Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Rock in a Day?
It's a loooong day to visit Uluru in a day from Alice by road. Many organ-
ized coach tours pack a lot—perhaps a Rock base walk or climb, Kata
Tjuta/the Olgas, the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre, and a champagne
sunset at the Rock—into a busy trip that leaves Alice around 5:30 or 6am
and gets you back late at night.
Murray Cosson's Australian Outback
Flights
(
&
08/8952 4625;
www.australianoutbackflights.com.au) does an
aerial day trip from Alice Springs that includes flights over Kings Canyon,
Gosse Bluff meteorite crater, and Lake Amadeus; a rental car at Ayers
Rock; National Park entry fee; and lunch. It costs A$512 (US$332) per per-
son (based on a minimum two passengers).
You should consider a day trip only between May and September. Other
times, it's too hot to do much from early morning to late afternoon.
Tips
By Bus Greyhound Pioneer
(
&
13 20 30
in Australia) makes a daily trip
from Alice Springs (trip time: 5
1
⁄
2
hr.), dropping you to your hotel door at Ayers
Rock Resort. The fare is around A$71 (US$46).
By Car
Take the Stuart Highway south from Alice Springs 199km (123
miles), and turn right onto the Lasseter Highway for 244km (151 miles) to
Ayers Rock Resort. The Rock itself is 18km (11 miles) farther on. (Everyone
mistakes the flat-topped mesa they see en route for Ayers Rock; it's Mt. Conner.)
If you want to rent a car in Alice Springs and drop it at Ayers Rock, brace
yourself for a one-way penalty. Only Avis, Hertz, and Thrifty have Uluru depots:
Thrifty charges a one-way fee of around A$110 (US$72) for bookings under
3 days; Hertz charges A$137 (US$89) for bookings under 7 days; and Avis
charges A$137 (US$89) for bookings of 2 days or less.
VISITOR INFORMATION
For information before you leave, contact the
Central Australian Tourism Industry Association (CATIA),
60 Gregory Ter-
race, Alice Springs (
&
08/8952 5800;
www.centralaustraliantourism.com), or
drop in to its
Visitor Information Centre
if you visit Alice Springs. One of the
best online sources is Ayers Rock Resort's site (
www.voyages.com.au
).
The
Ayers Rock Resort Visitor Centre,
next to the Desert Gardens Hotel
(
&
08/8957 7377
), has displays on the area's geology, wildlife, and Aboriginal
heritage, plus a souvenir store. It's open daily from 8:30am to 7:30pm. You can
book tours at the
tour desk
in every hotel at Ayers Rock Resort, or visit the
Ayers
Rock Resort Tour & Information Centre
(
&
08/8957 7324
) at the shopping
center in the resort complex. It dispenses information on and books tours as far
afield as Kings Canyon and Alice Springs. It's open daily from 7:30am to 8:30pm.
One kilometer (just over
1
⁄
2
mile) from the base of the Rock is the
Uluru-
Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre
(
&
08/8956 3138
), owned and run by the
Anangu, the Aboriginal owners of Uluru. It uses eye-catching wall displays, fres-
coes, interactive recordings, and videos to tell about Aboriginal Dreamtime
myths and laws. It's worth spending some time here to understand a little about
Aboriginal culture. A National Park desk has information on ranger-guided
activities and animal, plant, and bird-watching checklists. The Centre also has a
cafe, a souvenir shop, and two Aboriginal arts and crafts galleries. It opens daily
from early in the morning to after sundown; exact hours vary from month to
month.
