Red Centre Way Cycling Guide

1148 km, Loop, Flat, HARD, REMOTE, Sealed/Unsealed

(690 km One Way)

WARNING: SECTIONS OF THIS RIDE ARE HARD and REMOTE!!

AVOID HOT MONTHS. (October to March)

This ride takes you through some of the most spectacular scenery the Red Centre offers. The unsealed section can be badly corrugated and is remote so be prepared and carry lots of food and water in this section. Always tell someone (or the local Police Station) where you are going and when you expect to finish.

The West MacDonnells (Tjoritja to the indigenous owners) begin immediately out of Alice Springs and stretch west for 160 kilometres. Mountains, painted the typically rich-red of Central Australia rise on both sides of the road, not as separate and distinguishable mountain peaks, but instead as one formidable wave of rock and crag extending further than the eye can see. The West MacDonnell's have many stunning red rock gorges that puncture the valley walls. Enjoy a swim in the surprisingly cold waterholes.

After riding 140 km of the rough, corrugated section of the Larapinta Drive the sealed road is a welcome sight. The walk around Watarrka (Kings Canyon) offers amazing views and the rock formations are breathtakingly beautiful.

Uluru (Ayers Rock) is THE icon of the Outback. It rises incongruously out of the desert plains and it will feel like you will never reach it because you can see it from so far away. The effort to get there, the days of anticipation, offers a sensation incomparable to arriving by car.

The side trip to the Kata Tjuta (Olgas) is a land of 36 steep monoliths thrusting out of the desert landscape. The Valley of the Winds Walk takes you past some impressive lookout points.

You can either fly home from Uluru (Ayers Rock) Airport or return via the Lasseter Highway to Alice Springs.

Start: Alice Springs or Uluru (Ayers Rock) Airport. Transport: Plane, Car

Thank you to Josiah Skeats for mapping this journey.