Canberra to Uluru road trip: Distance, driving time & best stops
Canberra to Uluru drive: Port Augusta to Coober Pedy
The best things to do in Port Augusta include the Wadlata Outback Centre, which looks at Aboriginal and outback life, and the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden.
Port Augusta accommodation picks
Port Augusta accommodation tends towards the functional. Few people stay here more than one night. Booking site Wotif lists options for from $89, if you’d like to check what’s available.
However, these Port Augusta accommodation choices are particularly worth looking at:
- For heritage and character: Pampas Motel.
- For green credentials: Crossroads Ecomotel.
- For overall quality: Majestic Oasis Apartments.
- For cheap rates and a pool: Discovery Parks – Port Augusta.
On the road trip section from Port Augusta to Coober Pedy, try to visit Woomera and the Lake Hart salt lake on the way.
Woomera offers a fascinating insight into space exploration with missiles on display, while Lake Hart‘s salt lake is an accessible natural wonder, a short walk from the highway.
Coober Pedy is a quintessential outback town, with most people living in underground homes to escape the extreme heat. Visitors can explore show homes carved into caves and take tours of opal mines.
Best Coober Pedy accommodation choices
The most interesting places to stay in Coober Pedy are:
- For gloriously weird underground rooms in a former opal mine: Comfort Inn Coober Pedy Experience.
- For (usually) the cheapest rates: The Underground Motel.
- For pool, playground and apartments: Big4 Stuart Range Outback Resort.
- For above ground rooms made from rammed earth, with merciful air-conditioning: Mud Hut Motel.
Click through for the next section: Coober Pedy to Uluru.