- Feb 4, 2022
- 3 min read

Pimba Rest Area

Pimba Rest Area, SA’s Far North

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Rest Area location : Corner Stuart Highway and Olympic Dam Highway

Located 480 km north of Adelaide, and 800 km south of the NT / SA border, Pimba rest area is quite an isolated location, that frequently accommodates travellers and freight carriers in need of a place to relax while passing through.

It is situated 100m off the Stuart Highway and 200m from the interstate rail line, and being in the middle of nowhere, makes it convenient to pull in and break the monotony of the highway.

At the rest area you’ll find a large area to park, on mostly gravel. The grounds will fit up to 30 cars / caravan set ups, with a decent space in between, giving you quiet from your neighbours. It’s just a small $5 donation to stay, and quite possibly time limited, but there was no signage suggesting this.

There is no need to book in, and you can arrive at any time. The small donation is accepted just inside the roadhouse nearby.

Just 50m from the rest area, you’ll find Spuds Roadhouse which services passers-by with fuel, food and a toilet stop. There’s a good range of food options in store, refreshments and a limited selection of auto parts and caravan / camping accessories. There’s even a bar, and a country style spacious outdoor dining area to sit and enjoy the outdoors.

Opposite the entry to the rest area are the toilets and showers. The toilets are clearly well maintained and quite up to date in fixtures. We even encountered a cleaner servicing the toilet block when we arrived. The showers seem to be used quite minimal. They run on gold coins and the hot water was a treat in the morning. A little bit of maintenance to repair things like wall tiles and mirrors wouldn’t go astray, but nevertheless it was lovely to have the facilities available to us.

The rest area offers BBQ facilities also, again operated by coins but are clean and inviting to make use of. Located in the BBQ site are a good amount of picnic tables and chairs, and all are covered by a tin roof. The weather really heats up in this part of the country, so the shelter is a welcome relief from the blazing sun.

Being that the rest area is Adelaide side of Coober Pedy and beyond, meant that it wasn’t a new place for us to stop. We had been through this part of the area a few times previous, however had never seen it so busy. We arrived shortly before 6pm, and even then we parked in one of only 5 or 6 spots left. By the morning, the rest area was full.

As there is no access to power or drinking water, it is highly suggested that if you are going to stop overnight at Pimba, you should be self sufficient with your energy and water, although bottled drinking water is available for sale at the roadhouse.

All in all, a nice place to pull off the highway, stretch your legs and stay overnight if you are done travelling for the day.