G'Day Backpacker Jobs — Backpacker & Casual Work Australia

All road trips

SA, NT

Adelaide to Darwin — Stuart Highway & Red Centre

Australia’s north–south backbone, from South Australia into the tropical Top End.

Build a day-by-day driving plan

Suggested days
18 suggested days · 12 as a shorter start
Vehicle
2WD on suitable sealed routes

Stops, in order

  1. 1Adelaide
  2. 2Port Augusta
  3. 3Coober Pedy
  4. 4Marla
  5. 5Erldunda
  6. 6Yulara
  7. 7Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
  8. 8Kings Canyon
  9. 9Alice Springs
  10. 10Tennant Creek
  11. 11Daly Waters
  12. 12Mataranka
  13. 13Katherine
  14. 14Darwin

No driving time or distance is shown. A straight line on a map would be wrong for ferries, the Gulf, Cape York and the Kimberley.

Day by day

  1. Days 1–3

    Adelaide → Port Augusta

    Adelaide: city food precincts and nearby hills; Port Augusta: crossroads of the Eyre and Stuart highways.

    Suggested overnight: Port Augusta

  2. Days 4–6

    Coober Pedy → Marla

    Coober Pedy: underground opal town; Marla: Stuart Highway service stop.

    Suggested overnight: Marla

  3. Days 7–9

    Erldunda → Yulara

    Erldunda: remote highway junction; Yulara: Uluru resort base.

    Suggested overnight: Yulara

  4. Days 10–12

    Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park → Kings Canyon

    Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park: Uluru and Kata Tjuta with cultural protocols; Kings Canyon: towering canyon with demanding rim-walk options.

    Suggested overnight: Kings Canyon

  5. Days 13–14

    Alice Springs → Tennant Creek

    Alice Springs: Central Australian art, heritage and desert walks; Tennant Creek: Barkly heritage and overnight facilities.

    Suggested overnight: Tennant Creek

  6. Days 15–16

    Daly Waters → Mataranka

    Daly Waters: historic outback pub stop; Mataranka: thermal pools where access permits.

    Suggested overnight: Mataranka

  7. Days 17–18

    Katherine → Darwin

    Katherine: river country and Nitmiluk access; Darwin: waterfront, markets and Top End culture.

    Suggested overnight: Darwin

Things to do

Coober Pedy underground tour; Uluru cultural experience; Nitmiluk cruise.

Ideas only. There is no booking button, price or tour link until a real product is approved.

Find work near this route

These towns are editorial hubs. A regional town is not automatically 88-day eligible. That depends on your visa, the work, the postcode and current Home Affairs rules.

Each link opens the live job board. If nothing is listed, that search is empty. It is not a hidden vacancy.

Producer names from the directory

Matched by town name in the source file. Not checked as nearby by road, and not known to be hiring.

  • Singing Magpie Produce (Riverland, SA)
  • KOLOPHON Capers (Riverland, SA)
  • Frahn Fruits Riverland (Wonuarra / Paringa, Riverland, SA).

Open the farm directory — a list of places, not job ads. Sign in to view it.

Road, ferry and access

  • Uluru/Kings Canyon require meaningful side-trip time off the Stuart Highway.

Specified work rules: subclass 417 and subclass 462. This page is a travel guide, not migration advice.