Curtin Springs campground & Wayside Inn accommodation, NT

The Curtin Springs campground in the Northern Territory’s Red Centre offers free unpowered sites. Accommodation at the Curtin Springs Wayside Inn costs from $160 a night.

Where is Curtin Springs?

Curtin Springs is in the Northern Territory’s Red Centre on the Lasseter Highway.

The Curtin Springs Station is one of those enormous outback cattle stations, such as Kings Creek Station and Anna Creek Station. It would be fairly anonymous were it not for its location on the drive from Alice Springs to Uluru.

For most travellers, Curtin Springs is a fuel stop. However, some make use of the Curtin Springs campground and neighbouring Wayside Inn as relatively cheap accommodation in the Red Centre. Some people use it as a cheap place to stay while visiting Uluru.

8 great Uluru experiences to book before you arrive

1. Understand Uluru’s caves, bulges, gullies and spiritual stories on a guided base walk.
2. Be awe-struck by the changing colours on a SUNRISE tour.
3. Eat great food on a dune top, and enjoy an expert-guided stargazing session during a once-in-a-lifetime desert dune-top dinner.
4. See an entirely different kind of dramatic outback scenery on Kings Canyon day trip.
5. Do a lap of Uluru by Segway.
6. See the big picture on an outback helicopter flight.
7. See Australia’s most spectacular light show – the Field of Light at sunrise.
8. Admire the colour-shifting giant rock domes on a Kata-tjuta sunset trip.

Curtin Springs campground fees

There is no fee to use the unpowered sites at the Curtin Springs campground. This makes it easily the cheapest place to stay near Uluru. However, guests are charged $4 per shower and $10 per tank of water.

There is no reservation system for the unpowered sites. It is first come first served.

Facilities are thin on the ground, too. There’s a barbecue area, but no camp kitchen. The sites are also dirt rather than grass, with limited shade available.

Powered sites cost from $55 per night, and need booking in advance. They are in high demand.

Sort out your Red Centre transport now

Transfers: Alice Springs to Uluru | Uluru to Alice Springs | Uluru to Kings Canyon | Kings Canyon to Uluru | Kings Canyon to Alice Springs.
Day tours: Uluru from Alice Springs | Kata Tjuta from Uluru | Kings Canyon from Uluru | West MacDonnell Ranges from Alice Springs.

Wayside Inn accommodation prices

The other Curtin Springs accommodation is the Wayside Inn, which is essentially roadhouse rooms. There’s nothing fancy, and prices seem steep until you compare them to what you’ll find at Uluru.

Budget double rooms with shared bathrooms cost from $160 a night, and ensuite doubles cost from $220 a night. Bookings can be made via the station website.

All prices were correct at time of writing, but are subject to change in the future.

Other facilities at Curtin Springs include the Bough Shed dining area, when breakfast, lunch and dinner are served. Be aware, however, that hours for dinner are very limited – it’s 6pm until 7pm.

There’s also, unusually, a paper shop, selling paper made on the station from native grasses.

The drive from Curtin Springs to Uluru is 100km long.