Stuart Highway — Darwin to Alice Springs OutbackCrossing.

Distance

1,500 km

Duration

3 days

Climb

600 m

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Curated by Rider · Updated Jun 2026

Overview

Stuart Highway — Darwin to Alice Springs Outback Crossing.

The classic Top End to Red Centre crossing — 1,500km of Stuart Highway through the heart of the Australian outback. From Darwin tropical wetlands south through Mataranka thermal pools, the iconic Daly Waters Pub, the alien Devils Marbles, across the Tropic of Capricorn, and into Alice Springs at the foot of the MacDonnell Ranges. Long fuel gaps, road trains thundering past, and skies that go forever. Best ridden May–September (dry season).

Quick facts

SurfacePaved

Distance1,500 km

Days3

Total climb600 m

Fuel stops1 along route

DifficultyExpert

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Day-by-day

3 days, 3 moods.

A suggested split across 3 days with 10 waypoints to discover along the way.

DAY 01

Darwin → Katherine

3 stops

DarwinStart · Start in Darwin, capital of the Northern Territory. Fill up, check tyres, carry water. Stuart Highway begins here — 2,720km to Adelaide.

Adelaide RiverScenic Point · Small WWII town with a famous war cemetery. The pub here is where the buffalo from Crocodile Dundee was filmed.

KatherineOvernight · Overnight in Katherine. Visit Katherine Gorge (Nitmiluk) at dawn before continuing south. Last big-town services for 670km.

DAY 02

Mataranka Thermal Pools → Tennant Creek

3 stops

Mataranka Thermal PoolsScenic Point · 34°C crystal-clear thermal pool fringed by palms. Worth the early stop and a quick swim before the long highway day.

Daly Waters PubRestaurant · Australia's most iconic outback pub. Drovers' hats, banknotes, and bras stapled to every surface since 1893. Beef and barra burger lunch.

Tennant CreekOvernight · Overnight in Tennant Creek, a frontier mining town. Battery Hill goldmine tours run in the morning. Fuel up — next stretch is remote.

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DAY 03

Devils Marbles (Karlu Karlu) → Alice Springs

4 stops

Devils Marbles (Karlu Karlu)Photo Spot · Granite boulders the size of houses balanced impossibly on each other. Sacred Aboriginal site (Karlu Karlu). Best in the low-angle morning light.

Wycliffe WellFuel Stop · Self-proclaimed UFO capital of Australia. Quirky roadhouse with alien sculptures. Last fuel stop for 200km — top up.

Tropic of Capricorn MarkerScenic Point · Stuart Highway crosses 23°26.5'S — the Tropic of Capricorn. Pull over at the marker for the obligatory photo. The desert horizon goes 360°.

Alice SpringsEnd · End in Alice Springs at the foot of the MacDonnell Ranges. Cold beer at Bojangles or the Todd Tavern. Uluru is another 450km southwest if you have a 4th day.