Hints for visitors unfamiliar with the Australian Outback

If you are driving:

Check your vehicle and make sure it is reliable.
Carry tools and spare parts.
Carry ample drinking water. (The eclipse will be at the beginning of the southern hemisphere summer, with daytime temperatures of up to 40ºC (105ºF) possible.)
Use sun protection, even if it's cloudy.
Beware of wandering livestock and animals particularly at night.
If you intend camping, stay in a town or within walking distance of the highway. There are also roadside parking areas specifically for weary travellers. Also be aware that in the desert, night time temperatures can drop to 10ºC (50ºF) or less.

Although thousands of Outback journeys are completed without trouble, be aware that lack of preparation and ignorance have killed people before. The Outback is not a hostile place, it is simply indifferent to human life.

Plan on spending the night in the Outback right after the eclipse. The skies can be wonderfully clear. However, wandering animals can make night-time driving extremely hazardous.

Approximate driving times are:

Adelaide - Port Augusta : 3 hours
Port Augusta - Ceduna : 4 hours
Port Augusta - Leigh Creek : 2 - 2.5 hours
Port Augusta - Woomera : 2 - 2.5 hours
Woomera - Andamooka : 1.5 hours (via Roxby Downs)
Woomera - Glendambo : 1 - 1.5 hours
Leigh Creek - Arkaroola : 2 - 2.5 hours (dirt road via Lyndhurst)

More tourist information

Further information on tourist facilities, general tourism information and related links are available from the RAA. Transport SA maintains an online Northern Road Conditions report for the benefit of drivers. It is not unknown for some roads (and airfields) to be cut by flash flooding, even in summer.

General information about South Australia is available from SA Central.

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Maps of the Path of Totality in Australia