Alice Springs to Sydney Road Trip

A friend you was spending time away found himself settled into life in Alice Springs for a few month, enjoying the surrounds and taking hundreds of photos to add to his portfolio. Just prior to his return to Sydney he rang me to let me know he was on his way back and I decided to join him on that long journey back to Sydney.

I booked the first flight out of Sydney to Alice Springs where he picked me up at the Airport, and took me to Lasseter’s Resort for the night. Lter that day, the sightseeing began, before leaving the next day for the long journey back to Sydney.

Photographed using

Distance: 3386kms

Start: 11/01/2015

Finish: 22/01/2015

Alice Springs is built around the Todd River, a river that is dry as a bone throughout the year. The wet season however can bring serious rain falls, filling the Todd River to over flowing. I was fortunate to arrive in Alice Springs to a cool 21 degrees Celsius, and the Todd River peaking.

Later that day, we headed out of town to visit Simpson Gap, on the way we went through roads that were turned into rivers as the heavy rain made every dry creek and river into a raging torrent.

Simpsons Gap which is normally dry, was also over flowing with water, so it was quite a privilege to see this area in these conditions. Most see this area in its normal dry state.

Wet Roads in Northern Territory

Simpsons Gap

The following day, we hit the road and headed toward Kings Canyon. We had a delivery to make to a medical officer in the Kings Canyon medical centre, so we headed straight there on arrival in Kings Canyon.

We were very kindly offered a house to stay in for the night and all agreed to trek into Kings Canyon at 5AM the next morning, with our Medical Officer guiding our way. This allowed us to beat the crowds and to see this magical place as the sun rises.

The trek in from the Kings Canyon car park into the main viewing area took us about an hour, using only moonlight and the small lights mounted on our heads. It was quite an effort but one that was totally worth it.

Sunrise on Kings Canyon

Kings Canyon Pond

Kings Canyon From Afar

Kings Canyon Sunrise

The next day we headed for the rock, Uluru. Nothing quite prepares you for the arrival, particularly on a perfectly clear day like the one we enjoyed. The rock almost looks painted onto the blue sky, very surreal.

After paying for entry, we drove around the rock which is about 11kms and there are plenty of opportunities to stop and take photos as the ‘rock’ looks different from every angle. You can also hire push bikes if you are keen, but without camera gear, this was not an option!

Be warned however, the visitor centre that does have food and drinks available, was closed when we were there at around 1PM so we were rather thirsty for the day having no drinks with us.

Uluru Blue Sky

Uluru (Ayers Rock)

After our day photographing Uluru, we headed out to Kata Tjuṯa (The Olgas) where we planned to setup the cameras on tripods, and cook dinner. On the way into the main car park, we had wild camels crossing the road, and the further we went, the larger Kata Tjuta looked. It is in fact larger than Uluru!

While cooking dinner under one of the provided shelters, with the sun dropping, we took photos about every five minutes, and ended up with many images of Kata Tjuta in a wide variety of colours as it changed constantly with each passing minute. We did not have the time to explore around Kata Tjuta, but that simply means I need to go back!

Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) Golden Hour

Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) at near darkness

After camping on the side of the road for the night, we made our way over the next few days through Coober Pedy, Adelaide and onto Mount Gambier. Our ultimate goal at this point was the Great Ocean Road. I had been there years before, but was keen to see it all again.

The great Ocean Road is a must see, and it rarely disappoints, although the over cast weather was not conducive to great images, it is still none the less a magnificent place to see.

We then spent the next few days driving back to Sydney, ending what was an amazing road trip.

Loch Ard Gorge

The Razorback

Loch Ard Gorge

South Australia Coastal Flora