Coober Pedy to Uluru road trip: Distance, drive time & attractions
The Coober Pedy to Uluru drive is 756km long, with a driving time of around 7h50m. There aren’t many road trip attractions or places to stop on the way from Coober Pedy to Uluru – this is pure outback.
If doing a road trip through the middle of Australia, one of the longest legs is from Coober Pedy to Uluru.
To advance book weird and wonderful Coober Pedy accommodation, check out the deals here.
Uluru experiences include a lavish dune-top desert dinner with stargazing, a guided walk around the perimeter full of Aboriginal cultural stories and a sunrise tour to the perfect photo stop. To browse a wide array of memorable Uluru experiences, head here. For the best Uluru accommodation deals, search here.
Ready to book? Pick your Coober Pedy hotel, your Uluru accommodation and Uluru experiences…
Staying in Coober Pedy on the way to Uluru
Opal mining town Coober Pedy is the only settlement of any real size on the Stuart Highway between Port Augusta and Alice Springs. It’s notorious for its underground houses, and a fascinatingly odd place to visit.
Given the vast distances in the South Australian outback, Coober Pedy is a logical place to break the journey on a Stuart Highway road trip.
Coober Pedy to Uluru drive: Uluru or Alice Springs first?
After Coober Pedy, there is a decision to be made. Drive straight from Coober Pedy to Alice Springs, or go from Coober Pedy to Uluru, then from Uluru to Alice Springs?
If you intend to visit Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Kings Canyon – and frankly why are you doing this road trip if you don’t? – then plan to go from Coober Pedy to Uluru. Go to Alice Springs first, and there’s a surprisingly long backtrack. Uluru is located about five hours to the south-west of Alice Springs.
Coober Pedy to Uluru drive: Distance and driving time
The Coober Pedy to Uluru drive is a long one without many obvious attractions to see on the way, however. The distance from Coober Pedy to Uluru is 756km, with a driving time of around seven hours and 50 minutes. But where to stop on the way from Coober Pedy to Uluru?
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.
The best road trip attraction on the route is, unfortunately, the Breakaways mountains just north of Coober Pedy.
From there, it’s stark desert scenery, with only the Cadney Homestead and Marla roadhouses to break the monotony.
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Northern Territory border and the drive to Yulara
The Northern Territory border makes for a nice photo stop. From there, you’ll pass the Kulgera Roadhouse before reaching the junction with the Lasseter Highway at the Erldunda Roadhouse.
The Lasseter Highway connects the Stuart Highway to Yulara, the hub town for Uluru. On the way, you’ll pass the Mount Conner Lookout. Don’t be fooled – as many have been in the past – into thinking that Mount Conner is Uluru. It’s similar on first glance, but it is a totally different inselberg.
Otherwise, the only realistic alternative stop on the Lasseter Highway is the Curtin Springs roadhouse.
Uluru accommodation options include the luxurious Sails In The Desert, the more relaxed Emu Walk Apartments and marginally more afforable Desert Gardens Hotel.
Uluru activities worth booking include sunset camel tours, the Field of Light experience and helicopter flights over the desert. There’s no need to book to see the famous Uluru sunset, however.
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.
Which Uluru accommodation should I book?
Let’s not sugar-coat it: Accommodation at Uluru is expensive. Specialist Australian accommodation website Wotif lists Uluru accommodation for from $300. Check the top deals page to search through the options.
However, if you stay for three nights rather than two, hefty discounts tend to kick in.
The Uluru accommodation options are designed with different target markets in mind. Book which one fits you best.
- For the lowest prices: Ayers Rock Campground.
- For best quality: Sails in the Desert.
- For families and self-caterers: Emu Walk Apartments.
- For mid-range solidity: Desert Gardens.
More Australian outback travel
How long is the Tennant Creek to Katherine drive?
Stop at Mambray Creek on the drive from Adelaide to Whyalla.
Swim at Ormiston Gorge in the West MacDonnell National Park.
Go on a Queensland outback tour to Roma, Longreach and Winton.