Uluru - A 5 Day Guide

My last bit of travelling in July took me to Uluru (previously known as Ayers Rock), often referred to as the heart of the 'Red Centre' in Australia. It is located in the south-western corner of the Northern Territories, pretty much in the middle of Oz! I went with some uni mates for 5 days, so I thought I'd do a blog which covers what you can get up to in that time, logistics and other things to be aware of when visiting.

Logistics

Getting there

Being right in the middle of Australia, Uluru is a pretty remote place! The nearest large town is Alice Springs, 450km away. As a result, the two main ways of getting here are: car or plane. As we were coming from Melbourne, direct flights are available from Melbourne to Ayers Rock airport (~3 hour flight time). Flight choice is limited, with most days the airport only seeing one flight arrive/depart, so it does limit the flexibility of your stay. I flew with Jetstar for the first time on this trip - an average experience overalls. We had delays on both our flights, meaning a lot of waiting around in airports (something you want to avoid especially on short trips).

Where to stay

Pretty much the only place to stay around here is Ayers Rock Resort, in Yulara. This is closest place that has a range of accommodation available for all price ranges. We stayed at the Outback Hotel & Lodge, which was great for travellers on a budget (i.e., us!). It has access to all facilities, including a swimming pool, shops and all the other attractions on the resort. I would say it's also the most lively and social accommodation, with regular live music in the evening and travellers from all over the world. We got ourselves the 'budget quad room' which sleeps 4 in bunk beds, and used the shared bathroom facilities. Overall I was impressed with the quality of the accommodation, simple but clean and did the job.

There was the option of adding on a continental breakfast with your stay, which we did. The resort also includes transfers to and from the airport, and a free resort shuttle bus that takes you around within the resort (see map below). Ayers Rock Resort does have a monopoly on the area, with it being the only place you can stay at (if you're not camping). So you'll find that the prices for groceries, food and drink tend to be more expensive. That being said, the resort offers everything you need during your stay and I would recommend it to those coming to Uluru.

Day 1

Now that the main logistics are out of the way, I'll give you an overview of what we did each day. The first day was mainly travelling to our accommodation, settling in and preparing for the week ahead. The resort offers a huge range of excursions and tours (both paid and free ones). We went to a free guided tour of the gardens, where we learnt about the native plants used by the indigenous population and the benefits of them. We also stopped by the IGA (the supermarket) to grab some snacks for upcoming day trips.

Food-wise, don't expect world-class food, but there are still plenty of spots on the resort to grab a bite, serving various cuisines. Options for those on a vegetarian/vegan diet are limited, but you can get by. I tried some stir fried rice from 'Ayers Wok', which was decent.

Day 2

Camel Farm

In the morning we went to see the camel farm in Yulara, a 10 minute shuttle ride away from our room. The camel farm also has a camel museum, where we learnt about the origins and development of camels in Australia. They were originally brought to the country from the 1840s until the early 1900s to help with infrastructure (railroad) development through the outback. As technology advanced, camels were no longer needed and so many were released into the desert, living as feral animals. Something I learnt - the largest population of wild camels in the world (at ~1 million) isn't found in Arabia, but in Australia!

Kata Tjuta

In the afternoon we had booked ourselves onto the Kata Tjuta tour. Kata Tjuta (meaning 'many heads' due to the shape of the rocks) is a group of large domed rock formations. No one knows exactly how they were formed, but it is suggested that 400 million years ago, as the sea disappeared, rocks folded and tilted with the tectonic plates. Kata Tjuta shifted slightly, with Uluru (more on that further down the blog) tilting 90 degrees. Over the last 300 million years, the softer rock eroded away, leaving behind what we see today - Uluru & Kata Tjuta.

The tour took us through the valley and explained the importance and background of Kata Tjuta, with plenty of spots for photo opportunities. When you're up close to them, you really begin to understand how HUGE these landforms really are.

Stargazing

After dinner (which consisted of a vegan burger), we went and did some stargazing on the Astro Tour. Living in big cities for pretty much all my life comes with skies filled with pollution, like and smog. Out here, there was none of that. The tour took us out away from the resort, and pointed out to us the various constellations, how to identify them and the physics behind stars. They also had some powerful telescopes that we could look through to see them close-up. Like when I was in WA, pictures do not do it justice but we tried to get some shots anyway!

Day 3

Kantju Gorge Walk

We caught the morning bus transfer to Uluru, and from one of the car parks we joined the free ranger walk. This took us along the Kantju Gorge walk. The original plan was to just to the Uluru base walk, but I'm glad we did the ranger tour. Its a great way to learn about the cultural significance of the rock, and takes you along part of the base walk route anyway.

Uluru Base Walk

Once the ranger walk was done, we started the 10.6km base walk around Uluru. It takes you round the entire perimeter, allowing you to see it from all angles. Note that it does require a moderate level of fitness, and be prepared! Dress appropriately, wear comfortable walking shoes, take plenty of water and snacks, and don't rush it. There are some huts and emergency phone boxes along the way if you do get into any trouble, and there's plenty of other people using the trail too that you can ask. If you can, start it early in the morning to avoid the hottest times of day.

Cultural Centre

After finishing up the walk in the early afternoon, we made our way to the Cultural Centre in the park to look at some aboriginal art. Once again, it was interesting to and eye opening to learn about other cultures, something which I feel like I did a lot on this trip compared to back in Melbourne or Perth.

Sunset at Uluru

The final stop of the way was a sunset viewing of Uluru. We got back onto the bus which took us to a viewing stop. As the sun was going down, Uluru changes colour, giving you different photos every 10 minutes! A great place to get some snaps of the rock too.

Day 4

Field of Lights Sunrise

This was an early start (5am), but we went to see the sunrise over the Field of Lights exhibition. This is an art installation with 50,000 LEDs in the desert, by Bruce Munro. We had the opportunity to wander through it, then watch the sunrise over Uluru with some coffee that was served to us.

Gallery of Central Australia (GOCA)

After a late breakfast, we went to the GOCA for a guided tour on the artwork in the gallery. Some of it was available to purchase, with international shipping available.

Other resort activities

Seeing as it was our last day and we had done a heft amount of sightseeing in the days before, we decided to take it easy on our final full day in Uluru. If you want, you can spend the day at the resort without getting bored, with activities including:

• Swimming
• Bars and restaurants to relax at
• Plenty of space to play cards, pool or just chat and enjoy the sunshine

Day 5

With check out at 10am, the final day of our trip was mostly filled with packing and travelling back to Melbourne. The airport at Yulara is tiny, meaning you can't get lost or have to travel far to reach your gate (there is only 1 gate!). Jetstar was delayed again, but on the plus side my seat got upgraded to the emergency exit seats, with extra legroom which was nice. It was a jam packed 5 days, so napping on the flight back to Melbourne was essential, but so glad I managed to come out here and explore the Red Centre!

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