Mataranka to Alice Springs road trip: Distance, time & best stops

Top stops on a Mataranka to Alice Springs road trip itinerary include Daly Waters, Tennant Creek and the Devils Marbles. The drive to Alice Springs from Mataranka covers a 1,075km distance in around 10h46m.

A Mataranka to Alice Springs road trip covers a vast swathe of Australia’s Northern Territory.

Mataranka is best known for the Mataranka Hot Springs in Elsey National Park next to the Mataranka Homestead.

Alice Springs offers hot air ballooning over the rugged outback, spectacular adventures in the West MacDonnell Ranges and quirky camel rides. For a bigger range of Alice Springs activities, step this way, and for Alice Springs accommodation, book here.

If you do just one thing in Alice Springs…

Make it a West MacDonnell Ranges day tour. It’ll show off many of the Red Centre’s most dramatic gorges, photogenic swimming holes, rugged landscapes and weird rock formations. (FIND OUT MORE).
Australia travel expert David Whitley.

This guide is aimed at travellers planning a Mataranka to Alice Springs road trip itinerary. Click through on links to individual places and activities for greater detail.

Mataranka to Alice Springs distance and driving time

The distance from Mataranka to Alice Springs by car is 1,075km. That makes for a driving time of ten hours and 46 minutes.

The best stops on the Mataranka to Alice Springs drive are the Daly Waters Pub, Tennant Creek and the Devils Marbles.

Mataranka to Alice Springs road trip: Mataranka to Tennant Creek

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.

Things to do in Tennant Creek include the underground tour at the Battery Hill Mine and exploring Indigenous culture at the Nyinkka Nyunyu Art and Cultural Centre.

Tennant Creek accommodation

Specialist Australian accommodation booking site Wotif offers Tennant Creek accommodation for from $140 a night. Check the top deals page for the best rates.

However, to narrow down the shortlist, consider these options first.

For (easily) the best quality: Safari Lodge.
For roadtripper convenience: Outback Caravan Park.
For a pool: Bluestone Motor Inn.

Mataranka to Alice Springs drive: Tennant Creek to Alice Springs

From Tennant Creek to Alice Springs, it’s another 508km of highway. The best stops are the giant boulders of the Devils Marbles and the alien paraphernalia-covered Wycliffe Well roadhouse.

Once in Alice Springs, attractions include the Alice Springs Kangaroo Sanctuary, the Royal Flying Doctor Service Base and the Araluen Cultural Precinct.

Alice can also be used as a base for exploring the marvellous West MacDonnell Ranges. Sights to tick off here include Standley Chasm, Ormiston Gorge, Glen Helen Gorge and Ellery Creek Big Hole.

Seven essential Alice Springs activities to add to your trip.

Ormiston Gorge waterhole in the West MacDonnell Ranges.

See imposing red rock cliffs and stunning swimming holes – on a West MacDonnell Ranges day trip.
Glide across the changing morning colours of the outback – on a hot air balloon ride.
See how education works across the outback – at the School of the Air.
Take in the epic outback scenery – on a scenic flight.
See the outback wildlife come to life – on a Desert Park nocturnal tour.
Try camel rides through the red dirt landscape – and learn the weird history of Aussie camels.
See stunning, often unvisited outback sites – on a Palm Valley 4wd tour.