Adelaide to Uluru via Coober Pedy

How far is it from Adelaide to Uluru via Coober Pedy?

About 1,600 km: about 850 km from Adelaide to Coober Pedy, then about 750 km to Yulara, the town next to Uluru. All of it is sealed.

The District Council of Coober Pedy puts the town about 850 km from Adelaide, via Port Wakefield, the Augusta Highway to Port Augusta and the Stuart Highway, which is sealed all the way to Darwin. North of Coober Pedy you stay on the Stuart Highway into the Northern Territory and turn west at Erldunda onto the Lasseter Highway for the last stretch to Yulara. The table splits the road into its natural legs. Distances are rounded; the Coober Pedy to Uluru leg alone is about 8 hours of driving.

What does the 7-day Adelaide to Uluru tour do each day?

Two days in the Flinders Ranges, Coober Pedy on day three, the Breakaways and the drive to Kings Canyon on day four, then Kings Canyon, Uluru and Kata Tjuta to finish.

This is the itinerary of the 7-day camping tour from Adelaide, the top-rated trip on the route. The southbound version runs the same road in reverse from Yulara.

Adelaide to Uluru in seven days with a guide at the wheel: the Flinders Ranges, a night underground in Coober Pedy, Kings Canyon and Uluru, park fees included. Free cancellation up to 7 days before.

★ 4.9 · 7 days · from $1,258

Explore the 7-day camping trip from Adelaide → Tour details

What do you see in the Flinders Ranges on the way to Coober Pedy?

Wirrabara's silo art, the Arkaroo Rock walk with Adnyamathanha rock art, Wilpena Pound from Wangara Lookout, Hawker and Warren Gorge's yellow-footed rock wallabies.

The tour leaves Adelaide before sunrise and heads north through farming country to Wirrabara, where the grain silos are painted. In Adnyamathanha Country you hike to Arkaroo Rock, with its ancient rock art and the stories of Akurra, the giant serpent, then camp at Ikara Wilpena Pound. Day two climbs to Wangara Lookout for the view over the Pound, stops in Hawker for lunch and the Jeff Morgan Gallery, and ends in Warren Gorge, where rare yellow-footed rock wallabies live on the cliffs.

These are the two days that make the trip more than a long drive. If the ranges matter more to you than the outback, the 3-day Flinders Ranges 4WD tour spends all its time there with rooms, but it does not continue to Coober Pedy.

What happens on the Coober Pedy day of the trip?

Day three is the long drive north past Lake Hart's salt flats to Coober Pedy, with Old Timers Mine, noodling and a night underground.

North of Port Augusta the country flattens fast. Lake Hart, about 40 km past Pimba, is a white salt lake right beside the Stuart Highway and the tour's photo stop. After Glendambo comes the longest stretch without services on the whole road, about 250 km to Coober Pedy. In town you visit Old Timers Mine, a 1916 opal mine with dugout homes and opal seams in the walls, and try noodling in the mullock. The night is in a 5-share dorm underground at Radeka Downunder.

Next morning the route passes the Dingo Fence and runs through the Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park, about 25 km north of town, where flat-topped mesas rise out of the gibber plain. Our Breakaways guide has the full story.

How long is the drive from Coober Pedy to Kings Canyon and Uluru?

Coober Pedy to Yulara is about 750 km. The tour goes to Kings Creek Station near Kings Canyon first, which makes day four the longest drive of the trip.

Day four crosses into the Northern Territory and runs up to Kings Creek Station, with time for the pool before dinner. Day five starts early with the Kings Canyon Rim Walk, a 6 km circuit along sandstone cliffs, then drives to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park for the Cultural Centre, where you learn about Aṉangu culture, and sunset at Uluru. Day six walks Walpa Gorge at Kata Tjuta and leaves the afternoon free. Day seven is sunrise at Uluru and a guided Base Walk, with the tour ending in Yulara late morning.

Expect long days in the vehicle on days three and four. The guiding fills them, and guests mention it more than the distance: "our guide Dan knows a lot about Australia and its original inhabitants/owners" (Iris, Feb 2025).

Where are the fuel stops between Adelaide and Uluru?

Port Augusta, Glendambo, Coober Pedy, Cadney Homestead, Marla, Kulgera and Erldunda. The longest gap is Glendambo to Coober Pedy, about 250 km.

The council names Cadney Homestead and Marla as the fuel stops north of town. Fill up at every chance and do not plan to arrive at a roadhouse after dark. The distances below are approximate and taken from road guides; roadhouse hours and fuel types can change, so check before you set off.

Can you self-drive from Adelaide to Uluru via Coober Pedy?

Yes. The road is sealed all the way, and three to four days is the minimum. Outback dirt roads off the highway change fast after rain, so check the South Australian outback road reports first.

Driving it yourself gives you more time in Coober Pedy and lets you add the Saturday Painted Desert day tour from town. It also means long days at the wheel before any side trips, and long, empty stretches where kangaroos and cattle wander onto the road at dawn and dusk. Carry water, food and a phone charger, and tell someone your plan for each day.

Heat is the other factor. Coober Pedy's January mean maximum is 36.7°C and the town recorded 48.3°C on 30 January 2026, per Bureau of Meteorology figures. From April or May to September the days are mild and the nights cold, which is when most people drive it.

Driving yourself? Spend a Saturday on the Moon Plain and in the Painted Desert with the outback mail man, picnic lunch included, four guests at most.

★ 4.4 · 10 hours · from $225

Explore the Painted Desert day tour → Tour details

Is a tour or self-drive better from Adelaide to Uluru?

Take a tour if you want the walks, the stories and no long solo drives. Self-drive if you want more than one night in Coober Pedy or travel with young children.

The tours pack in the Arkaroo Rock and Kings Canyon walks, a guide who knows the country and its people, park fees and every night's bed, with nobody stuck driving. The camping trips are 12+ and need moderate fitness, with walks of 3 to 12 km on some days. If you want a bed every night, the Explorer's Way tour runs Adelaide to Alice Springs with rooms, an underground motel night in Coober Pedy, Old Timers Mine and Josephine's Gallery, but meals are not included.

One more route note: the 2-day Uluru camping tour from Alice Springs covers only the far end and does not go to Coober Pedy. It fits if you drive the south half and fly out of the Red Centre. For every tour on the road side by side, see our Coober Pedy tours from Adelaide guide.

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