From Northern Vic =- head to Mildura, camp at Nyah Rec Reserve on the way, Psyches Bend in Mildura is good. Then towards Renmark, couple of good camps along the way, all in the Camps Book (the Bible). Through Burra, and head for Port Augusta, RV camp and dump point at the Sports, Old Powerline Road - think it is $5 overnight, water available, contain grey water.

Then head north- heaps of camps - some of my fave - Lake Hart - a pink salt lake, near Woomera (a must see place).
The park at the Rock is about $45, and quite nice. Curtin Springs is approx. half way along the Lassiter Highway and has camping, showers and a small shop. The also do tours of Mount Connor, which is what you will see on the left hand of the highway, it is 42k in diameter, whereas Uluru is 11k. It is the only way to get to Mt Connor, on a working cattle station. There are a couple of free camps along the way, we stayed in one of these, and drove to Yalara for the day, has a reasonable supermarket etc. As for the rock itself - I have climbed it, a few years ago, and if you take it easy and have good water with you, no problems and well worth it - my five year old granddaughter climbed right to the top, and all she was upset about, was her KitKat melted - but her and her dad drank five bottles of water - she has never forgotten it. I have also ridden my bike around, which was a completely different experience, would do it again, so much to see.

The entry to Uluru is about 20k away. There is also The Olgas, which are spectacular, lots of good walks through there. beautiful scenery. King's Canyon is also terrific - Kings Creek Station is a working station, where you can stay - loved it there. Climb the 365 steps to the top of the canyon and walk right around - fantastic views. If you are 4wd you can get back to the Sturt highway via Ernest Giles Road, can be very rough, but there are meteorite craters along there, which are worth a look.

A free camp on the way to Alice is Finke River - a dry (usually) river bed with a camp near the bridge. Walk down the river bed and you may come across the herd of camels that live in the area - we were lucky enough to see about 40 - all sizes - grazing - not to be forgotten.

In Alice there are quite a few caravan parks - I have stayed at G'day Mate and Heritage - both good parks. Some people stay at Blatherskite Park, which is on the left going into town, showgrounds.

Well, I reckon lots of people will offer their opinions and recommendations, you will love it.

I appreciate & thank you both for your quick responses. Fabulous info thank you Jules." Excited much!!!"

You should have no problems at the Burra Worlds end site. you will be able to drive around the trees onto almost level areas, we left there 3 days ago and were down the bottom campsite, was a bit on the cold side at night. There is another camping area on the top part, turn left as you get to the gravel road, all the roads are gravel and there are some pot holes so take care of those. The creek is not fully running but there are some pretty good walk tracks if you wear sturdy shoes.

Would the Stuart Highway be the best option?

HunnyBunny wrote:

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Change of plans......Port Augusta would be my first stop. Best road from Minyip Vic would be? I have a pick up there on the way!

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That's a shame, Burra is a great spot!

If you have a change of heart, you can get a "passport key" at the local tourist info office that lets you into pretty much all of the local places of interest! (and they are definitely worth seeing)

Lots of wayside stops on the Stuart Hwy, not many in SA with toilets though.

Enjoy your trip!

Hi HunnyBunny - why don't you have a look at the "Free/lowcost camp spots" - go to "search" and put in the town or whatever - posts will come up about the place. Or go to the state, look for the towns you are interested in.

Do you have Wikicamps - best $7.99 ever - heaps of info on sites - got to watch their coordinates though - had a few with mistakes.

Redbank Gorge looks like it is like a national or state park - most opinions on Wiki are positive.

What will I be paying for diesel along the way?

Did that trip in August last year. Depends on how much time you have.

https://goo.gl/maps/ETvSqMrjCKp

Lots of free camping everywhere.

Hopetoun (Lake Lascelles)

Every town from Ouyen to Pinaroo including Pink Lakes

Moorook Riverfront

Burra Showgrounds

Lots of lovely RV friendly towns on the Horrock Hwy to Wilmington

Port Augusta stayed at Shoreline Caravan Park to catch up on domestic tasks. Much nicer and quieter that the Big 4 which is right next to Eyre Hwy & Stuart Hwy intersection with Road trains gearing down and up all night (previous visit).

Stayed at Oasis in Coober Pedy because it is smack in the middle of town with the only decent pub and hotel attached. No free water in Coober Pedy of any kind. Shower or taps. Not recommended to free camp close to town at Coober Pedy because of indigenous issues at night. 

Lots of free camps everywhere on the Stuart Hwy.

Lovely free camp 101km west from Erldunda on the Lasseter Hwy heading to the Rock (Camps 8 NT63). Water tank and nice clean M & F drop toilets.Llots of space and that road is very quiet at night time. Collect plentiful wood on the Lasseter Hwy coming in if you want to have a camp fire (as is the case in most free camps, any burnable dead wood nearby is already gone). 

Curtin Springs and Mt Ebenezer also have indigenous issues at night.

Got away early (9am) from that camp and headed to Yulara van park. Can't check in until 10am. $65 per night for a very small, sloping sand site. Unhitched and headed for the Olga's (Kata Juta). Spent a very pleasant 3 hours meandering on the Valley if the Winds track. You must take water bottles with you. There are two 5,000L water tanks strategically placed to refill. In my opinion the Olga's are better than the rock.

Returned to Yulara and watched the sunset on the rock from the lookout hill. Get yourself there at least half an hour early to get a good spot with your camp chair and a bottle of red before the hoards arrive.

Next day hitched up the van and checked out of Yulara and parked at the base of the rock in the large vehicle parking area near the chain. Climbed the rock (yes you can still do it, hundreds do every day but they close it if it is raining or over 35C). Depending on what you think about indigenous superstitious jibber jabber nonsense the signs are there to try to disuade you. 863 meters with a chain to help up the very steep section then a 1km walk across the top to the marker. Grippy lace up shoes are a must and you must do up those laces very tightly to prevent foot movement on the way down. Most come down the steep part backwards like reversing down a ladder. Allow 1.5 hours to climb up and back. Awesome views are worth it. If one of your party doesn't think they are up to it just remind them that there are 3 defibrillator stations on the way up. Climb 20 meters and then stop to rest and take 2 hours if you need to. :)

Left the rock early arvo and headed towards Kings Canyon. Lovely free camp 48km north of the Lasseter Hwy on the Luritja Rd (Camps 8 NT64) similar to NT63. Got away early next day (9am) and headed to KC. Plenty of caravan parking at the KC car park. Again, in my opinion KC is way better again than Uluru or Kata Juta.

NO water stations here except at the car park. Recommend 2 x 1L water bottles per person.
DO NOT give any of your water to the lots of stupid tourists who plead for water, they'll drain your bottles without a thought for your wellbeing. Better they experience discomfort than you die.

Lots of steps make it a bit tiring for those with hip joint problems but definitely worth it. Climb up the north face steps and return via the south face path (much easier). Plan to allow anything from 2 to 4 hours depending on your fitness levels.
Great water hole for a swim in the Garden of Eden area (freezing cold water only gets sun for about 1.5 hours a day). Wear clothes you can swim in and dry off on the rocks. Ahhh, beautiful spot.
Again, the superstitious are encouraged not to swim because 100's of years ago that was a source of drinking water. I can understand why the first Aussies thought it wrong to swim there but today it is just a water hole for tourists.

Left KC late arvo and returned to previous nights camp site.

WARNING! Fuel pricing like everything else at Kings Creek Van Park is absolutely outrageous. Yulara is expensive but expect $2.50 to $3 per liter at Kings Creek. They rip you off simply because they can, because no-one else is nearby to provide competition, and their attitude to it is abysmal. If you should so much as mention anything about pricing you may well be escorted off the premises as I was and to to "f" off and buy your fuel elsewhere, which of course you can't. You'll be given all sorts of bulsh!t about freight costs which is just plain rubbish because all NT & SA fuel is imported by ship pre-refined from Indonesia and Malaysia. That same fuel is trucked from Darwin another 2,000km further south and sold for $1 a liter in Adelaide. 
Kings Creek Van Park helicoptors are also the scourge for Kings Canyon visitors. They buzz incessantly hour after hour up the middle of the canyon 100 feet off the plateau, spoiling the tranquility of the place. Should be banned.
Recommend you avoid Kings Creek if you can. Cheaper to buy a couple of plastic gerry cans and throw them away when empty than to buy fuel there.

The shorter Mereenie Loop road to the Alice is quite corrogated but accessable to even 2 wheel drives if you take it easy at the right speed. Because corrogations form in the direction of travel and that road is mostly50 meters or more wide you can easily flip over to the opposite side of the road to lessen the vibes and just flip back before any crest or bend.

There are so many sights East and West of Alice you'll need at least a week there to do them justice. Lots of canyons, gaps, passes, mesas, etc. Don't miss Palm Valley and Gosses Bluff.

We came back Via QLD but that is a whole other adventure.

https://goo.gl/maps/2VTRUve7TZ92

"Indigenous superstitious jibber jabber nonsense" To put their beliefs in such a insulting racist way is purely disgusting. Uluru is sacred to the Anangu people and is against their law for them to climb and they ask us politely to not climb. Do you also call all the Christian beliefs superstitious jibber jabber nonsense and climb all over their sacred sites or any other religious groups sites.

 The Anangu and their way of life has survived for over 35000 years. Theirs is the oldest living culture on earth. They have a lot to be proud of and I for one feel blessed to be welcomed into their world. 

HunnyBunny wrote:

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 I wish I did have more time for this trip. I will have 2 weeks !.  

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 Only 2 weeks? I don't think you could do it all justice.

The driving distances are huge.

With a van in tow, fuel consumption and safety is a major issue. You'll average approx 90-95kph on the highway and it will take you 4 days just to get to the rock if you drive all day every day. Doing that you wont get to see anything.
From Burra to Coober Pedy is 740km. With suitable rest breaks that is at least a 12 hour drive with a caravan.
You must not drive on outback roads before approx an hour after sunrise and an hour before sunset, or you'll surely have a widlife encounter you wont like.
With a van in tow, plan for a max of 500km a day or you'll see nothing and be driving the whole holiday.

If you really only have 2 weeks forget about taking the van. Fly to the Alice and hire a car and stay in motels. Even the drive from the Alice to the Rock is nearly a thousand kilometers return.

Although I agree with a lot that has been said, I started this thread for advice re- my planned trip to the rock. To those who have answered the post with helpful information I thank you for the time taken to help. Thank you Hylife.....I am reconsidering my time line! I guess I was using Google maps as a guide without taking enough into consideration. Hence the reason why I posted here for advice from those who have done the trip.

-- Edited by HunnyBunny on Thursday 14th of April 2016 08:58:22 AM

Why are you returning to Erldunda from ULURU and then turning around and driving back over the same road to Kings Canyon? The turnoff to Kings Canyon is roughly halfway between Uluru and Erldunda.

Perhaps you need to look up Google Maps to see where you really want to go.

To see Alice Springs and the East and West MacDonnell Ranges and all in between, I would suggest allowing approximately 10 to 14 days. If you go to the Alice for 3 days, I would reckon you will only have time to buy a few souvenirs. You sure as hell won't have time for much sightseeing.

Alice Springs Desert Park should be on your list and that is a minimum of a day.

 

The Phantom

 

This is the reason why I am posting here, to get advice from experts like yourself Phantom. I didn't realize that there is a turn off before Erldunda for Kings Canyon. Thank you, I will check Google maps ( again) I know where I want to go! I just need to be sure of the best way to get there. As I said my time in Alice is yet to be determined...a minimum of 3 days! Thank you for your help :)

Thank you Jules! I do have paper maps. I just went back to check Google & saw exactly what you have both advised me. I don't know how I missed it! As you said it has saved me time & $$. We will have a month to spend away so time is no longer an issue. My truck is 2wd so I guess that will restrict me a little. We plan to spend 3 days at the rock & 3 days at Kings Canyon. From what I have been reading that seems to be enough time, what do you think? At Alice Springs I intend to spend more time, I realize there is a lot to see, but having never been there myself I am happy to hear from you both & those who answered my questions & posts. I hope I won't have to bother you much more but as always I am glad to have the help