Ayers Rock / Uluru

Ayers Rock or Uluru is a giant rock (referred to by many Aussies as 'The Rock') in the middle of Australia that has significant meaning to Aborigines, they nowadays own the rock again after the government handed it over to them in he 1980s on the condition they lease it back to National Parks.
The rock has a circumference of 8.5 km. and rises 347 metres above the surrounding plains.
William Gosse was the first white man to spot and climb the rock and named it after a former South Australia premier Sir Henry Ayers.
Geologists refer to this rock as both a monolith (it is the largest monolith in the world measuring 3.1km. in length) and a monadnock (isolated rock sticking out above surrounding country).

Click here to find the cheapest flight to Uluru / Ayers Rock

After the invention of political correctness in the 1990s word got out in the media around the world that it greatly upset the local Aboriginal owners if people took souvenir rocks from this place, leading to people all around the world sending heavy parcels returning their souvenir rocks and filling the Uluru National Parks office.
More than 300 000 people a year visit the rock and busloads of people descend on this place for sunrise and sunset when cameras click away and the champagne flows (if you didn't book on the cheapest tour that is). Nowadays many people opt not to climb the rock as the local Aboriginal owners do not approve of it but many others still do. It is quite an effort and quite a few people have died from heart attacks here or rolled down the steep slope, especially before the chain on poles was put in. The chance of having a heart attack here is three times as high as elsewhere in Australia. Sometimes the rock is closed to climbers when the temperatures go too high or when it rains.

Uluru or Ayres Rock, sacred site and tourist destination

Accommodation at Uluru

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Getting to and around Uluru

Unless you are planning on some very long distance driving you will have to fly to Uluru.
Cheap flights are readily available on the internet now as competition around Australia is tough, try the sites below or see more cheap flights to Ayers Rock / Uluru here.

Budget Car Hire needs little introduction, the name says it all: car hire at Budget Prices with a car hire company with an international reputation, and this sites makes it even easier to find yourself a cheap hire car, or anything else with wheels: trucks,buses, campervans, utes, four wheel drives etc.

Shuttle bus from Alice Springs. You will travel from Alice Springs via the rugged West MacDonnell and James Ranges to Uluru (Ayers Rock). Stop en route at the Outback Camel Farm where you can take the opportunity to ride a camel, known to many as the 'ships of the desert' (own expense). View and photograph the unusual flat-topped Atila (Mt Conner), a mesa formed during a period of great uplift, then left to the savages of aeons of erosion. En route your Driver/Guide will provide an informative and entertaining commentary on the natural and geological history of the region. More info and bookings...

7 Day Darwin to Alice Springs bus via Uluru - Departs from Darwin and travels via Ayers Rock (Uluru), , Kata Tjuta (The Olgas), Kings Canyon, Kakadu National Park, Katherine Gorge, Litchfield National Park, Mary River Wetlands, Jim Jim Falls and Tennent Creek and arrives in Alice Springs. More info and reservations....

Camper vans

Central Australia is the perfect country to travel with a camper van! Pick up a camper in Darwin or Adelaide and explore the outback and the red centre at your leisure. Wide open roads, countless beautiful spots to pull over and camp, the freedom to go where and when you want, it is no wonder so many Aussies on retirement buy themselves a mobile home and spend years going around the country.
Nothing beats finding your own camping spot in the wild, having a cold beer admiring a wildly coloured outback sunset and a dinner cooked on the campfire under the magnificent starry skies.

Discovery Campervans is an Australian owned and operated company that specialises in organising campervan rentals in Australia but also in New Zealand.

Their fully qualified team handle your reservation queries and overlook all rentals placed. The benefit to you of having a dedicated team is that it provides a level of professionalism, product knowledge and experience to ensure that your rental goes smoothly, and you can enjoy your trip without any hassles. Yes, REAL People work here!

Discovery Campervans has been built and developed with the support and continuing assistance of the largest campervan rental companies in both Australia and New Zealand....
By booking your campervan hire through the Discovery Campervans website, you get to take advantage of our clever technology - showing up to date, competitive comparitive prices - and have the security of renting with established and leading brands in the campervan hire market.
Compare Britz, Maui, Backpacker, Kea and Apollo on one easy to use website.
Save Quotes, look at the layouts and full specifications and compare prices and package inclusions.

See our page Campervan hire in Australia for more useful info and links on renting a camper or RV in Australia

Stargazing at Ayers Rock

The skies in Central Australia's desert are clear most of the year, and the absence of cities spreading their lights makes this the absolute perfect place to watch the stars of the southern hemisphere! More info....

Tours to and around Uluru / Ayers Rock

Looking for tours to or around Uluru, the Olgas, Kings Canyon etc.? Check out the range of tours that you can book online through Viator.

Want to experience sacred sites known to the Aboriginal people, then dine under the stars of the Outback? This is a fantastic opportunity to explore unforgettable landscapes and feel the enchantment of the wilderness for yourself. Sit at your private dining setting in the middle of the desert and dine in the serenity of the Outback under a million stars, more info on this tour...

Uluru Cultural Centre
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