If you’re heading to Central Australia or the Outback (Uluru, Alice Springs, Kings Canyon or Hermansburg), this travel guide will cover everything you need to pack. I lived in Central Australia for 4 months, from March to July, and I packed all the wrong things. Learn from my mistakes with this packing guide!
If you are planning on moving to the Outback to work, I have a full guide detailing my experiences (the good, the bad and the just plain bizarre), which you can read here.
Central Australia Season
The most important thing to consider is the season you are travelling in. Central Australia is a seasonal travel destination. There are three main seasons: Peak Season (winter), Low Season (summer) and Shoulder Season (spring and autumn).
Peak Season
Peak Season is May-September as the weather is mild (20-30 degrees Celsius during the day). This is the busiest time to visit, and flights and accommodation will be more expensive. However, you can access the hikes at any time of day, and the risk of heat-related injuries is fairly low. The temperature at night can be quite chilly (it can get down to 4 degrees Celsius overnight), so bring warm clothes.
Low Season
December-February is the low season as the high temperatures make it difficult/dangerous to complete hikes. It regularly exceeds 35 degrees Celsius during the day, and park rangers will close the parks between 9 am and 11 am. That means that you will have to start the hikes prior to either 9 or 11 in the morning. Even then, it is blisteringly hot at this time. The risk of heat-related injuries is high, and every year, there are tourist fatalities in areas like Kings Canyon and Uluru due to this. The benefits of visiting during these months are that there will be significantly fewer people and flights and accommodation are often much more affordable.
Shoulder Season
If you are trying to visit at a more affordable time, try to visit in the shoulder months of October/November and March/April. These months are cooler than the summer months but with fewer people and lower prices than the winter months. This is the best time to visit if you’re a backpacker, as you’ll save money but still be able to do all the activities safely.
Given the majority of people will be travelling within peak season (winter), this guide will cover exactly what to pack for winter. If you’re travelling in the shoulder season (primarily March-April and October-November), it will be much warmer even at night. Still, I would be packing warm clothes as it can still get quite chilly.
Clothing
Dresses
- 1 playsuit
- 1 summery dress
Bottoms
- 1 pair of denim shorts
- 1 pair of linen/ lightweight shorts
- 2 pairs of hiking/fitness shorts (e.g. bike shorts)
- 1 pair of leggings or hiking pants
- 1 pair of linen pants (if shoulder season) or jeans (if winter)
Tops
- 1 linen shirt
- 1 short sleeve shirt
- 3 basic t-shirts
- 2 singlets/ tank tops
- 2 long sleeve tops
- 2 jumpers/ sweaters
- 1 warm jacket
The most important thing to consider when packing clothes is colour and material. While packing white and lighter-coloured clothes will be the coolest for warm temperatures, they are also the most likely to be stained by red dirt (and there is red dirt everywhere!). While you should pack lighter-coloured clothes, try for more taupes and light greys or white clothes that you don’t mind if they get dirty.
It also gets really cold at night in winter, so make sure you pack things you can layer. During the day, it is pretty mild, so you can wear either shorts or pants. As soon as the sun goes down, you will want to be wearing a few layers, like pants, jumpers and a jacket.
Undergarments
- 1 bathing suit
- 15 pairs of underwear
- 2 bras
- 7 pairs of socks
Footwear
- 1 pair of trainers or hiking boots
- 1 outdoorsy sandal
- 1 closed-toe casual shoe
You can definitely get away with only two pairs of shoes if you don’t have much room in your luggage. Ideally, one pair is a walking shoe with a good grip or a hiking boot. The second pair should be a versatile pair of sandals like Birkenstocks, Tevas or Crocs. If you have the room, a third pair of nicer closed-toe shoes like Converses or even Doc Martins would give you a pair of shoes to wear at night that aren’t hiking shoes but will still keep your feet warm.
Accessories
- Sunglasses (and a spare pair)
- Hat
- Small carry bag
- Tote Bag or small day backpack
Toiletries
The most important thing with toiletries is packing enough for the length of your trip. There are very few stores, and a lot of them won’t have a great range of stock, so better to bring toiletries and cosmetics with you. If you are moving to the outback for work, you can order toiletries online to be delivered to you if you run out (it takes like 2 weeks for deliveries to arrive, though).
Shower
- Body wash or bar of soap
- Shampoo and conditioner
- Exfoliating glove/ loofa or face washer
- Razor or other hair removal product
- Face wash and any other skincare products you use
Face
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Sunscreen!! Very important
- Moisturiser + lip balm (also important)
- Any Makeup products you may want
The air is really dry in Central Australia, so make sure you pack plenty of moisturising products for your body, face and lips. Also, sunscreen is very important as it is easy to get burnt everywhere in Australia, but particularly in the Outback, as you’ll be outdoors a lot more.
Nail/ Hair
- Nail clippers
- Nail polish
- Tweezers
- Hairbrush
- Hair ties/ pins
Medical
- Bandaids
- Hydralyte or other electrolyte tablets (very important!)
- Painkillers
- Antiseptic
- Any other prescription medications you use regularly
You can buy any medical supplies you need in the Outback, but it is a little more expensive here than in bigger cities. If you have the room, better to bring a few of these things with you to avoid paying the “Outback Tax” on products.
Technology & Entertainment
- Headphones or AirPods
- Books or Kindle
- Hobbies you can do offline, like a Sudoku book or craft products
- Powerbank
- 2 phone chargers (one as a spare)
- Universal Adaptor
The internet in the Outback is unsurprisingly not going to be the fastest. Depending on where you are, you may have better phone coverage or wifi (places like Alice Springs and Uluru). In smaller places like Kings Canyon and Hermansburg, plan to have very little internet access. The one thing I really wish I bought more of was things to do offline like games, crossword books or other craft supplies. There is a lot of downtime in the Outback and you may get bored if you only have your phone and that has no service.
Other
- Flynet (important)
- Carabiners
- Water Bottle
- Reusable Cutlery and tupperware (perfect for picnics on hikes)
- Driver’s license or form of I.D
- Microfibre towel or sarong
Carabiners are a literal lifesaver and so versatile, so make sure you buy a few before you leave! I use them to hang my sarong across the bunk bed like a makeshift curtain. Also, they’re so useful to attach shoes or your drink bottle to the outside of your backpack if it’s full. Also really great to bring reusable cutler and Tupperware so you can pack food to eat on longer hikes.
Things you don’t need to pack
- Raincoat (it rarely rains)
- Thermals (it gets cold but not that cold)
- Gloves, Scarf or Beanie- It gets cold at night, but personally, I was never that cold that I needed any of these. Also, when it is cold at night, you’re not really going to be sitting outside the whole night.
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