Uluru, previously known as Ayers Rock, is nearly in the middle of Australia in the Northern Territory and is sacred to indigenous Australians which is why it is seen as the “heart of Australia”. Due to it being so remote, the closet town being Alice Springs a 5 to 7 hour drive away, it is not the easiest of places to get to but visiting is extra special.
How to get to Uluru
The closest airport is Yalara but more flight options are available at Alice Springs which many multi-day tours start from. I flew with Quantas who are a great airline, you’ll struggle to find cheaper alternatives with it not being a common flight path. It took around 3.5 hours from Brisbane to get there directly.
Different tour options
I chose as Adventure Tours Australia which was 3 days 2 nights with cabin camping (rather than sleeping in Swags which is like a sleeping bag where your face is exposed). As usual I booked with Viator so I can a bit more flexibility with cancellation options.
After flying for hours from any other Australian city I think its best to do a multi day tour. Everywhere is pretty remote so I wouldn’t recommend driving yourself plus the town of Alice Springs is very small so it’s better to spend time on a tour rather than finding something to do yourself.
What to bring
Leave most of your luggage at your hotel and bring spare change of clothes including long pants and a jumper for chilly nights and mornings in the desert. I definitely recommend a fly net for your face as during the day the flies are a real pest around your eyes ears and nose but with a net felt very comfortable. Also bring the usual battery pack, camera, water, sunscreen and bug spray.
What to do in Alice Springs before or after the tour
The town has some nice coffee shops such as Coffee 27. Also check out the Botanic Gardens at sunset where you’ll see wallabies and kangaroos hopping about (plus great views of surrounding ranges). If you have more time might be worth doing a day tour to the MacDonnell Ranges, I didn’t go myself but heard great things. For the nights before and after the tour I stayed at Alice’s Secret Travellers Inn which has been one of my favourite hostels so far. You share a caravan with two others and each caravan is decorated differently from Harry Styles Duvets to A Team and Baywatch murals on the walls.
Highlights of Uluru and the Outback
Seeing Uluru, the monolith rock, was magical. We went both at sunset then for a sunrise walk around the base at sunrise. The Mutitjulu waterhole was so peaceful, the perfect place to sit and listen to the eucalyptus trees blowing in the wind and take in this very sacred place.
The sunsets in the outback of Australia are incredible, such gorgeous colours! The sky also plays a big part in the colour of Uluru for example whether it’s more orange or red.
Kata Tjuta (also known as the Olgas) is across from Uluru and is another stunning place to visit. The magnitude is very impressive but personally I still preferred Uluru.
The perks of camping is you get to do some star gazing at night. With no light pollution we saw the Milky Way both nights as well as the Southern Cross.
The final day we did the Kings Canyon Rim Walk which was a highlight I wasn’t expecting. Such a different landscape to the rest of Australia we all really enjoyed it.
