Visiting Oz for 1st time. Where to bushwalk in Red Centre?

[ThePilgrim]

Hi bushwalkers, I'm new here! I'm Nate, an American backpacker coming to Aus this winter. I've set my sights on the Larapinta Trail, and I'm making an itinerary around it. I'm hoping to hear from y'all about additional parks/hikes in the area that I should check out. I'm coming in from Sydney, so I'd also love to hear about parks along the road between Syd and Alice Springs which I can check out there and back. I love a challenge, but I'm open to anything between multi-day bushwalks and just stopping by the road to admire the view of someplace special. At the end of the day, I really just want to admire the beautiful nature of the land down under, so anything natural is nice!!! I won't have a 4WD vehicle with me, but I'll have my own car.

I think of myself as a fairly experienced bushwalker, I've gone on several week+ long hikes through the remote Sierra Nevada range of California. I've also done a bit of off trail navigation, but solely with the help of a Garmin; I'm embarrassingly bad when it comes to compass and map navigation, so please don't recommend any crazy cross country bushwalks that don't have an existing GPS file.

My current list of parks / hikes to check out are below: (I've heard great things of Kakadu Natl Park and the Top End, but that's a far ways away from Alice. If you guys think that its worth the journey up there, then let me know, but otherwise I'd like to keep these sidetrips centered within a few hours drive from Alice, or closely along the way between Sydney, as aforementioned.)
Larapinta Trail
Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park
Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park
Watakarra Natl Park -- Kings Canyon
Walpa Gorge, Mount Olga / Valley of the Winds Trail
The Giles Track
Jatbula Track (maybe, I've heard its overrated but if a spot frees up ill snag it)

Thanks for any recommendations you have!!

A photo of me last August overlooking the Minaret Range, from the ridgeline above Nydiver Lakes and Thousand Island Lake

[icefest]

King Canyon Rim and then Giles Track is quite nice.

There is a few decent off track sections around the Larapinta, but need to get permission for overnight off track walking.

[Warin]

From Syd to Alice? How long have you got? Just driving will be 3 or 4 days seeing nothing but the road. The short way is over 1,700 miles.
https://graphhopper.com/maps/?point=-33 ... nStreetMap

Blue Mountains. Quite a few days/weeks can be spent here. Including the 'Gardens of Stone National Park'
Flinders Ranges. Some days can also be spent here.

What car? Something with some ground clearance and then careful driving can get you to quite a few places that less careful people need a 4WD to get too.

Assume winter Oz time - that is summer your time.

[north-north-west]

Tnorala (Gosses Bluff) has a good short track system as is worth a visit although much of the inner area is off-limits for cultural reasons.
Finke Gorge has a number of good daywalk tracks and some good, easy off-track walking. Beautiful place and highly varied. Good car-camping sites but it's 4WD or foot access only beyond a certain point.
There are also good daywalks in the East MacDonnells.
There's more to Nitmiluk than the Jatbula. Excellent track system on the southern side of the gorge - a fast, fit walker could do the lot in a long, hard day but it's better to take your time and camp out near the far end of the tracks. Paddling up the gorge and exploring further on foot is also good fun.

Should be details and maps on the NT NatParks page.

[ThePilgrim]

From Syd to Alice? How long have you got? Just driving will be 3 or 4 days seeing nothing but the road. The short way is over 1,700 miles.
https://graphhopper.com/maps/?point=-33 ... nStreetMap
Blue Mountains. Quite a few days/weeks can be spent here. Including the 'Gardens of Stone National Park'
Flinders Ranges. Some days can also be spent here.
What car? Something with some ground clearance and then careful driving can get you to quite a few places that less careful people need a 4WD to get too.

Aye, its quite a drive, partly why I'm hoping to find out about places along the way. I'm hoping to get to the Larapinta in early July, and I've got until mid-August, so about 4 weeks of extra travel, not counting the Larapinta. I haven't chosen a specific car yet but I was probably going to get a Wagon, but heck I'll start looking into any affordable 4WD options if they'll take me to any hidden gems. Good to know about clearance but I'd hate to risk my car on an unsealed road, especially since I plan on living in it
Thanks for the tip on the Flinders range. Was def planning on the Blue Mountains, I heard good things about the Mount Solitary Track so I was thinking that before embarking my journey to Alice.

[ThePilgrim]

There's more to Nitmiluk than the Jatbula. Excellent track system on the southern side of the gorge - a fast, fit walker could do the lot in a long, hard day but it's better to take your time and camp out near the far end of the tracks. Paddling up the gorge and exploring further on foot is also good fun.

These all sound fantastic. Thanks a bunch, I'll incorporate these.

[ThePilgrim]

There is a few decent off track sections around the Larapinta, but need to get permission for overnight off track walking.

That's good to know. Can I get permits off the NT parks website?