Coast to Coast through the Outback: Our 38-Day Australian Adventure

Day 1: Melbourne Star RV

We started our road trip with excitement in Melbourne, where we picked up our Polaris 6 motorhome. After we said goodbye to the Star RV branch, we did all our grocery shopping in Pakenham because it was along our route to Phillip Island. The fuel, gas and freshwater tanks were all filled up when we picked up our motorhome, so we didn't have to worry about that.

For our first night we stayed at Amaroo Park on Phillip Island. It’s a small campground, with enough space for our motorhome. It's located in the town centre and is close to the Phillip Island attractions including the the Penguin Parade. In the evening, we watched the penguins come out of the sea, walking back to their homes. This is the highlight of Philip Island.

Day 2: Amaroo Park

Today we did some sightseeing on Phillip Island. We went to several lookouts along the coast. After that we went to the Koala Conservation Reserve, a great spot to see koalas in a semi-wild environment. You can see them high up in the trees, and it’s also possible to spot them from nearby on the walkways.

Day 3 - 5: Wilsons Promontory National Park

In the morning we drove to Wilsons Promontory National Park. We stayed at the Tidal River Campground, which was free during our stay. Since the location is great for exploring the park, we decided to stay here for a few nights. For this campsite, it's best to book in advance if you want a powered site. You can also check daily if all the powered sites are sold out, because they can become available again.

The next day we did the four beaches walk through Norman Beach, Tidal Overlook, Squeaky Beach, Picnic Bay, Whisky Bay. It’s nice to take a swim on every beach along the way. The highlight of our walk was the wombat we spotted on the way back. You can also go on a boat cruise and visit several islands nearby. We didn't go on the cruise, but it was quite popular.

On our last day at Wilsons Promontory National Park, we hiked up to Mount Oberon. The hike itself wasn't too hard, since you can walk almost all the way over a paved road. At the end you have to climb over some rocks, and you get a nice view over Wilsons Promontory National Park.

Day 6: Anglesea

In the morning, we headed back in the direction of Melbourne. Going back down to the coast for the start of our trip on the Great Ocean Road. Here we went to visit some viewpoints and beaches like Bells beaches and Point Addis Beach. Along the way, there were parking spaces big enough for our motorhome so we could stop and take in the sights.

We camped for one night at Anglesea Family Caravan Park. It was pretty spacious, and we had a nice camping spot in the woods.

Day 7 & 8: Great Otway National Park

We drove further along the coast to visit some amazing waterfalls today. Our goal was to make it to our campsite at the Great Otway National Park. The trip took a bit longer, since we got stuck with a flat tire. The roadside assistance came to our rescue within an hour. They removed the nail from our tire and plugged the hole up. During our short wait we got company from a friendly kookaburra. We stayed at Bimbi Park, a campground that's known for its wild koalas. We saw several of them in the trees.

The next morning, we took some nice walks at Great Otway National Park before we continued driving on the Great Ocean Road. We went to visit the twelve apostles and several other scenic points. It was quite busy at the twelve apostles during the day. We camped at NRMA Port Campbell Holiday Park. A basic campground, which was very busy. The location was very convenient and nearby the twelve apostles.

Day 9 & 10: Grampians National Park

In the morning, we went to visit the twelve apostles again with hope that it would be less crowded. We arrived at 8:00am and there weren't many people since the tour buses hadn’t arrived yet. Once we had soaked in some sun, we drove along the coast and visited Port Campbell National Park and Bay of Islands Coast Park. We stopped along the way to explore an amazing hike at the MacKenzie Falls.

We headed north to the Halls Gap Lakeside Tourist Park nearby the Grampians National Park. We camped at the edge of the park, and we were surrounded by kangaroos. The showers were very luxurious.

Early in the morning we started our hike to The Pinnacle Loop. It's worth it to start the hike early, because it got busy after 11am when we were on our way back down. Unfortunately, most other sights at the Grampians National Park were closed due to wildfires.

Day 11 & 12: Barossa Valley

Today we drove to Greenock Centenary Park, near Adelaide. We decided to skip Adelaide, since we had already visited a lot of big cities before, but we recommend checking it out if you haven’t already.

The campground at Greenock Centenary Park costs about $10 per night and is perfect if you want to visit some wineries in the Barossa Valley. There are no showers at the campground, so we used our own shower in our motorhome. The battery in our motorhome also still provided enough power, so we had no issues staying at this unpowered campsite.

The next day we relaxed for most of the day, and we walked to a winery near our campsite.

Tip: You can rent bicycles to ride around the valley to visit the wineries.

Day 13 - 16: Flinders Ranges

On the road again! We headed to Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park. We’d already booked a spot for 2 nights at the Discovery Resorts - Wilpena Pound campground. It's a very nice campground and the best spot to start many different walks in the Flinders Ranges. On the campground there’s also a big supermarket to stock up on supplies.

We got ready to explore some hikes in the Flinders Ranges National Park in the morning. There's a lot of wildlife to see in the park. We saw emus, yellow tail wallabies and an echidna. It’s convenient to start the walks from the campground, so you can keep your motorhome parked there

The day after was filled with more exploration. We started our hike early and walked the Wilpena Pound to Saint Mary Peak Loop. We didn't go all the way to the peak, but the views were amazing anyway. Be sure to start the hike early in the morning, or it will get too hot.

At the end of the day, we drove to another campground in the area. Rawnsley Park Station, because it was a nice base to do some more walks. In the morning, we visited an aboriginal art site. However, since the weather wasn't great, we just stayed at the campground.

Tip: Rawnsley Park Station was busier than the Discovery Resorts - Wilpena Pound campground, so we recommend planning your trip with your preferences in mind.

Day 17 & 18: Coober Pedy

We’re headed to the Outback today! We did all our grocery shopping in Port Augusta, since it will be the last big town we stop at before we reach Alice Springs. After Port Augusta we drove to Coober Pedy. We stayed at the campground called Coober Pedy Views. And yes, the views were amazing.

We explored Coober Pedy. There are lots of underground churches, mining museums, and underground restaurants, so you can explore the town for a full day.

Day 19 - 22: Uluṟu/Ayers Rock

We continued heading north through the Outback to visit Ayers Rock. We stayed a few days at Ayers Rock Campground, so we had enough time to explore all the sights. The campground was busy and not spacious. It's the only option if you want to camp near Ayers Rock.

In the morning, we relaxed at the campground, did some laundry and in the evening, we went to see the sunset at Ayers Rock. Be sure to come early so you can get a nice spot at the Uluṟu Car Sunset Viewing Area. Not all spots are suitable for a big motorhome, so that's why it's best to arrive about an hour before sunset.

The next day we did the Ayers Rock base walk; it was a nice walk. If you don't have much time, you can also do only the highlights and not the complete walk.

On our final day at Ayer’s Rock, we explored Kata Tjuta. It's worth visiting when you are in the area, there are also some great spots to view the sunrise and sunset at Kata Tjuta.

Day 23 - 26: Watarrka National Park - Ellery Creek

Today we mostly drove towards our next destination: Kings Canyon, Watarrka National Park. We took our time and relaxed at the Discovery Resorts - Kings Canyon campground.

Early in the morning we started our hike through Kings Canyon. We had a lovely view during sunrise. The next day we drove to our next campground, Ormiston Gorge Campground. It's right next to the amazing Ormiston Gorge, so it's a great spot to start your walk. At night we had a lovely view of the stars. We were happy to have our own toilet and shower onboard our motorhome, because the facilities here were not very clean.

Day 26 & 27: Ellery Creek - Devils Marbles

In the morning, we did the Ormiston Gorge hike. It's a must do! Because of the high-water level, we had to walk through the water at some points, but it wasn’t too deep. We drove a bit further to explore more of the surroundings. Tonight, we camped at Ellery Creek Campground. The campground had toilets, but no showers. So, we were happy with the shower on our motorhome. It's great to be able to camp in the middle of nature, while having everything you need to cook, sleep comfortably, shower, etc.

In the morning, we left Ellery Creek Campground early so we could drive up to Devils Marbles. In Alice Springs, we did some grocery shopping. We arrived around sunset at the Karlu Karlu Campground, so we took a quick walk and looked at the iconic marbles.

Day 28 & 29: Daly Waters – Mataranka

Today we stopped at the iconic Daly Waters Pub. We didn't have a reservation for their campground, but luckily there was enough space. It was much busier than we expected for a pub in the middle of nowhere, but it had a nice vibe. The food and drinks at the pub were also great. We settled for the night at Daly Waters Pub Campground

We were finally heading to a bit more tropical area after exploring the Outback. In Mataranka we stayed at the Bitter Springs Cabins and Camping. It was a very green and tropical campground with great facilities. From the campground you could easily walk to Bitter Springs.

Day 30 & 31: Katherine

This morning, we drove to our campground Ereluk - The Escarpment @ The Gorge. Nearby Katherine Gorge at Nitmiluk National Park.

The next day, we took a nice cruise over the Katherine River. After that, we drove to Discovery Holiday Parks - Katherine. The facilities were very new, and there's also a nice pool. I think this was the cleanest campground we’ve stayed at during our road trip in Australia.

Day 32 - 35: Kakadu National Park

We were hoping to see some crocodiles, so we went on to visit Kakadu National Park. We camped at the Ngurrungurrudjba (Yellow Water) Campground, and we had a very spacious spot.

Because the water levels were still high from the wet season, many places in Kakadu National Park were closed. So, after looking at some rock art sites, we just relaxed at our campground.

In the morning, we took a cruise through the wetlands of Kakadu National Park. For the rest of the day, we relaxed and made plans for the rest of our trip.

Day 36: Litchfield National Park

We headed to Litchfield National Park and stayed at the Litchfield Safari Camp. A very green campground with clean facilities and a nice pool. The location was great because it's in the middle of all the important sights. There are a lot of waterfalls nearby.

Next, we explored Litchfield National Park, with its amazing waterfalls and natural pools. In the evening, we drove to the Litchfield Tourist Park campground, because it's more in the direction of our final stop: Darwin.

Day 38: Darwin

In the morning, we left Litchfield Tourist Park to drive to Darwin. The campground facilities were a bit old and not very clean, but the location was good. After we refilled the diesel and water tanks, and emptied all the grey water, we drove to Darwin to drop off our camper. It was a great trip, and we were happy with the spacious Polaris 6. Most of the time we stayed at powered sites, but we also comfortably stayed at unpowered sites.