Alice Springs to Katherine drive: Distance, time & road trip stops
The best attraction on the Alice Springs to Katherine drive in the Northern Territory is the Devil’s Marbles (Karlu Karlu). The Wycliffe Well roadhouse is another worthwhile Stuart Highway stop, too.
If you drive between Alice Springs and Katherine Gorge, you’re likely doing it out of necessity or a sense of mission.
Alice Springs offers hot air ballooning over the rugged outback, spectacular adventures in the West MacDonnell Ranges and quirky camel rides. For a bigger range of Alice Springs activities, step this way, and for Alice Springs accommodation, book here.
If you do just one thing in Alice Springs…
Make it a West MacDonnell Ranges day tour. It’ll show off many of the Red Centre’s most dramatic gorges, photogenic swimming holes, rugged landscapes and weird rock formations. (FIND OUT MORE).
Australia travel expert David Whitley.
Alice Springs to Katherine distance and driving time
The Alice Springs to Katherine Gorge drive is a 1,189km journey through the colossal Northern Territory. This Alice Springs to Katherine Gorge drive should take at least twelve hours if sticking to the speed limit.
Seven essential Alice Springs activities to add to your trip.
- See imposing red rock cliffs and stunning swimming holes – on a West MacDonnell Ranges day trip.
- Glide across the changing morning colours of the outback – on a hot air balloon ride.
- See how education works across the outback – at the School of the Air.
- Take in the epic outback scenery – on a scenic flight.
- See the outback wildlife come to life – on a Desert Park nocturnal tour.
- Try camel rides through the red dirt landscape – and learn the weird history of Aussie camels.
- See stunning, often unvisited outback sites – on a Palm Valley 4wd tour.
Best Alice Springs accommodation choices
These are the best Alice Springs accommodation picks:
- For a solid, relatively affordable motel: Elkira Court Motel.
- For villas, gardens and a lagoon-style pool: Desert Palms.
- For backpackers: Alice’s Secret Travellers Inn.
- For a kid-friendly holiday park: Discovery Parks Alice Springs.
- For business-friendly serviced apartments: Quest Alice Springs.
There’s not an awful lot to see on the way apart from a whole lot of outback. And this is why most people fly up to Darwin, then drive down to Katherine, perhaps via Ubirr in Kakadu National Park.
But if you are hiring a car in Alice Springs for the long, masochistic drive up the Stuart Highway to say you’ve driven across the country, there are a few roadhouses and tourist sights where you can stretch your legs.
Sort out your Red Centre transport now
Alice Springs to Katherine drive stops: Wycliffe Well roadhouse
Once over the Tropic of Capricorn on the Alice Springs to Tennant Creek leg of the drive, you eventually come to Wycliffe Well. 375km north of Alice Springs, Wycliffe Well is a roadhouse and holiday park. More importantly, it’s the self-style UFO capital of Australia – and the walls are covered in newspaper clippings of flying saucer sightings in the area.
Going whole hog on the theme, there’s alien paraphernalia dotted around the holiday park. This includes several cheap-looking fibreglass little green men and alien spaceships. Take it as kitsch art, but don’t expect great things from the accommodation or restaurant. Facilities edge into passable adequacy at best.
Wycliffe Well is 37km south of the best sight on the journey between Alice Springs and Katherine Gorge, however. The Devil’s Marbles is a pile of giant, weirdly smooth and rounded boulders stacked up next to the highway.
Alice Springs to Katherine road trip attractions: Karlu Karlu/ Devils Marbles
Known as Karlu Karlu to the local Indigenous people, the Devils Marbles are the setting for several Aboriginal Dreaming stories. One involves Arrange, the devil man, passing through while twirling his hair-string belt. The hairs dropped and became the ‘marbles’.
The commonly told story of the marbles being regarded as the Rainbow Serpent’s eggs is incorrect, however.
Best time to visit the Devil’s Marbles
Karlu Karlu/ the Devil’s Marbles is best seen at sunrise or sunset, when the boulders light up in a vast array of colours. Visitors are asked not to climb on them, as it’s a sacred site.
From Karlu Karlu, just bomb on up to Katherine. There’s little to see on the Tennant Creek to Katherine drive before reaching Nitmiluk National Park. But once there, enjoy gorge cruises, Katherine Gorge canoeing tours and walks along the Jatbula Trail.
Katherine experiences to book in advance
- Two gorge boat cruise through Nitmiluk National Park – with commentary on nature, wildlife and Aboriginal Dreaming stories.
- Half day Nitmiluk Gorge canoe hire – get closer to nature, paddling through at your own pace.
- Outback show with live music, horse and working dog demonstrations.
- Top Didj Aboriginal cultural experience – learn about ancient customs and feed baby wallabies.
- Cutta Cutta Caves guided tour – spot bats and birds in the limestone cave system.
Best Katherine accommodation
The best Katherine accommodation choices are:
- For a pool-based resort: Knotts Crossing Resort.
- For location next to Katherine Gorge: Nitmiluk Chalets.
- For really good value: Pine Tree Motel.
- For a solid holiday park: Big4 Breeze or Discovery Parks – Katherine.
- For glamping with a view: Gorge View Bush Retreat.
More outback Australia
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