Glendambo to Coober Pedy drive: Distance, time & best stops

The Glendambo to Coober Pedy drive through the South Australian outback is a journey through stark, open desert. By car, the distance from Glendambo to Coober Pedy is 254km, with a driving time of 2h37m.

The drive from Glendambo to Coober Pedy is the longest stretch along Australia’s Stuart Highway between fuel stops.

The Glendambo to Coober Pedy drive is not one that is full of attractions. That’s really not the point. This is all about seeing the South Australian outback at its most stark and unrelenting. It’s weirdly hypnotic, and gives you a sense of just how comparatively small you are.

Pretty much everyone driving from Glendambo to Coober Pedy will be doing so as part of a longer road trip – maybe from Melbourne to Uluru or Adelaide to Alice Springs.

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Glendambo to Coober Pedy distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Glendambo to Coober Pedy is 254km. That makes for a driving time of around two hours and 37 minutes.

Glendambo isn’t a town or village – it is a roadhouse, and overnight accommodation is available for those who are truly desperate. But you’re better off making it a fuel stop on the way from Port Augusta to Coober Pedy.

Glendambo to Coober Pedy drive stops

In terms of stops along the way from Glendambo to Coober Pedy, there’s really not anything to get excited about. There are a couple of rest stops – the Mount Vivian rest stop, for example, has a picnic table to enjoy the dusty outback scenery from.

Just before you get into Coober Pedy, you’ll pass the Hutchinson Monument. This is devoted to Will Hutchinson who, in 1915, discovered the first opal in the region. This kicked off the Coober Pedy opal industry – and it is now the opal mining capital of the world.

Things to do in Coober Pedy once you arrive include opal mine tours, visiting underground homes and seeing the remarkable Serbian orthodox church. It is also the most logical overnight stop before heading north to Alice Springs or Uluru in the Northern Territory.

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.