Larapinta Drive

Larapinta Drive
map
Basic data
Operator:	NT Roads
Start of the street:	Stuart Highway Ross Highway Alice Springs ( NT ) ( 23 ° 42 ′  S , 133 ° 53 ′  E )
End of street:	Luritja Road Watarrka National Park ( NT ) ( 24 ° 17 ′  S , 131 ° 34 ′  E )
Overall length:	344 km
States :	Northern Territory
Flooded ford on Larapinta Drive

 Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap

The Larapinta Drive is a tourist road in the south of the Australian Northern Territory . It connects the Stuart Highway in Alice Springs with Hermannsburg , the Gardiner Range and the Watarrka National Park . The street is part of the Red Center Way .

The Larapinta Drive must not be confused with the Larapinta Track . This is a hiking trail that runs from Alice Springs through West MacDonnell National Park to Mount Sonder , 223 kilometers away .

course

Larapinta Drive begins in the middle of Alice Springs on the Stuart Highway (N87), which connects Adelaide in the south with Darwin in the north.

The first section of the route takes you to Alice Springs Desert Park and the Simpsons Gap and Standley Chasm gorges, which are part of the West MacDonnell National Park .

After 46 kilometers, Namatjira Drive (S2) branches off, which leads to further sights in West MacDonnell National Park and to the Glen Helen Lodge. From this junction, Larapinta Drive is called State Road 6 (S6). After 126 kilometers you reach the former mission station Hermannsburg on the Finke River , which is now an Aboriginal village.

43 km behind Hermannsburg, Namatjira Drive joins Larapinta Drive, which continues west to the Gardiner Range. The road crosses the main ridge of the mountain range and turns south where it reaches Watarrka National Park . Soon after the junction to Kings Canyon , Larapinta Drive turns into Luritja Road (S3), which connects to the Lasseter Highway (S4) in the south.

The highest point along the road is at 834 m, the lowest at 568 m.

Road conditions

The route from Alice Springs to Hermannsburg is a two-lane, paved road. From there to the northern border of Watarrka National Park, it is a gravel road and is often referred to as the Mereenie Loop Road . The last stretch to the transition to Luritja Road is paved again.

From Hermannsburg onwards a usage permit (“Permit”) is required, which is issued by the local authorities.

After heavy rains, the road is temporarily impassable because there are no bridges on the river passages.

source

Steve Parish: Australian Touring Atlas . Steve Parish Publishing. Archerfield QLD 2007. ISBN 978-1-74193-232-4 . Pp. 100 + 101

Individual evidence

1. ↑ maps.bonzle.com - Larapinta Drive . Retrieved April 19, 2012.