Planning a Melbourne to Darwin road trip is the beginning of your exciting adventure. With over 3,100 kilometres separating them, it’s a trip of a lifetime. You’ll want at least a month if not longer to enjoy all the stops in between. When planning your trip, you’ll also be looking for the best campervan hire in Australia. There are lots of options. Be sure to choose one that has unlimited mileage and other perks.
The first thing is to decide how you’ll get from one end of the country to the other. The route most generally taken for this campervan trip is through the middle of the country. In this guide, you’ll find a list of the best stops you must see along your adventure.
Melbourne to Port Augusta
Stop 1 & 2
Approx drive time: 11 hours 15 minutes
Distance: 1,020 km
The first stop on your campervan trip out of Melbourne is at the head of the Gulf. Port Augusta is well-known for its beautiful backdrop and has long been a port. Some sites worth seeing during your trip include:
Homestead Park Pioneer Museum: This attraction is a railway and farming museum and park. One of the most unique things to see is the 130-year-old Yudnapinna Homestead which was moved to the site and is the only log cabin in South Australia.
McLennan Lookout: This marks the spot where Matthew Flinders landed in 1802. Enjoy spectacular views of the Gulf here.
Water Tower Lookout: You’ll find this lookout across the bridge. From here, you can see the Gulf and the city centre.
Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden: Where the desert meets the port, you’ll find this lush site. It’s a great representation of the diversity of flora in the desert. You will also find that the spot has scenic vistas of Flinders Ranges.
Port Augusta to Coober Pedy
Stop 3 & 4
Approx drive time: 5 hours 30 minutes
Distance:Â 542 km
Off the Stuart Highway and well into the desert, you’ll find Coober Pedy, the opal capital of the world. This area faces extreme heat most of the time, so much of it is underground. Explore underground houses, churches, cafés, and hotels. Take time to check out the backdrop and its amazing colours.
Coober Pedy to Uluru
Stop 5
Approx drive time: 8 hours 15 minutes
Distance:Â 755 km
Keep heading north on your campervan trip until you reach Uluru (Ayers Rock). This massive sandstone monolith sits at the heart of the Northern Territory. It’s sacred to indigenous Australians and is thought to be over 550 million years old. You’ll find it and other red-rock domes within the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. It’s both a dramatic and humbling experience to see it up close.
Uluru to Kings Canyon
Stop 6
Approx drive time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Distance:Â 321 km
Kings Canyon towers above, and the most breathtaking sunrise you may ever see is watching the sunrise from there. It’s part of the Watarrka National Park, which covers 71,000 hectares. Within this wonderland, there are 600 species of native plants. Sign up for one of the many walks in the park to learn and explore.
Kings Canyon to Alice Springs
Stop 7
Approx drive time: 6 hours
Distance:Â 469 km
If you are an animal lover, stop in at the Kangaroo Sanctuary. Orphaned joeys grow up here under the guidance of Kangaroo Dundee.
Alice Springs to Lake Woods
Stop 8
Approx drive time: 8 hours 30 minutes
Distance:Â 681 km
Lake Woods to Broome
Stop 9
Approx drive time: 23 hours 30 minutes
Distance: 2,097 km
It’s time to get back to the coast on your Australia campervan road trip. Broome is found on the edge of the continent and has both Aboriginal and Asian influences. It’s a dichotomy with red earth meeting the Coral Sea. Here you can see dinosaur footprints on ancient rocks, learn about the pearls found here, and take a drive through the untamed wilderness of Kimberley. Run around the beaches and enjoy the typically warm days.
Broome to Kununurra
Stop 10
Approx drive time: 11 hours 15 minutes
Distance:Â 1,044Â km
Coming out from the Kimberley, you’ll reach Kununurra, where you’ll find lakes, rivers, and waterfalls. Explore some beautiful, natural attractions including the World Heritage-listed Purnululu National Park. Take a guided walking tour with an Aboriginal guide to learn more about the history and traditions of the area.
Kununurra to Kakadu National Park
Stop 11
Approx drive time: 8 hours 15 minutes
Distance:Â 662 km
At your last stop before Darwin, spend a few days in Australia’s largest national park. You’ll experience a lush rainforest and be able to see rock art galleries from over 20,000 years ago. Learn more about Aboriginal culture and take in the astounding waterfalls. Get your view on with a hike to the rugged escarpments. Then take a cruise of the wetlands where large water lilies are abundant.
Explore other popular road trips around Melbourne
Check out some of our other popular road trips from Melbourne.
- See Our Melbourne to Canberra Road Trip Itinerary
- See Our Melbourne to Perth Road Trip Itinerary
- See Our Melbourne to Cairns Road Trip Itinerary
- See Our Melbourne to Sydney Country Side Road Trip Itinerary
- See Our Melbourne to Brisbane Road Trip Itinerary
- See Our Melbourne to Adelaide Road Trip Itinerary
Looking for more? Check out other Melbourne road trips. Find a huge range of different routes and road trip itineraries across Australia.
Get the cheapest rates on Campervan hire in Melbourne for your next road trip
Ready to roll out from Melbourne? Getting cheap campervan hire in Melbourne sorted ahead of time helps you stay on budget while enjoying the ride.
FAQs about Melbourne to Darwin road trip
The trip from Melbourne to Darwin with a stop in Broome along the way is a long one, 7690 km to be exact. By car, this will take you between 80 to 95 hours to drive. Because of the sure length of this journey, we suggest taking a month’s long road trip, stopping at the stunning towns along the way and experiencing Australia to its fullest.
Between Melbourne and Darwin, there are loads of places to stop. Port Augusta offers some wonderful stops like McLennan Lookout or the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden.
Further along, you can experience the unique underground homes, cafes and restaurants in Coober Pedy, the world’s opal capital. Checking out Ayers Rock in Uluru is also a sight to behold. A sunset here is remarkable! Kununurra offers some amazing lakes, waterfalls, and rivers. There’s literally something for everyone along this long trip.
Yes, you can pick up your campervan in Melbourne, drive it to Darwin and drop it off at our facility there.
Along the route, you’ll come across some wonderful free camping areas for those who’d prefer to free camp. Here are some guides to free camping areas near Melbourne, Ballarat, Coober Pedy, and Darwin.
Taking a trip from Melbourne to Darwin would be best between May and September. Up North, this is the dry season, meaning there’s less rain, allowing you to enjoy the outdoors more without limiting what you’re able to do.
Reserving your campervan ahead of time is a wise decision! You’ll likely snag better rates during off-peak seasons, plus you’ll feel more at ease knowing your van is secured. This allows you to focus on planning the exciting details of your trip without any added stress. Enjoy your adventure!
You’ll probably run into a toll or two leaving Melbourne, CityLink’s the usual suspect, but after that, it’s a long stretch north with no tolls at all. Once you’re in the outback and heading up through the Northern Territory, every road you take will be free to drive.
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