Adelaide to Townsville road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops
The best stops on the inland Adelaide to Townsville road trip are Broken Hill, Bourke, Charleville and Barcaldine. The distance from Adelaide to Townsville is 2,626km, with a driving time of around 28 hours.
This independent, Australia travel expert-researched guide is aimed at travellers planning a road trip itinerary from Adelaide to Townsville in Queensland.
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.
Townsville is where you can take the ferry to gorgeous Magnetic Island, enjoy sunset cruises and visit the Museum of Underwater Art. For more Townsville experiences, explore here. To ferret out the best Townsville accommodation deals, look here.
Planning a Adelaide to Townsville road trip itinerary
An Adelaide to Townsville 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. This guide should help you plot out the best stops and detours along the way.
Adelaide to Townsville distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Adelaide to Townsville is 2,626km. This makes for a driving time of around 28 hours.
Obviously, this road trip is going to require at least two overnight stops.
Good road trip stops on the quickest Adelaide to Townsville route include Broken Hill, Bourke, Charleville and Barcaldine.
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 Townsville road trip: Wine regions and Burra
The first leg of this Adelaide to Townsville 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.
8 unusual Barossa Valley experiences to book in advance
- Half day Mustang convertible tour.
- Two hour kayaking experience.
- Half day trike tour with commentary via headsets.
- Wine-tasting tour in a bright red London cab.
- Winery hopping by e-bike.
- Gin-making workshop with lunch.
- Behind the scenes VIP tour at Seppeltsfield.
- Learn about barrel-making at the Yalumba Cooperage.
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.