and the Giant Outback Breakfast is basically a traditional Full English with hash browns – and a rump steak!

As you get closer to Darwin, Australia's tropical north, you’ll be in a completely different world from where you started in Adelaide. If you feel like swimming, don’t miss Litchfield National Park’s stunning Buley Rockhole and Florence Creek or the crystal-clear swimming pools at Berry Springs. Visit during the dry season (May-October) when Darwin's humidity drops, skies stay clear, and the famous Mindil Beach markets are in full swing offering everything from Asian street food to handmade crafts against a backdrop of fiery skies. Make time for a Jumping Crocodile Cruise on the Adelaide River, watching massive saltwater crocs launch themselves out of the water.

After soaking up the Top End's wild beauty, you’ll backtrack southwest toward Cairns.

Route 2: East to Cairns (via Gulf Savannah)

• Distance from Tennant Creek: 1,740 km

Head east on Highway 66 from Tennant Creek. Stock up with supplies if needed in Ranken before crossing into Queensland where your first stop is Camooweal and its impressive Wiliyan-Ngurru National Park.

Normanton: Follow the road through Four Ways up to Normanton in the Gulf Savannah region. The Norman River was an early port for the Croydon Gold Rush, and you can’t miss “Krys”, a statue and life-sized replica of the biggest crocodile ever captured in Australia – at a giant and terrifying 8.63 metres – over 28 feet long.

Karumba: Camp at Karumba Point near the Sunset Tavern where you’ll see the most beautiful sunsets over the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Atherton Tablelands: The final leg of the trip takes you through the lush Atherton Tablelands, a complete contrast to everything you’ve seen so far. Waterfalls, rainforest, and volcanic lakes are all ready to be explored before you roll into Cairns. Drop your campervan in at our Cairns depot or continue your journey around the iconic city.  Find out more in our road trips around Cairns blog here.

The Bottom Line

So whether you decide to go all the way to Darwin and then back to Cairns, or head east through Far North Queensland straight to Cairns, this epic road trip from Adelaide literally follows in the footsteps of the 19th-century explorers through Australia's outback heartland. It’s a once in a lifetime journey taking you through gold rush history, indigenous lands, and some of the most remote, jaw-dropping scenery and wildlife on the planet. It’s the kind of adventure that stays with you forever.

Ready to make this journey happen? Check out our campervan range and start planning your trip today!

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