MEREENIE LOOP – nowadays called ‘The Red Centre Way’ gives a grand tour of the very best of central Australia. The unsealed Mereenie Loop Road lets you drive directly from Kings Canyon (Watarrka National Park) to the West MacDonnell Ranges – or the other way round – without backtracking. It is a lovely drive through some beautiful desert country, certainly more appealing than the much longer detour along the sealed highway.If you want to visit not only Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Kings Canyon, but also want to see the West MacDonnells, or maybe Finke Gorge National Park (Palm Valley) and Hermannsburg, then you will probably use it. It’s an unsealed road and four wheel drive is recommended, but you usually don’t need it. The only exception may be after rain, if the road has been damaged, or if it is still wet. If it rained recently the road may be closed.