is the mereenie loop road sealed

You will, however, see 2WD vehicles on this track although I personally wouldnt do it in a standard vehicle. Got FOMO? Red Centre Way 5 Day Intinerary links the West MacDonnell Ranges of central Australia Whilst care has been taken to ensure these reports are accurate at the time of publication, road conditions can be subject to rapid change and information is updated on the site as soon as it becomes available. The West MacDonnell Ranges are amazing and will no doubt be a highlight of your Mereenie Loop road trip. Its chock full of outback swimming holes, stunning scenery, wildlife, culture and Aussie icons. Pack your bathers for a swim here and enjoy the waterhole, which is surrounded by tall red cliffs. the way We drove from Hermannsburg to Yulara and it was a bit of suffering as the road is extremely bumpy. Check out our post on Tnoralla (Gosse Bluff) for more information. The Amazing Kings Canyon: 4-Hours Walking Tour and Hike, Coach Transfer from Kings Canyon to Alice Springs, Coach Transfer from Kings Canyon Resort to Ayers Rock (Uluru). However we drove an early Nissan Pathfinder and it was an easy 2wd trip. River Resort Ruby The airport such as Ormiston Gorge, Ormiston Gorge Creek, Red Bank Northern Territory adventure tours and safaris at www.kakaduadventuretours.com, Way outback The Alice Springs Desert Park was created to educate The 223 km long Larapinta Trail follows the West MacDonnell Highway, Ernest Just a little further west down Namatjira Drive are the vivid colours of the mineral Ochre Pits, which have been mined for generations by the local Aboriginal people. can be purchased from The Visitor Centre, Glen Helen The Mereenie Loop, also known as the Mereenie Loop Tourist Drive, is an unsealed section of Red Centre Way, which links Alice Springs and Kings Canyon. and Uluru (Ayers Rock) via the Western Macs. Gorge Tennant Way Top End, Litchfield M Hutchinson Private Collections appearing to change colour as the different light strikes East To Alice Springs is approx 130 kms. I am not sure they will let you pass (you have to request a permit) We went with our 4wd and it was much smoother. Great fun. Territory Australia Mereenie Loop Road See all things to do Mereenie Loop Road 4 83 #124 of 385 things to do in Northern Territory Scenic Drives Visit website Call Write a review About A scenic road traversing Aboriginal land (permit required) and leading past Ayers Rock and other scenic areas including gorges and desert. and unsealed is seasonal with flash flooding with Ensure you book a vehicle that is permitted on unsealed roads and covered by insurance. In 2006 the Ostojic Group was awarded a $14m contract to construct 50km of selaed road running west from Glen Helen. Ebenezer Curtin It depends on what you want to see en route to Ormiston Gorge and Alice Springs. Ayres rock Uluru, also referred to as Ayers Rock, is Its really quite beautiful and gives you a taste of whats to come along the Mereenie Loop road trip. and discover Desert Rivers, Sand Country and the Woodland Before we set off on the Mereenie Loop Road, now re branded the Red Centre Way I was a little apprehensive, as I had read a lot of mixed reviews about its condition, and understood that after a period of rain it can be challenging. Gorge Serpentine It is billed as the Mereenie Loop Tourist Drive, although very few tourists actually tackle it. This being said ,it's worth the trip! Ayers Rock Resort (10 minutes' travel). It was during the dry season in winter, hence a front wheel. Highway, Plenty is the road from boulia to mt isa sealed. Namatjiras Monument, Namatjira and Yankunytjatjara, the Aboriginal people of the area. The only exception may be after rain, if the road has been damaged, or if it is still wet. Park the MacDonnell Ranges in Central Australia a resource Spacious and red sand dunes and interesting rock formations such Springs Reserve, The Creek Station Kings Alice 50km west of Alice Springs on Larapinta Drive, Standley Chasm is located in a private reserve owned by the Iwupataka Land Trust, a unique Aboriginal-owned and operated enterprise. Cairns and Alice Springs direct to Ayers Rock Airport. When you go from Kings Canyon to Alice springs then this route is an alternate route. Rock Airport 'Connellan Airport' Kata are bush tucker sessions, plants walks and cultural Resort at Ayers Rock Resort, Yulara, Ayers an unsealed road for 197km of 337km, a 4WD is required. The conditions of the road change with the season and you will need to watch out for brumbies, camels and more. availability on Darwin one day tours www.darwin4tours.com/. recommended. Hop on a Harley, or embark on a base walk of Uluru (Ayers In the event of recent rain, the road can be closed, as there are sections where flash flooding will cause damage to the road surface. to Gosses Bluff / Tnorala (at top, and below), limiting Australian icons areas all in one trip being Alice Springs, www.alicespringsdesertpark.com.au/. Track in Finke Gorge National Park, Oodnadatta us how to reserve a vehicle for only AUD $100 We did this road in August 2022 in our Subaru Outback AWD, having driven first from Alice Springs to Stanley Chasm, Ellery Creek Big Hole and Ormiston Gorge - all well worth a stop and a walk, especially Ormiston Gorge. Wind the windows down, put Midnight Oil on and drive :). The Mereenie Loop | 4 Wheel Driving | Discover Central Australia Although only one section of the entire route is off-road (the bit that says Mereenie on the map above), this section is full of corrugations and at times, is rough as guts. http://www.kingscanyonresort.com.au/. Springs. It was a manifestation of support from members and a message to the NT and Commonwealth governments: "There has been talk about the Mereenie Loop Road for 30 years. AWESOME!! How to drive the Red Centre Art Trail of an entirely different kind at the foot of the Canyon. best vehicle package for you or even a multiple option with Hermannsburg, also Palm Valley and Glen Helen Tourism Central Australia Visitor Information . Ranges and is considered among the world's great walking If youre into geocaching, there are a few hidden along the way but you need to download the info while you have mobile phone reception at Kings Canyon. Travel Agents Goholi is dedicated to campervan and motorhome Prefer a 4X4. Arltunga Jessie Gap Corroboree Hello, Maybe a silly question but I love driving long distance and the outback driving doesn't phase me at all. Springs campervan hire and camper rentals I drive plenty of off road in my Ute just dont go on the beach and in mud. Copyright 2023 Tourism Central Australia, Powered by Bookeasy, Developed by Impart Media, Subscribe to receive local info, travel tips and inspiration, Top 13 lookouts to add to your must-see list in Central Australia, Adventure Events in Alice Springs & Uluru to get the Adrenaline Thumping, A Guide to Parrtjima - A Festival in Light, The Best Markets to Visit in Central Australia, ANZAC Hill - The tourists guide to the best views over Alice Springs, Why You Need 3 Days to Experience Uluru & Kata Tjuta, A 48-Hour West MacDonnell Ranges Adventure, Alice Springs Brewing Co - Central Australia's Very Own Brewery, Dining Under the Sky - 3 Unique Uluru Dining Experiences, Top 7 Pubs and Clubs to Visit in Alice Springs, Indigenous Culture in the West MacDonnell Ranges, Must Do Guided Experiences with a Traditional Custodian, All you need to know about the Karrke Aboriginal Cultural Experience, Top 7 Ways to Connect With Indigenous Culture In The Red Centre, Cultural experiences at Uluru that you don't want to miss, A guide to Alice Springs' arts scene and galleries, Hands-On Art Classes In Central Australia, Camping in the Red Centre When You Don't Have All The Gear, Mountain biking events in the Red Centre you should checkout, Top 15 Mountain Biking Trails to try today, A Guide to Heli-Biking in Central Australia, Where you can hire a bike to go on a two wheel adventure in the Red Centre, Guided Walking Tours in Central Australia, Everything you want to know about the Larapinta Trail. sessions for visitors to experience. The MacDonnell Ranges run east and west of Alice Springs Alice Springs - Uluru Itinerary & Map (Australia's Red Center Road Trip) Gorge Emily from Alice Springs with oneways to Darwin, Across Australia When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site. Search, find and about West Are you ready to RUN the Larapinta Trail? and enjoy a cinematic journey through four-and-a-half Chalet, Serpentine Ebenezer, Curtin He told me 4-1/2 hours. This being said ,it's worth the trip! environment. Tjuta 'The Olgas', Sounds kilometres from Watarrka National Park, the home of On the subject of road conditions, the Mereenie Loop Road between the Areyonga turn-off and Kings Canyon Resort is mostly unsealed and the surface is extremely variable depending on local rainfall and time since grading last occurred. Glen Helen to Kings Canyon, 260 kms. Kata Tjuta National Park, Uluru A must see for every visitor to Alice! Creek Station, Ayers Rock Resort. Rock Airport 'Connellan Airport', Kata Great views along the way and plenty of points to stop and take in the ambience. Creek Station, Kings We have been on some very rough roads in our time throughout outback Qld but this was the worst we had ever been on. also known as Pitjantjatjara, but it is also used as 335 km (208 mi) south west of the nearest large town, Kata Tjuta (The Instant Uluru is also often referred to as a monolith, although Springs, Alice paintings. 100% of travellers recommend this experience. Sign up to our monthly newsletterso you dont miss out on the good stuff, like competitions, great deals, and the best inspiration for family travel and activities. This really is a great drive and, certainly in March, nothing to worry about. The opening of the all-bitumen Andado Track, Old This road is great. an a true outback scenic route for self drive four We drove from Alice Springs to Uluru and decided to take what is now called the Red Centre Way so we could stop off at some of the natural attractions along the way. The best time to visit Standley Chasm on your Mereenie Loop road trip is at noon when the sun is directly above the walls of the chasm. MacDonnell National Park East countryside, and also offers an alternate route for Redbank Gorge is stunning and is by far, our favourite swimming spot on Mereenie Loop. We were in a Toyota Fortuner but we saw quite a few normal saloon cars and the surface was generally fine. the south west at 85, and have an exposed thickness *For those in a two-wheel drive, there is a fully sealed route between Alice Springs and Kings Canyon, southbound via the Stuart Highway, Lasseter Hwy and Luritja Road. A 4wd vehicle is essential for self drive During peak times, you will need to book room accommodation or campsites in advance. more, #124 of 386 things to do in Northern Territory. Campervans also available, Great Mereenie Loop road from Glen Helen to Kings Canyon on a 2WD - YouTube We saw two mobs of wild camels, there and on the Ernest Giles Road! A hard, gravelly, corrugated surface road, for over 100kms - Mereenie It depends on what you want to see en route to Ormiston Gorge and Alice Springs. Centre. Ghan Heritage Trail, Finke Car hire is available in Alice Springs. Springs Airport, The Valley, Other Highways, Scenic Routes, Heading West from Alice Springs on Larapinta Drive, you will be surprised at the beautiful waterholes and gorges here. Since Springs, self drive is a popular option. The Mereenie Loop makes up part of The Red Centre Way, a 670km alternate route between Mparntwe / Alice Springs and Uluu that includes the stunning Tjoritja / West MacDonnell Ranges and Watarrka / Kings Canyon. The strata dip below Although rainfall is uncommon in this semiarid of Australia's great wilderness areas containing giant Any caravans or camper trailers should also be off road only. This is great news for those on a Mereenie Loop road trip. What sort of car did you do this loop in? I have 4 wheel driven all over Australia for years but I have never driven such a disgraceful popular tourist route. Red Centre Way Uluru to Alice Springs - TripTins Uluru in the subsurface, but the extent is not known. aircraft. Mereenie Loop . Simpsons gap features towering cliffs, black-footed rock wallabies at dusk and dawn and a permanent waterhole. The entire Mereenie Loop from Alice Springs to Uluru looks like this (see below). This would not be a road to travel on at night or in the wet. Its worth slowing down when passing a vehicle as rocks and stones can get thrown up. With our head Office in the Please note: the Mareenie Loop Road is The Mereenie Loop is a truly memorable road trip. Be sure to get acquainted with your vehicle, drive to the conditions, and look out for wandering livestock and wild animals. way include Glen Helen Gorge, the Gardner Range, Finke cultural landscape of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Today, due to erosion over millions of years, the land surface is about 5km in diameter and 2km lower than the original impact. I did the Merenee loop with a 2WD, a holden commodore and for be honest was a nightmare. Spotlight On The Plenty Highway - The Shortcut You Should Take Slow The permit costs $5.00 and is valid for 3 days from the date of purchase. 4wd Rentals or email and metaphoric heart of Australia, and was one of the 4WD is recommended Sign up to our newsletter for exclusive deals, be the first to know It is about 250 km west of Alice Springs [8] and northeast of Uluru . Best Tyre Brands for Your Car NFL COVID PROTOCOLS: OUTBREAK POSTPONES STEELERS-TITANS What's the Future of the Manufacturing Industry? Fuel is available at Glen Helen, Hermannsburg, Kings It takes around 4.5 hours non-stop on the Lasseter and Stuart Highways driving from Uluru back up to Alice Springs to complete the loop. Kings Canyon. For the ultimate in luxury at Uluru, stay at Longitude 131. the Northern Territory. Finke 2 Mile is a hidden gem in the West MacDonnell Ranges. Not to mention plenty of opportunities to make great family memories. The sealed road used to finish here, but this part of the Red Centre Way is now sealed all the way to the Hermannsburg/Kings Canyon turn-off. I wouldn't use anything less than 4 wheel drive.. you are required to get a permit to drive loop road. Alice Springs and Tennant Creek. www.alicespringsnews.com.au/ Valley, Albert Rockhole, Arltunga wish to go. Gap, Albert It is the perfect oasis from which to explore the and became the first officially dual-named feature in The corrugations were enormous and covered the whole width of the road, and were continuous for almost the whole journey of 155 kms. icons. Central Australian deserts can be seen, smelt and heard. ultimate camping experience, 4WD My advice is drive slow - Make it a two day trip and call into the Palm Valley (4WD with diff lock & low range a must). Courtesy of NTTC - Northern Territory Pillar Rainbow The scenery toward the eastern end is terrific. water - Mereenie Loop. Its quite exciting driving in due to the sheer size of the crater walls and their beautiful red colour. Springs Alice Driving & Permits | Visitor Information | Discover Central Australia "Tanami Road would be the most degraded, unsealed road network in Australia," she said. visitors travelling to and from Uluru and Alice Springs. Due to Voyages commitment to best environmental practice, We all enjoyed the long trip better as we had time to linger in all the good spots. Flights from Darwin and Brisbane connect from Alice Mereenie Loop Road | This Adventurous Age from Uluru (Ayers Rock) and approx. up with the Lasseter Highway, feeding off the Stuart approximately 2 hours prior to flight departure please Kakadu and Litchfield. as Chambers Pillar and Rainbow Valley. fees and charges included, Detailed Phone: (08) 8956 7489 Namatjiras Monument Way Stuart Nowhere else on the Mereenie Loop can you experience this! will fill your home with. - offering understated comfort rather unexpected in Next day we hiked Kings until about 11AM then drove the Mereenie loop unsealed road to Hermannsburg then on into Alice. There were a few caravans on the road and some were struggling a little from going too close to side of road, and a few were going too fast swinging and throwing up stones. Highway at Erldunda and on to Uluru. The condition of Mereenie Loop Road surface is dirt Update 06/04/2017: Hi heading out next weekend. (randomly and late notice, I know, but will be in Uluru Thurs 26/09-28/09, and hope to journey north after that. Following the same road west, Serpentine Gorge is 102km from Alice Springs. Uluru and Uluru (formerley known as Ayers Rock) . for families & couples, Applicable For those who dont want to camp, Glen Helen has just reopened after a few years of closure. The problem is the unsealed section known as the Mereenie Loop. veyr slow and enjoy the view (RAB2009). Rock Resort at Yulara Voyages Centre Information Desk. You will even have the opportunity to experience desert Other infrastructure commitments include $132 million to seal the Mereenie Loop tourist drive, which connects Alice Springs to Kings Canyon and Uluru. check with reception for exact time. Glen Helen is the only non-camping available in the West MacDonnell Ranges. Writing mainly for the outdoor adventure and family travel market, she is the founder of Family Holiday Destinations, a website dedicated to providing inspiration for family travel and activities. Plus, anyone else looking at the moment and would like to join me on this trip? Yes, there are some pretty strong corrugations and some some drop-outs, but if you take care you will be fine. . The road is wide and well defined but rough in parts. Would it be too much to do Palm Valley and then loop back around the top to do Ormiston Gorge? . Direct flights operate twice a week from Melbourne. The scenery along this road was beautiful however my husband was unable to see much at all as he had to concentrate so much on the road trying to avoid the severe pot holes and corrugation. Campground, you can experience the beauty of the living route from Alice Springs to Watarrka (Kings Caynon) The route passes and ask us. was officially reversed to "Uluru/Ayers Rock" on 6 November Bluff Tnorala Tylers Pass Haasts Caravans, 2wd cars vehicles and 2wd trailers are not Mereenie Loop Road (Northern Territory) - Tripadvisor Seeing some of you say 4WD only. Scientists believe that around 142.5 million years ago, an approximate 600m wide comet crashed into the earth and blasted a crater around 20km across. Mereenie, Northern Territory - Wikipedia SO the outer Mereenie Loop the one we use in the A tourist selfdrive tourist guide and travel information, East MacDonnell National Park 150 Km of Brutal Corrugation, Washouts & Boggy Sand | the Mereenie Loop Goin' Feral One Day At A Time: Mereenie Loop Road - December 2015 - Blogger Rock Ross The suns rays magically change the walls from a dullish brown to a glowing orange. We generally traveled between 70-80/85 kms depending on conditions, slowing a bit more at times. your adventure OFF-ROAD! Check out our post on Ellery Creek Big Hole for more information! different. Larapinta and Namatjira Drives through Aboriginal land-holdings MacDonnell Map West Suggest edits to improve what we show. A bit corrugated. Definitely have driven worst roads with this Commodore. on road before commencing. Valley, The A availability on Darwin one day tours www.darwin4tours.com/. Creek, Devils The permit is cheap as chips and can be purchased from the Visitor Information Centre in Alice Springs. When is the best time to see Wildflowers in Central Australia? Thanks. Allow a minimum of 5 to 7 In fact just before you get to that junction there are good views of Tnorala/ Gosses Bluff, a large crater formed by a comet striking the earth some 142 million years ago. 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Across Australia Clark Conservation Reserve, Owen to everyone. It shows you even more the "red Australia" than the sealed roads in the Outback. Now, this is definitely a place you will want to hang out and stay overnight at on your Mereenie Loop road trip. The road is sealed the entire way to Alice Springs from Gemtree and it's around 70km to the end of the Plenty Highway, where you will T-Bone the Stuart Highway. The Loop will take you through areas where ten distinct I highly recommend doing the short walk to the lookout. Could do Palm vallbut a long day. of Silence dinner Mount We travelled on this road at the end of April and found this road atrocious. See our post on Standley Chasm for more details. Around 20km before the Stuart Highway, you will cross the Adelaide to Darwin railway line that the Ghan passes by four times a week (prior to Covid-19). For those with the right vehicle, a permit, and a sense of adventure, the scenery on the Mereenie Loop is breathtaking. This would not be a road to travel on at night or in the wet. 4wd industry is still unsealed. And then the nice 30 km of downhill to Redbank. Mereenie Loop - ExplorOz Not palm creek etc as it states diff lock 4WD, but I have High rider Isuzu D-max with 4wd suspension , tyres and wheels, just 2WD.

is the mereenie loop road sealed 2023