Alice Springs · Northern Territory
Alice Springs: The Red Centre, where the distances are the point
Alice Springs is the last ordinary town in the Red Centre: supermarket, mechanic, hardware, a full tank. West and south of it the country turns to ranges, mulga and red sand, so the first question on collection day is how much water and fuel the vehicle can carry.
The distances are the point. Uluru is 465 km away by road, and the country between the stops is not empty. Treat the driving as the trip rather than the interval between attractions.
Where this depot puts you
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Uluru-Kata Tjuta
The road south is sealed the whole way, down the Stuart Highway and along the Lasseter, so a two-wheel-drive will do it. Buy the park pass before you arrive, and walk early: in summer the park advises against walking after 11am, and heat rather than crowds sets the shape of the day.
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Kings Canyon and the Mereenie Loop
The canyon can be reached on sealed road the whole way, down the Stuart, along the Lasseter and up the Luritja Road, or by the Red Centre Way through the West MacDonnells, which includes the unsealed Mereenie Loop and needs a Central Land Council pass bought in person. Expect corrugations, bulldust and a rim walk that must start before 9am when 36°C is forecast.
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The West MacDonnell Ranges
Tjoritja runs west of town along Larapinta and Namatjira Drives, the easiest big country to reach from Alice. Simpsons Gap, Standley Chasm, Ellery Creek Big Hole, Ormiston Gorge and Glen Helen are strung along it, with permanent waterholes that stay cold even in February and the Larapinta Trail crossing the ridges above.
Worth knowing before you book
- Carry water for the whole party, not just for walks; the parks service works on a litre per person per hour on foot.
- Fill the tank at every stop and never assume the next one is open.
- In summer, drive at dawn: walks close early and a midday breakdown is a different problem.
- Unsealed roads are set by the rental agreement, not the map, so read the terms before you book.
What you can drive
Every depot is stocked from the same national fleet — campervans, 4WD campers and a five-seat car. What is actually available on your dates is confirmed by the search, not assumed from a list.
The full fleet, with specifications · All pickup locations
Hervey Bay has no depot of its own, and the locations page sets out which cities do.
Keep planning
The rest of this site is about the Fraser Coast — the drive up from Brisbane, getting onto K'gari and when the whales are in the bay. There are 11 guides.