Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(Dec-June) A$277-A$343 (US$180-US$223) hotel room double. Extra adult A$27 (US$18). Children under
16 stay free in parent's room with existing bedding. High season A$100 (US$65) lodge room double; A$168
(US$109) quad-share; A$185 (US$120) family (to sleep 5). Low season A$98 (US$64) lodge room double;
A$163 (US$106) quad-share; A$178 (US$116) family. No children in lodge rooms unless you book entire
room. Tent sites A$28 (US$18) double; powered sites A$32 (US$21) double. Extra person A$11 (US$7.15)
adults, A$5 (US$3.25) children 6-15 in powered campsite. Children under 16 dine free at breakfast and din-
ner buffets at Carmichael's with an adult. Ask about packages in conjunction with Ayers Rock Resort and Alice
Springs Resort. AE, DC, MC, V.
Amenities:
Restaurant; cafe; 2 bars; 2 outdoor unheated pools; outdoor lit
tennis court; volleyball court; bike rental (from nearby gas station); tour desk; limited room service; coin-op
laundry. In room:A/C, TV, fridge. Hotel only: TV w/pay movies, minibar, hair dryer, iron.
5 Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (Ayers Rock/The Olgas)
¡
462km (286 miles) SW of Alice Springs; 1,934km (1,199 miles) S of Darwin; 1,571km (974 miles) N of Ade-
laide; 2,841km (1,761 miles) NW of Sydney
Ayers Rock/Uluru is the Australia tourism industry's pinup icon, a glamorous red
stone that has probably been splashed on more posters than Cindy Crawford has
been on magazine covers. Just why people trek from all over the world to gawk
at it is a bit of a mystery. For its size? Hardly, nearby Mt. Conner is three times
as big. For its shape? Probably not, when most folks agree the neighboring Kata
Tjuta/Olgas are more picturesque. You can put its popularity down to the faint
shiver up the spine and the indescribable sense of place it evokes in anyone who
looks at it. Even Aussie bushmen reckon it's “got somethin' spiritual about it.”
In 1985 the
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
was returned to its Aborig-
inal owners, the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara people, known as the Anangu,
who manage the property jointly with the Australian government. People used
to speculate that the Rock was a meteorite, but we now know it was formed by
sediments laid down 600 million to 700 million years ago in an inland sea and
thrust up above ground 348m (1,141 ft.) by geological forces. With a circum-
ference of 9.4km (6 miles), the Rock is no pebble, especially because two-thirds
of it is thought to be underground. On photos it looks like a big smooth blob.
In the flesh, it's more interesting—dappled with holes and overhangs, and its
sides draped with curtains of stone, creating little coves hiding water holes and
Aboriginal rock art. It also changes color from pink to a deep wine red depend-
ing on the slant of the sun.
Don't think a visit to Uluru is just about snapping a few photos and going
home. You can walk around the Rock, climb it (although the local Aborigines
prefer you don't), fly over it, ride a camel to it, motorcycle around it on a Harley-
Davidson, trek through the Olgas, eat in an outdoor restaurant, tour the night
sky, and join Aboriginal people on guided walks.
Give yourself at least a day in the Uluru area; you could easily stay two or
three.
Isolation (and a lack of competition) makes things like accommodations,
meals and transfers expensive at Ayers Rock. A coach tour or four-wheel-drive
camping safari is often the cheapest way to see the place. See “Exploring the Red
Centre,” at the beginning of this chapter, for recommended tour companies.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE By Plane Qantas
(
&
13 13 13
in Australia) flies to
Ayers Rock (Connellan) Airport direct from Sydney, Alice Springs, Perth, and
Cairns. Flights from other ports go via Alice Springs. The airport is 6km
(3
3
⁄
4
miles) from Ayers Rock Resort. Expect to pay around A$115 (US$75) one-
way. A free shuttle ferries all resort guests, including campers, to their door.
