Camper Van and 4WD for Alice Springs area

by David
(Paris)

The Mereenie Loop Road (Alice Springs area)

I will be coming with my family in August to visit the area around Alice Springs, and we have allocated about 6 days for this area. We are thinking of renting a campervan, and I was wondering if we would need to specify a 4WD van to be able to drive on some of the dirt tracks in the area.

Most campervans seem to be 2WD. If we could only get a 2WD campervan, would this greatly restrict where we could realistically visit in 6 days?

Also, are there any problems camping out in that time of year? I guess it must get cold at night.

If possible I would like to hire a van at Ayers Rock Airport and drop it off at Alice Springs airport. Would that be possible?

Final question. Although I can find general itineraries and ideas for touring in the area, is there somewhere where I can find detailed itineraries which indicate a choice of "ideal" tours in the area, mentioning good places to camp, etc?

Thanks in advance and keep up the good work.

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Camper Van and 4WD for Alice Springs area

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by: Birgit

Hi David,
Well, if you take a 2WD or a 4WD depends very much on what exactly you want to do. Any dirt roads require a 4WD. You are not allowed to take 2WD vehicles on unsealed roads.

So if you plan to drive from Kings Canyon to the West MacDonnell Ranges on the Mereenie Loop Road, you'd need a 4WD. In a 2WD you'd have to make a big detour. You would also need a 4WD for places like Palm Valley, Chambers Pillar, and some places in the East MacDonnell Ranges.

But 6 days is not a lot of time, and there are many places in the Alice Springs area that you can access with a 2WD. Even with only a 2WD you could certainly do a lot in those 6 days. The only draw back would be the big detour to get from Uluru/Kings Canyon to the West MacDonnells.

Here is a map of the area that shows where everything is, which roads are sealed and which aren't.

For itineraries you could do a web search for Alice Springs tours or Ayers Rock tours, and see what the tour operators are doing. That usually gives a good idea of what's possible and makes sense to fit into one day. The NT Tourism bureau also has some suggestions on their site, here.

You'd have to first decide if you go by 2WD or 4WD, and what places you'd like to see, before anyone can tell you much about an itinerary.

Have a read through the information that's available here for the attractions in Alice Springs.

Also have a look at the reader questions on the Ayers Rock page. There were a couple of questions where we discussed itineraries for that area. You may find those helpful:
Alice Springs to Ayers Rock - 5 1/2 days
Planning Outback trip to Red Centre

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Submitted by: Birgit

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Hi David, Well, if you take a 2WD or a 4WD depends very much on what exactly you want to do. Any dirt roads require a 4WD. You are not allowed to take 2WD vehicles on unsealed roads. So if you plan to drive from Kings Canyon to the <a href="http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/west-macdonnell-ranges.html">West MacDonnell Ranges</a> on the <a href="http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/mereenie-loop-road.html">Mereenie Loop Road</a>, you'd need a 4WD. In a 2WD you'd have to make a big detour. You would also need a 4WD for places like Palm Valley, <a href="http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/chambers-pillar.html">Chambers Pillar</a>, and some places in the <a href="http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/east-macdonnell-ranges.html">East MacDonnell Ranges</a>. But 6 days is not a lot of time, and there are many places in the Alice Springs area that you can access with a 2WD. Even with only a 2WD you could certainly do a lot in those 6 days. The only draw back would be the big detour to get from <a href="http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/ayers-rock-australia.html">Uluru</a>/Kings Canyon to the West MacDonnells. Here is a <a href="http://en.travelnt.com/advice/maps/alice-springs-to-uluru-ayers-rock.aspx" target="_blank">map of the area</a> that shows where everything is, which roads are sealed and which aren't. For itineraries you could do a web search for Alice Springs tours or Ayers Rock tours, and see what the tour operators are doing. That usually gives a good idea of what's possible and makes sense to fit into one day. The NT Tourism bureau also has some suggestions on their site, <a href="http://en.travelnt.com/advice/itinerary-ideas/alice-springs-7-days.aspx" target="_blank">here</a>. You'd have to first decide if you go by 2WD or 4WD, and what places you'd like to see, before anyone can tell you much about an itinerary. Have a read through the information that's available here for the <a href="http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/attractions-in-alice-springs.html">attractions in Alice Springs</a>. Also have a look at the reader questions on the Ayers Rock page. There were a couple of questions where we discussed itineraries for that area. You may find those helpful: <a href="http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/alice-springs-to-ayers-rock-5-12-days.html">Alice Springs to Ayers Rock - 5 1/2 days</a> <a href="http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/planning-outback-trip-to-red-centre.html">Planning Outback trip to Red Centre</a>

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by: Birgit

(The stupid software only lets me enter a limited number of words, so here is the rest...)

If you stick to your plan of arriving at Ayers Rock and leaving from Alice Springs, you would spend a night or two at Ayers Rock, one at Kings Canyon, then one or two somewhere in the West MacDonnells. Then you could go for a dash into the East Macs or you take it easy and see more of Alice Springs.

You will need to talk to the individual hire companies to find out what they can do for a one way hire from Ayers Rock to Alice Springs. I'm also not sure you can get a camper at the airport. I would consider driving from Alice to Alice, but see what you can find.

There are no problems with camping out at any time of the year, but you will need warm clothes and a good sleeping bag. It will get very cold. The lowest night temperatures will on average be around 5°C, but they can also drop below zero!

Hope that helps! (Thanks also for your kind words about my website. I didn't publish them, but I certainly appreciated them!)

Ernest Giles Road
by: Spannerman8

Having just done some of what you suggest, my advice would be, whether 2WD or 4WD, stay away from the Ernest Giles Road, it is very poorly maintained (if at all) and is a nightmare to drive on. I had a 4WD Toyota Land Cruiser Campervan which was awesome. 4WD is a must for the Mereenie Loop. Campgrounds are great value apart from which, it is simple to camp "off road" as there is just a tad of space in The Outback :-)

2WD or 4WD
by: Anonymous

It is not correct that 2WD vehicles are not allowed on unsealed roads in the NT. Just as many 2WD vehicles as 4WD vehicles travel these roads every day. In any vehicle common sense is needed.

Car Hire
by: Birgit

My post was not a general statement, it was an answer to the original poster's question. Please re-read the original question. David is hiring a car. No hire company allows you to take 2WD vehicles on unsealed roads.