Directions to Kings Canyon: the Mereenie Loop and the Red Centre Way

Directions to Kings Canyon from Alice Springs come down to a choice between a shorter, rough road and a longer, smooth road. The Mereenie Loop is an unsealed section of the Red Centre Way that links Alice Springs and Kings Canyon, and Tourism Central Australia gives the journey by that route as approximately 332 km, where Tourism NT's itinerary lists 323 km to Kings Canyon Resort.^1,2,3 The alternative is a fully sealed road for those in a two-wheel drive, which runs south via the Stuart Highway, the Lasseter Highway and Luritja Road.⁸

The first question is therefore about your vehicle, not your appetite for adventure. Tourism Central Australia says a car on the loop should be a four-wheel drive, or an all-wheel drive that has off-road permission, and it reminds hire-car drivers to check whether their vehicle is permitted to travel on the Mereenie Loop at all.¹⁰ Read the rental agreement before you plan a route around it, and phone the company if the wording is unclear.

The second question is time. On the sealed route the drive takes approximately 5 hours without stops.⁸ Travel time on the loop varies more, because the changing condition of an unsealed road governs the pace.¹¹ If you are on a tight schedule, the sealed road is the predictable choice, while the loop suits travelers who have time to stop and a vehicle that is allowed on it.

A valid permit is required to drive the loop. Tourism Central Australia gives the cost as roughly 5 Australian dollars per vehicle, valid for 3 days from the time of purchase, and its permits page states 5.00 Australian dollars and the same 3-day validity.^5,6 Treat the price as a guide, and confirm it when you buy, since fees on Aboriginal land can change. The fee is per vehicle, so a car full of people pays the same as a lone driver.

The permit must be obtained in person.⁷ It can be bought at the Alice Springs Central Lands Council, and also at Glen Helen Lodge, the Hermannsburg General Store, Kings Canyon Resort reception and Kings Creek Station.¹² Outlets can close, as the same page notes for Glen Helen, so do not rely on a single stop. Buy the permit in the town where you start and keep it in the glovebox.

The permit comes with rules, and they are short enough to memorize before you leave town. Alcohol may not be consumed along the Mereenie Loop, though sealed alcohol can be carried in the vehicle.²¹ Camping on the road is not permitted either.¹⁸ The 3-day validity means a leisurely trip with a night at the canyon still fits inside a single permit, provided you do not stretch the drive across several days.⁶

Preparation is the whole of a safe outback drive. Tourism Central Australia advises drivers to top up the tank and stock up on water and supplies in Alice Springs or at Kings Canyon, ahead of the Mereenie Loop, with fuel and limited supplies also at Glen Helen, Hermannsburg, Kings Creek Station and Kings Canyon Resort.⁹ The loop itself has no fuel stops, so treat those places as the edges of the safe zone.⁴

It also asks drivers to carry enough fuel, water and food, and to check the vehicle, including the spare tire, before going off road.³⁶ Check road conditions on the Road Report NT website before and during the trip, because an unsealed road can change from day to day.³⁶ Download or screenshot the report before you lose signal, and ask at the permit counter whether any part of the road has been closed recently.

At the resort end, the general store and fuel station is open from 8am to 4pm daily and sells fuel as well, which makes it a convenient place to top up before you drive out, buy snacks for the road and ask the staff about conditions ahead.¹⁴ The resort has a petrol station, a swimming pool, a tennis court, a BBQ and a laundry room.²⁷ If you arrive late after a long drive, those facilities make a tired evening comfortable.