Mildura to Coober Pedy road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time
Mildura to Coober Pedy road trip: Burra to Port Augusta
The route continues to Burra, where you can build in a slight detour to the rugged landscapes of the Red Banks Conservation Park.
Burra accommodation picks
The best Burra accommodation options are:
- For plenty of space and homeliness: Paxton Square Cottages.
- For heritage and charm: Burra Railway Station Bed and Breakfast.
- For decent rooms and relatively cheap rates: Burra Motor Inn.
After Burra, the drive skirts the top of the Clare Valley, and if you want to stock up on quality Rieslings, you can take a detour south.
The route then joins National Highway 1 at Crystal Brook.
From here, the road trip itinerary heads past industrial Port Pirie and through Mambray Creek, which is the gateway to the Mount Remarkable National Park and Alligator Gorge.
Mildura to Coober Pedy 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 a unique and beautiful natural wonder.
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.
More South Australia travel
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Where to stop on the Streaky Bay to Ceduna drive.
Is there anything worth seeing on the drive from Bordertown to Adelaide?
How long is the drive from Coober Pedy to Kulgera?