In-depth guide · CampingSpirit
Just under 1,200 km of Stuart Highway heading north: from the Tropic of Capricorn past the granite boulders of Karlu Karlu, the gold-mining town of Tennant Creek and the cattle stations of the Barkly to the tropics of Katherine – a journey on which the fuel plan matters as much as the sunrise.
The spirit of the route
Beyond Alice Springs the MacDonnell Ranges sink away in the rear-view mirror, and ahead of the windscreen there is only the road: a black ribbon through red earth, spinifex and mulga, on which an oncoming road train sets the air shimmering. The Explorers Way follows in the footsteps of John McDouall Stuart and the Overland Telegraph Line, and so the overnight stops line up like beads on a string – roadhouses, telegraph stations, a pub full of banknotes. In the evening you sit in the open sliding door while the granite boulders of Karlu Karlu glow orange, followed by a starry sky of a kind Europe no longer knows. Further north the grass grows taller, the termite mounds rise higher, the air turns heavy and humid. Driving here teaches you slowness: start early, rest at midday, never be on the road at dusk – and exchange a few words at every roadhouse.
Stage-by-stage plan
1Stage 1: Alice Springs to Aileron (approx. 135 km)
- The drive
- Head north out of Alice Springs onto the Stuart Highway (National Route 87), which crosses the MacDonnell Ranges through a wide gap. After that, flat to gently rolling country with mulga, spinifex and the odd ridge, dead-straight sections and wide shoulders. In Alice Springs you will go through several roundabouts – clockwise, with traffic already on the roundabout having right of way. Around 1.5 hours of pure driving time.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Tropic of Capricorn Marker around 30 km north of Alice Springs: a roadside sculpture marks the Tropic of Capricorn – the classic first photo stop heading north.
- Ryan Well Historical Reserve just before Aileron: remains of a well from the telegraph and droving era and the ruins of Glen Maggie Homestead.
- Anmatjere statues in Aileron: the giant Anmatjere Man on the hill behind the roadhouse and the sculpture of a woman with a child – a tribute to the Anmatyerr, on whose land the settlement lies.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Caravan area at Aileron Roadhouse: powered and unpowered sites, amenities, restaurant and shop, fuel station with diesel. Simple and practical as a first night after a late start in Alice Springs; plan to arrive before dark.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): In the Northern Territory, rest areas on the Stuart Highway may generally be used for one night unless a sign prohibits it; facilities are usually a shade shelter, table and bins, rarely water or a toilet. In Alice Springs itself, sleeping in your vehicle on public land is prohibited.
- Insider tip for campers
- In Alice Springs, fill up with fuel, fill all water tanks and jerry cans, swap or refill your gas bottle and do a big shop – the next supermarket is not until Tennant Creek. Buy the NT Parks Visitor Pass for Karlu Karlu and Elsey online in advance and save it offline; it is not available on site.
2Stage 2: Aileron to Karlu Karlu (Devils Marbles) (approx. 265 km)
- The drive
- Continue north on the Stuart Highway via Ti Tree and Barrow Creek. The landscape alternates between open plains, granite outcrops and the hills of the Forster Range; long straights, some sections signposted at 130 km/h. A few kilometres past Wauchope, the sealed access road to Karlu Karlu turns off. A good 3 hours' driving without breaks.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Barrow Creek Telegraph Station from 1872: one of the best-preserved stations of the Overland Telegraph Line, freely accessible with information boards. The boards also tell of the 1874 attack and the punitive expeditions against the Kaytetye that followed – a place to pause and reflect. Next door, the old Barrow Creek Hotel with signed banknotes on the walls.
- Ti Tree, around 190 km north of Alice Springs: roadhouse, small shop and shady rest stop – the town lies on Anmatyerr land.
- Wycliffe Well, the self-proclaimed “UFO capital of Australia”: painted aliens and UFO signs can be seen from the roadside. Since a flood in 2022, however, the roadhouse has been abandoned and is falling into disrepair – no fuel, do not enter the grounds, photo stop from the road.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Karlu Karlu Campground run by NT Parks, around 1 km from the main boulders: basic, unsealed sites suitable for large vehicles too, pit toilets, barbecues and fire pits, no power, no drinking water. Generators, dogs (except on a lead in the day-use car park) and drones are prohibited. Sites must be booked and paid for online in advance; payment on site is not possible. With power and showers: the caravan area at the Devils Marbles Hotel in Wauchope, about 10 km south.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The Bonney Well Rest Area a few kilometres north of the Karlu Karlu turn-off is approved for overnight stays: shade shelters, tables, barbecues. Within the Karlu Karlu reserve itself, stay overnight only at the campground; the overflow area is intended for tents only, not for motorhomes and caravans.
- Insider tip for campers
- Refuel between Ti Tree, Barrow Creek and Wauchope – Wycliffe Well is out. Roadhouses have fixed opening hours and close in the evening; do not head into the late afternoon with half a tank. Arrive early so your campground site is secure and the evening walk among the boulders still starts in daylight.
3Stage 3: Karlu Karlu (Devils Marbles) to Tennant Creek (approx. 100 km)
- The drive
- After sunrise, back onto the Stuart Highway and north through flat grazing country dotted with termite mounds. Hardly any climbs, little traffic apart from road trains. A good hour's drive; the rest of the day belongs to Tennant Creek.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Sunrise at Karlu Karlu: the first rays turn the granite boulders deep red, and on the short signposted loop walks, boards explain how the boulders were formed by weathering – and what they mean to the Kaytetye, Warumungu, Warlpiri and Alyawarr, whose land this is. Do not climb on the boulders, and respect photography restrictions. The reserve is accredited as an International Dark Sky Sanctuary.
- Nyinkka Nyunyu Art & Culture Centre in Tennant Creek: Warumungu art, history and language, told by the people themselves, with a gallery and shop. Check opening hours beforehand.
- Battery Hill Gold Mining & Heritage Centre on the hill above town: the historic stamp battery from the 1930s gold rush, a museum and a guided tour of a reconstructed mine tunnel.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Tennant Creek Caravan Park in town: powered and unpowered sites, camp kitchen, shaded pool, laundry, gas refills, pets allowed. Alternatively, the Outback Caravan Park on the eastern edge of town with extra-long sites, pool, shop, fuel and LPG. Two nights are worthwhile to combine the museum, tunnel tour and cultural centre without heat stress.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): In Tennant Creek, do not stay overnight on public land, in car parks or at Lake Mary Ann; use the caravan parks instead. The nearest rest area north of town is at the Attack Creek Historical Reserve, a good 70 km away.
- Insider tip for campers
- In Tennant Creek, restock the fridge and do your laundry: from here to Katherine there are only roadhouse shops. Takeaway alcohol in the Barkly region is only available at restricted times and with an ID scan. Several fuel stations line the highway, one of them open around the clock.
4Stage 4: Tennant Creek to Banka Banka Station (approx. 100 km)
- The drive
- Short stage: past the Threeways junction (where the Barkly Highway branches off to Queensland) and on north over the gentle hills of the Ashburton Range. Few bends, good visibility. Around an hour's drive, ideal after a morning on Battery Hill.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Old Telegraph Station Tennant Creek north of town: stone buildings of the Overland Telegraph Line out on the plain, free to view from outside.
- John Flynn Memorial at the Threeways junction: a large granite boulder commemorates the founder of the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
- Attack Creek Historical Reserve: a memorial at the spot where John McDouall Stuart was forced to turn back in 1860 – a reference to the Warumungu resistance to the expedition.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Banka Banka West Station and Tourist Park, a working cattle station right on the highway: large campground with powered and unpowered sites, hot showers, camp kitchen and a small bar. A walking track leads to the Kajanpurra waterhole, a culturally significant site. Do not expect mobile reception, and internet is limited – let someone know where you are beforehand.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The rest area at Attack Creek has basic facilities. Stay overnight only if no signs say otherwise, light no fires during fire bans, and always keep truck bays clear.
- Insider tip for campers
- Fill up once more in Tennant Creek and top up your water; the next fuel stations are at Threeways, Renner Springs and Elliott. At Banka Banka, respect the station's animals and leave gates as you found them.
5Stage 5: Banka Banka Station to Daly Waters (approx. 300 km)
- The drive
- Longest stage: at Renner Springs, where by tradition you leave the Red Centre and the Top End begins, the country opens up, the grass grows taller and the soils darker. Via Elliott and Dunmarra on straight sections with many floodways heading north; shortly before Daly Waters, the junction with the Carpentaria Highway at the Daly Waters Hi-Way Inn; a few kilometres further on, the access road to the town turns off, around 3 km to the pub. With breaks, 4 hours.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Renner Springs Desert Inn: roadhouse at a spring, on the weather divide between the dry Centre and the monsoonal north – a good place for coffee and a fuel stop.
- Newcastle Waters off the highway near Elliott: an almost deserted drovers' settlement on the old Murranji route with a memorial to the drovers and historic buildings.
- Elliott, a supply town on the edge of the large cattle stations, with a shop and a fuel station open around the clock.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Caravan park behind the Daly Waters Pub (1930s): powered and unpowered sites, amenities, pool; in the dry season there are often barbecue dinners and live music in the beer garden in the evening. In season it fills up from the afternoon – come early or call ahead. Quieter and right on the highway: the Daly Waters Hi-Way Inn at the Carpentaria junction, with sites and a 24-hour fuel station.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Between Renner Springs and Daly Waters there are several rest areas on the highway that can be used for one night if nothing is signposted to the contrary. Do not free camp in Daly Waters itself – the land around the pub and airfield is private or protected.
- Insider tip for campers
- Refuel in Renner Springs or Elliott rather than counting on reaching Daly Waters on reserve; Dunmarra is not a reliable stop. Approach floodways slowly even in the dry season, as they have dips and potholes. In the wet season the highway between Elliott and Daly Waters may be flooded – check roadreport.nt.gov.au beforehand.
6Stage 6: Daly Waters to Larrimah (approx. 95 km)
- The drive
- Back to the Stuart Highway and north through open eucalypt woodland and tall spear grass. A short, relaxed stage – the morning belongs to the history of Daly Waters, the afternoon to the pub in Larrimah. A good hour's drive.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Daly Waters Historic Airfield: from the 1930s, aircraft on the first scheduled service to Singapore refuelled here, and in the Second World War it was an air force base. The old hangar with information boards is freely accessible.
- Stuart Tree near Daly Waters: the tree into which expedition leader John McDouall Stuart is said to have carved his “S” in 1862 – barely legible today, but a piece of exploration history.
- Pink Panther (Larrimah) Hotel: bright pink outback pub with a collection of curiosities and animals on the grounds – a quirky, short stop.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Sites at the Pink Panther (Larrimah) Hotel: caravan and tent area with amenities, motel rooms, bar and simple kitchen. Check by phone beforehand that it is operating and what the opening hours are. More sites are available at the Larrimah Wayside Inn in town; you can also move on to Mataranka, around 75 km further.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Rest areas on the highway between Daly Waters and Larrimah can be used for one night unless a ban is signposted. Around Larrimah lie the remains of wartime installations such as Gorrie Airfield – do not stay overnight there; some access roads are dirt tracks only.
- Insider tip for campers
- In Larrimah, a small museum tells the story of the terminus of the North Australia Railway and of the military in the Second World War. Gorrie Airfield is reached via unsealed tracks – in a rental campervan only if your contract allows unsealed roads, and only when it is dry.
7Stage 7: Larrimah to Katherine (approx. 185 km)
- The drive
- On the Stuart Highway through increasingly tropical savanna via Mataranka to Katherine. More traffic from Mataranka onwards, roundabouts and traffic lights in Katherine. Around 2 hours of pure driving time, half a day with a swim stop in Mataranka.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Short swim stop at Bitter Springs in Elsey National Park near Mataranka: warm, clear spring water beneath palms – covered in detail in the CampingSpirit guide to the Top End with Kakadu and Katherine.
- Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts & Culture Centre in Katherine: exhibitions of contemporary art from the region.
- Katherine School of the Air: visitor centre of the school that teaches children on remote stations by radio and, today, over the internet.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Katherine has several full-service caravan parks; quiet and close to the Katherine Hot Springs is Riverview Tourist Village on the Victoria Highway, with powered sites, amenities and a pool. Book ahead in the dry season. If you are continuing to Nitmiluk or Kakadu, you will find the campgrounds there in the Top End guide.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The town of Katherine prohibits camping and sleeping in vehicles on public land. Rest areas on the highway between Mataranka and Katherine can be used for one night if there is no prohibition sign.
- Insider tip for campers
- Before returning the camper or driving on, empty its tanks at a caravan park, clear insects from the grille and fly screens and check the tyres for damage. Katherine has large supermarkets and several fuel stations, some open around the clock.
Camping practice & local rules
Wild camping & overnight parking
- There is no general right to free camp in the Northern Territory. Many rest areas on the Stuart Highway (such as Bonney Well south of Tennant Creek) may be used for one night as long as there is no prohibition sign; the signage on site is what counts. Truck bays are reserved for road trains.
- In Alice Springs and Katherine, camping and sleeping in vehicles on public land are prohibited; there, as in Tennant Creek, use caravan parks instead. Roadhouses and stations such as Aileron, Wauchope, Banka Banka, Renner Springs, Daly Waters and Larrimah offer simple, mostly inexpensive sites.
- In NT parks and reserves (Karlu Karlu, Elsey), camp only at designated campgrounds; sites are booked and paid for online in advance. Visitors from other states and from overseas also need the NT Parks Visitor Pass, which is only available online and is not valid for Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa or Kakadu.
- Large parts of the region are Aboriginal land. The Stuart Highway and its rest areas are public, but side roads in communities and on station land are not: for Aboriginal land you need a permit from the relevant Land Council. Do not enter sacred sites, and respect photography and drone bans.
- Apps: WikiCamps and CamperMate for rest areas, campgrounds, water and dump points with user reports; roadreport.nt.gov.au for road closures and flooding; check NT authorities' fire bans before every campfire.
Waste disposal & supplies
- Dump points: at the caravan parks in Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and Katherine and at larger roadhouse sites; no disposal at rest areas or at Karlu Karlu campground. Empty the cassette in Tennant Creek before the long stages north begin.
- Water: Karlu Karlu has no drinking water, and many rest areas have none either, or only untreated water. Water is available at roadhouses and station campgrounds; ask about drinking-water quality in each case. In the heat, allow 5–7 litres per person per day and carry at least 20 litres in reserve.
- Gas: Australian LPG bottles today mostly have an LCC27 valve, older ones a POL fitting; European bottles are not refilled. Swaps or refills are reliably available in Alice Springs, Tennant Creek (caravan park with gas refills, LPG at the Outback Caravan Park) and Katherine, but not reliably along the way.
- Fuel: fuel stations are usually 60–120 km apart (Aileron, Ti Tree, Barrow Creek, Wauchope, Threeways, Tennant Creek, Renner Springs, Elliott, Daly Waters, Mataranka, Katherine; Larrimah and Dunmarra not reliable), but roadhouses close in the evening. Around-the-clock fuel was most recently available at only a few stations, such as Ti Tree, Tennant Creek, Renner Springs (self-service pump), Elliott, the Daly Waters Hi-Way Inn, Mataranka and Katherine. Wycliffe Well is closed. Take every opportunity, and never drive on with less than half a tank.
Vehicle size & traffic rules
- Driving on the left: overtake on the right, roundabouts are driven clockwise, traffic already on the roundabout has right of way; indicate left when exiting. After breaks at roadhouses, take particular care to pull out on the correct side of the road.
- Speed: usually 50 km/h in built-up areas, 110 km/h outside, 130 km/h only on signposted sections of the Stuart Highway. In a camper, 90–100 km/h makes sense – it saves a lot of diesel, and crosswinds from road trains are easier to handle. There are no toll roads in the Northern Territory. Blood alcohol limit 0.05, mobile phone only in a cradle.
- Road trains up to a good 50 m long with three or four trailers: overtake only on very long, clear straights; an oncoming or overtaking road train creates a strong draught – hold the steering wheel firmly and ease off slightly. Let them pass on gravel shoulders and watch out for flying stones.
- Animals: cattle on open, unfenced grazing land, kangaroos, wallabies, horses and donkeys cross mainly at dusk and at night; birds of prey sit on carcasses on the road. Do not drive at dusk or at night – many rental contracts exclude night driving outside towns and animal damage anyway.
- Rental campervans: unsealed roads (such as access roads to wartime sites or station tracks) are usually excluded, and insurance cover does not apply there. A foreign driving licence that is not in English requires an International Driving Permit or a recognised translation.
- Heat and wet season: from October to March, 40 °C and more is not unusual in the Centre; check coolant, tyre pressure and air conditioning, drive early, and stay with the vehicle if you break down. In the wet season (roughly November to April), floodways can close the highway north of Tennant Creek for hours or days; never drive through flooded roads, and check road conditions on roadreport.nt.gov.au.
- Crocodiles: in the north, from about Daly Waters and Mataranka onwards, saltwater crocodiles may live in rivers, billabongs and waterholes. Swim only at explicitly approved spots and take warning signs seriously; keep away from the water's edge and leave no food scraps by the water.
CampingSpirit packing & preparation checklist
- Satellite messenger or personal locator beacon (PLB): there is no reliable mobile reception on long sections or at Banka Banka.
- Two 20-litre water jerry cans – Karlu Karlu and many rest areas have no drinking water, and consumption doubles in the heat.
- Head torch with red light for the starry sky over Karlu Karlu, without dazzling other campers.
- Head fly net and fly screens for door and windows: bush flies by day, mosquitoes in the evening in the north.
- Reflective sunshades for the windscreen and a 12 V fan for nights without power.
- Small cool box as a second fridge, so food from Tennant Creek lasts until Katherine.
As of 2026-10. Closures, fees and booking rules change: check official sources before you go.
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