15

definitely somewhat more reasonable! :-)

if you are seeing the eclipse then I think this means it is late November. I question whether that is a good time to drive to Uluru, 'only' 990 miles each way but could be very very hot, and you have isolated road safety issues; think water, food, shelter etc. Also remember it may not be possible to swim in the sea outside stinger nets, although I think it is ok out at the reef.

the telescope is about 380km from Sydney. So that will be a day there plus seeing it, and a half day back. Doesn't leave you long in Sydney. Remember the flight from Adelaide will take up most of the day of travel too.

alternative suggestions for South Australia - Fleurieu Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula (we loved this, loads to see and do and not too busy). Kangaroo Island will obviously need a different rental car.

16

Your itinerary up to Adelaide is fine but why not hire a car and drive to Sydney over the final 2 weeks as it's a great journey (skip Uluru as it's just to far to drive). To do the Great Ocean Road you have to drive almost to Melbourne anyway so just keep on going around the coast to Sydney. At a guess Adelaide Sydney 2,000kms with lots of spectacular sites.

17

better but how about flying from cairns to uluru (not alice springs-you can fly to uluru!) and staying a night or 2 then flying to adelaide.then driving adelaide back to sydney via the place you want to go incl parks.

18

I've driven from Cairns to Adelaide coming home from a job. Took me 5 days solid driving. Kangaroos aren't the issue on the drive, cattle are the issue. If you drive around dusk or night you will be driving at 70-80km/hr which will mean that with the huge distances you'll get nowhere at night.

19

I'd fly Cairns to Alice Springs, rent a car there, and drive it to Adelaide or Melbourne. If you fly to Adelaide and want to go to Uluru and then to Kangaroo Island, will back track the best part of 1000 miles. Work out the time and money on fuel saved, vs the one way hire cost.

Also, be very wary, to the best of my knowledge, only some rental car companies allow you to take their vehicles on to Kangaroo Island. Ask first.

If it were me, I'd roll it like this, albeit without Kangaroo Island.

Day 1 Arrive Alice Springs. Pick up rental car. Explore some of Alice Springs in the afternoon, perhaps the telegraph station and sunset at Anzac Hill.
Day 2 Hit the Western MacDonnell Ranges, Simpsons Gap, Standley Chasm, and out to Ormiston Gorge if you feel like it.
Day 3 Visit Desert Park in the morning, then drive to Kings Canyon in the afternoon, circa 5 hours drive. Stay at Kings Canyon Resort, or Kings Creek Station.
Day 4 Get up early and do the rim walk before it gets too hot. It will take a good 3-4 hours, maybe more, but it's my favourite part of the red centre. Drive to Yulara resort afterwards (about 4 hours). If you arrive in time, do sunset at Uluru.
Day 5 Go see Uluru. if you want to climb it, do your research on it first (the indigenous owners don't like it, and it's closed frequently in the hotter months). Otherwise, do the base walk, visit the Cultural Centre, and head out to Kata Tjuta in the afternoon. Take a packed lunch, the cultural centre used to have a cafe, I guess it still does, but it may not. These things change rapidly!
Day 6: Big driving day, about 7-8 hours. Get up early for sunrise over Uluru, leave by about 9am. Drive to Coober Pedy. Stop at the NT/SA border for a photo, lol.
Day 7: Explore Coober Pedy in the morning, there's a bit to see and do. You've got about an 8.5 hour drive to Adelaide though, but the good news is, you can do the last stretch ok in the dark if needs be. If you're interested in wine tasting, consider overnighting in the Barossa Valley instead.
Day 8: Perhaps spend a morning in Adelaide itself, then start moving towards Melbourne. Either head along the coast through the Coorong NP to Kingston SE. About 4.5 hours drive time., or Inland to the Grampians NP staying in Halls Gap, about 5.5 hours.
Day 9: If on the coast, have an easy day drive to Port Fairy (quaint fishing village) or Warrnambool (larger city) for the night, exploring along the way. Mt Gambier worth a look for the Blue Lake. If you've gone to the Grampians, explore the area for the whole day, plenty of BushWalking, then drive to Port Fairy/W'bool, an easy 2 hour drive.
Day 10: Start the Great Ocean Road, driving as far as Apollo Bay for the evening. Plenty to see and do, you'll be going against the traffic generally.
Day 11: Apollo Bay to Melbourne, another easy day drive. Drop the car off if you can, parking in the CBD is a pain and expensive, otherwise drop off the next morning.
Day 12: explore Melbourne sans car. You don't need it, really.
Day 13: Take a day tour to the Penguin Parade if that's your thing, or to the Yarra Valley for the wines.
Day 14: Fly to Sydney and then home. Better yet, book your flight to arrive in to Sydney, and depart from Melbourne if you can. Coming from the USA, this shouldnt be too difficult to achieve. You may end up going via Sydney anyway, especially on United.

You could save a bit of time by flying to Uluru and skipping Alice Springs, but I think it's worth the effort. I DEFINITELY think Kings Canyon is worth the visit.

Hope that is of some help.

20

So you fly from Cairns to Adelaide, then go North to Uluru & then try head south-east to the Great Ocean Road? I don't think that's going to be achievable. The roads will be pretty average through the rural parts of Australia, these are really remote areas of Australia.
You've still planned huge distances. If you're wanting to do the Great Ocean Rd why not head into Melbourne, its a fantastic city.