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Adelaide to Roxby Downs

Driving Time - 6 hours and 50 minutes
Distance - 564 kms

Adelaide

Adelaide is a city of great visual harmony and classical elegant style, superbly set beside the River Torrens between the Adelaide Hills and waters of Gulf St Vincent.
The wine and festival capital of Australia, Adelaide is a place to experience the buzz, culture and convenience of a big city without the frustrations. The city centre, surrounded by parklands, is a charming blend of historic buildings, wide streets, groovy shops, street cafés and restaurants. And because Adelaide is known as the 20-minute city, you can experience it all on a series of easy short walks. You'll find a mix of restaurant strips dotted right across the city - Rundle Street East for alfresco dining. The Parade at Norwood for great Italian food. Gouger Street for seafood and Asian fare. And anything goes on O'Connell and Melbourne Streets in North Adelaide. Festivals and events occur with remarkable frequency for a city of Adelaide's size. The Adelaide Bank Festival of Arts is one of the most innovative arts festivals in the world, while the Adelaide Fringe is now the second biggest in the world after Edinburgh.

Adelaide to Port Pirie is 223 kilometres

Port Pirie

Port Pirie, South Australia’s first provincial city, is also an important interstate and international seaport. Millions of dollars worth of grain,  lead, zinc and silver produced in Broken Hill Associated’s huge smelters cross the wharves each year. Originally known by the Aboriginal name of Tarparrie, the naming rights finally went to the work horse of the state’s sailing fleet, the schooner John Pirie. A replica of the ‘handy and roomy little craft’ is on display in the Port Pirie Corporation office. The only memorial dedicated to the Australian veterans who fought in wars in Korea, Malaya, Borneo and Vietnam is located in Memorial Park. There is a wealth of history locked into the city and its buildings and one of the standout structures is Cairn Brae - built in the early 20th century for the Moyles family, founders of a state soft-drink empire. Falling commodity prices in the first two years of the second millennium, which forced the mining giant Pasminco to the wall, have stunted Port Pirie's production, but the townsfolk are confident that the glory days will return.

Port Pirie to Port Augusta is 92 kilometres

Port Augusta

"Crossroads of Australia" and Gateway to the Flinders Ranges, the outback and Spencer Gulf. Port Augusta is situated on the quiet waterways at the head of the Spencer Gulf, in close proximity to the spectacular Flinders Ranges.

Off to the west and south-west lie a range of hills which once marked the territory of the Nakuma Aboriginal tribe to the north-west are two remarkable flat-topped mounts, peacefully lying underneath the sky's vast blue canopy.

Port Augusta offers all the conveniences and facilities expected from a modern city. Modern shopping facilities are located within a friendly mall atmosphere, a number of historic places of interest can be viewed on a leisurely heritage walk and a variety of recreational facilities can be enjoyed. Port Augusta also makes an ideal base to explore the regions many attractions. 

Port Augusta to Roxby Downs is 256 kilometres

Roxby Downs

Roxby Downs is a pleasant modern town, located 92 km from the Stuart Highway, 265 km from Port Augusta and 571 km from Adelaide, which houses mine workers of the Olympic Dam and their families. It has educational, health, sporting, leisure, shopping and cultural facilities, all set out along pleasant quiet streets.

The Olympic Dam Copper Uranium Mine & Processing Plant is a huge mineral deposit with a vast ore lode, which has made it one of the biggest mining operations in Australia. The mine is estimated to produce 45,000 tonnes of copper cathode, 1900 tonnes of yellow cake, 27,000 ounces of gold and 555,000 ounces of silver.

Accommodation in Roxby Downs is first rate and there is a variety of restaurants and cafés. The town has a cultural precinct recently constructed with a Visitor Information Centre, Booking Office, Interpretive Display, Art Gallery, Auditorium, Theatrette, and the Dunes Café. There is also a leisure centre with a pool, netball and basketball courts, squash and tennis courts, and a full gym.

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