We will be in Oz (if I may be so familiar) for about 4 weeks in August. One week has to be spent in Sydney on business. Trying to plan the other 3 weeks. Never been there. Some questions:
The train from Adelaide to Alice Springs and Darwin. Any experiences anyone would like to share?
Is it possible to rent a car and drive from Darwin to Cairns?
From reading other posts, it seems that driving back to Sydney from Cairns is very long and mostly boring. True?
Any suggestions on itinerary would be welcome.
Thanks

Hi there,
All those journeys you mention - ADL-Darwin, Darwin-Cairns, Cairns-Sydney are enormously long. You'll find plenty of other posts here about Cairns-Sydney. Not sure if there is a consensus.

ADL to Darwin by train sounds like a good idea to me, stopping off at Alice Springs to visit the Rock, and more especially, other landscapes thereabouts.

Darwin to Cairns - now that's a journey I would very much like to do!!. But not on the main route (the one the buses take - ie. Cairns-Townsville-Mount Isa-Tennant Creek-Darwin). Not sure there's a huge amount to see that way. But I did once research safari type trips and there are some that travel across further north via Normanton and Lawn Hill National Park.

They sound amazing but you would need to have a 4WD, and be experienced at that sort of thing (dirt roads, few facilities, miles to go), and not mind roughing it a bit, to do it independently.

All things considered I'd probably fly darwin cairns, and if you want to drive a bit, drive down to Townsville from Cairns, and on to Airlie Beach, then fly to Brisbane or Sydney, depending.

Loads of possibilities.

Happy travels.

I think after you take the train from Sydney to Alice Springs and Darwin, you will be ready to "Fly" to Cairns. By that time you will have photos of 200 rocks and 100's of flies.

It depends on whether you want to spend all your time "getting there" or "being there". The transportation options you have chosen take you on miles and miles of seeing the countryside (which is not variable but will give you an idea of the size of the country) but not much time to hike, see the animals, meet the people, snorkel, take an Aborigine-led tour and learn about their ancient culture, etc. which many of us want to do in Australia. We flew from Sydney to Uluru (the airport is called Yalara) and had three days there to walk, learn, and experience the sunsets, then flew to Darwin to drive out to Kakadu to hike and see the rock art sites, then flew to Cairns to snorkel, walk in the rainforest, go on a night tour of th Daintree River, and a day flight trip to Lizard Island for more snorkeling. It depends on what experiences you want, but I encourage you to look at a map of Australia with milage/kilometer-age and see the scope of what you are proposing (then look at www.qantas.com to book your flights!!)
Sally in Seattle

One of the worst aspects of a one way car rental is the charge only includes 100km/day allowance. After that they charge you 20 cents per kilometre. The distances are so vast that you end up feeling as if you have bought the car!

I often tell people that visiting Australia should be more about experiences than about seeing many Tourist Ikons.
It should be about the journey rather than about the destination.
Distances are huge, but so is the country and one shouldn't even think about experiencing all that the country has to offer in just one short visit.

I disagree with people stating that you would be driving for many days and miles through country that is all much of the same.
It's Not. It's in the Eye of the beholder! Keep your eyes open and you'll find that even along outback roads the Geology, Flora and Fauna change continuously. Most of that of course is lost to people who are purely focused on the destination and on getting there.

Fuzzylogic mentioned Darwin to Cairns. Yes, that is a great drive! It's part of whats being promoted as the "Savanna Way"
http://www.abc.net.au/kimberley/stories/s1167160.htm
It's a long way and I usually do it in 15 days ( Cairns to Darwin or Darwin to Cairns).

There are not many accommodation options along most of that route and a 4WD vehicle is a must, especially if you want to visit some of the highlights that you can find a little off the main route.
Camping is often the only choice, but what an experience that can be, under a clear, starstudded sky, around the campfire with the crackeling of the burning embers the only sound that blends so harmouniously with the "Sound of Silence" around you.

Not all Car Rental companies restrict you to 100km/day before charging extra. It buys to shop around and try
to negotiate.
What is very iportant is that your vehicle is in very good condition meachanically and well equipped for such a
journey.
Idealy, as with all remote area travelling, you would be travelling together with another vehicle ( or Tag Along ), to provide some security in case of a mishap.

hacoah, should you make that road trip I would then suggest taking the Ghan from Darwin to Alice Springs and than after visiting Uluru, fly out from there.

Have great experiences in OZ what ever you decide on,
Mike

Ok, Ok.
I see I have underestimated the distances and the rigors of the road.
The drive from Darwin to Cairns sounds like an expedition, and although I have done a fair amount of wilderness trekking here in British Columbia, I don't think my wife would be up to that kind of a trip. Sounds exciting but maybe better for our second trip.
I will check back with other ideas (crazy or not) as the time approaches.
Thanks, all