Adelaide to Port Douglas road trip: Distance, drive time & stops
The best stops on the inland Adelaide to Port Douglas road trip are Broken Hill, Bourke, Charleville, Barcaldine, Townsville, Mission Beach and Cairns. The distance from Adelaide to Port Douglas is 2,995km, with a driving time of around 33 hours.
An Adelaide to Port Douglas road trip is a huge undertaking, that can either be done along the coast or inland. The inland route is quicker, but less well known.
Adelaide brings food tours of the fabulous Central Market, Torrens River cruises, swimming with dolphins and the chance to walk across the roof of the Adelaide Oval. To book Adelaide accommodation, step this way. For a full range of Adelaide tours and experiences, explore here.
Port Douglas, meanwhile, brings Great Barrier Reef snorkelling tours, sailing at sunset and half day tours into the World Heritage-listed Daintree Rainforest. Check out the best Port Douglas accommodation options here.
This Adelaide to Port Douglas road trip guide should help you plot out the best stops and detours for your itinerary.
Adelaide to Port Douglas distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Adelaide to Port Douglas is 2,995km. This makes for a driving time of around 28 hours.
Obviously, this road trip is going to require at least three overnight stops.
Good road trip stops on the quickest Adelaide to Port Douglas route include Broken Hill, Bourke, Charleville, Barcaldine, Townsville, Mission Beach and Cairns.
15 fabulous Adelaide experiences to supercharge your visit
- DOLPHINS 🐬: Swim with wild dolphins, kayak with the resident bottlenose pod or watch them on a dolphin cruise.
- FOOD AND WINE 🍷: Indulge on Adelaide food tour including Adelaide Central Market. Or try a wine discovery tour with tastings at the National Wine Centre. Or the ultimate Penfolds Magill Estate experience with full estate tour & Grange tasting.
- WILDLIFE 🐨: Spot koalas on a guided Morialta nature hike. Or walk from Waterfall Gully to Mount Lofty with entrance to Cleland Wildlife Park.
- CRUISES ⛵: Watch the sun set on a twilight coastal cruise, get to know the city on a Torrens River cruise or take a high tea cruise aboard the Popeye.
- SPORT 🏏: Dare to take on the Adelaide Oval Roofclimb or enter the fabled scoreboard on the behind-the-scenes stadium tour.
- ACTION 🚵♂️: Descend Mount Lofty on a downhill mountain bike tour or kayak along the Torrens River.
Adelaide to Port Douglas road trip: Wine regions and Burra
The first leg of this Adelaide to Port Douglas road trip is the 517km leg from Adelaide to Broken Hill. The route initially grinds through suburban Adelaide before joining the Barrier Highway at Gawler.
However, if you’re treating this as a holiday, rather than a mission from A to B, the Barossa Valley and Clare Valley wine regions are close by and incredibly tempting.
Otherwise, your first good stop is Burra. Here you can learn about copper mining heritage at the Monster Mine or discover what happened to ancient giant wombats at the Red Banks Conservation Park.
Burra accommodation picks
The best Burra accommodation options are:
- For plenty of space and homeliness: Paxton Square Cottages.
- For heritage and charm: Burra Railway Station Bed and Breakfast.
- For decent rooms and relatively cheap rates: Burra Motor Inn.
Burra to Broken Hill
After Burra, the Barrier Highway enters the outback and crosses the border from South Australia to New South Wales. The Yunta Roadhouse is the only realistic fuel and refreshment stop before reaching the archetypal outback city of Broken Hill.
Top Broken Hill attractions include the Living Desert State Park, the Big Picture at the Silver City Mint and Art Centre and the underground mine tours in neighbouring Silverton.
Broken Hill accommodation picks
Australia specialist accommodation booking site Wotif offers stays in Broken Hill for from $105 a night. Check out the best deals page here.
To narrow it down a little, you should probably look at the following Broken Hill accommodation choices first.
- For families: Broken Hill Tourist Park.
- For good value on a budget: Lodge Outback Motel.
- For art deco glamour near the train station: Royal Exchange Hotel.
- For central location with a pool: Ibis Styles.
- For character: Astra Hotel.
Click through for the next section: Cobar and Broken Hill.