Darwin to Uluru road trip guide: Best stops, distance & time

Darwin to Uluru drive: Mataranka and Tennant Creek

The next leg of the Darwin to Uluru drive takes you 675km from Katherine to Tennant Creek.

The first stop worth making is in Mataranka, where you can bathe in the Mataranka Hot Springs. These are in Elsey National Park, around the Roper River, next to the Mataranka Homestead.

You might choose to break the journey by staying overnight at the Daly Waters Pub, one the all-time great outback pubs. It’s near the junction with the Carpentaria Highway.

The Daly Waters to Tennant Creek stretch of the drive through the Northern Territory has slim pickings. You can stop at Lake Woods for birdwatching and the Threeways Roadhouse at the junction with the Barkly Highway for refreshment. But there’s not much else to do.

Click through for the next section: Tennant Creek to Alice Springs.