Pimba to Coober Pedy, SA: Distance, driving time & road trip stops

The Pimba to Coober Pedy drive is 368km in distance, with a driving time of 3h48m. Road trip stops include Lake Hart and the Glendambo Roadhouse.

The drive from Pimba to Coober Pedy in South Australia is an epic outback drive, usually undertaken as a longer journey up the Stuart Highway.

Most attempting it will be heading from Adelaide to Alice Springs, Melbourne to Uluru or something similar.

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Pimba Roadhouse, South Australia

Pimba is the first roadhouse stop on the Stuart Highway after Port Augusta on the Spencer Gulf. Opal mining town Coober Pedy is the logical place to break the journey on the way to the Northern Territory.

Between the two is nothing much. The Pimba to Coober Pedy drive is an exercise in ploughing through the outback, weirdly mesmerised by the stark landscape.

If you’re looking for things to do on the Pimba to Coober Pedy drive, you have picked the wrong route. There is one decent road trip stop, however.

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Pimba to Coober Pedy road trip stops: Lake Hart

Lake Hart is one of the smaller salt lakes that spread across the South Australian outback. It does have the advantage, however, of being one of the most accessible. You can pull over just off the Stuart Highway, walk over the railway tracks, then step on to the vast salt pans of the lake.

Lake Hart salt lake in South Australia, just off the Stuart Highway — From the Lake Hart rest area on the Stuart Highway near Woomera, it’s a short walk to one of South Australia’s most impressive salt lakes. Photo by David Whitley/ Australia Travel Questions

Alas, Lake Hart comes shortly after Pimba, making the rest of the Pimba to Coober Pedy journey a bit of a hard slog.

Pimba to Coober Pedy drive: Glendambo roadhouse

The only roadhouse between Pimba and Coober Pedy is at Glendambo, a 115km drive from Pimba.

Given that the Pimba to Coober Pedy drive is 368km long, and takes around three hours and 48 minutes, that makes the second leg of the journey tough going.

It’s 254km from Glendambo to Coober Pedy, which is the longest gap between Stuart Highway roadhouses. Make sure you’ve got enough fuel and snacks to make the distance to Coober Pedy.

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.