crosscheck

Aussie experts - Would appreciate feedback on this itinerary. Should we cut a day off our Sydney visit so we can have 2 nights at Uluru instead of 1? We are going in Aug. with our two boys, 11 and 14. We like to settle into places. The way it stands we have 4 nights each in Fiji, Darwin and Sydney, with just one night at Uluru in between.
Days 1-4 (4 days, 4 nights) - Fiji
Days 5-8 (3 days, 4 nights) - Darwin (visit friend and see Kakadu or Litchfield)
Days 9-10(2 days, 1 night) - fly to Alice, drive to Uluru. Sails in the Desert, Sounds of Silence, fly to Sydney next day.
Days 10-13 (3 days, 4 nights) - Sydney

shandy

Uluru is certainly worth 2 nights IMO (Kings Canyon and the Olgas are wonderful too) but if you add an extra night there you will certainly be cutting down your Sydney time. I suppose it comes down to do you like the outback or the city more. In view of the fact that you already have time scheduled for Kakadu you might consider the time is better spent in Sydney. Is it possible for you to fly straight in and out of Uluru (Ayres Rock Airport) so that you don't have to drive to and from Alice Springs? This will maximise your time at Uluru and mean you can skip the 450km drive each way.

We had a lovely stay at Sails in the Desert and a great time at the Sounds of Silence Dinner so enjoy yourself.

longhorn55

I don't think I can add anything to shandy's advice about Uluru--it was spot on. However, may I suggest that you visit Litchfield N.P. as opposed to Kakadu. First of all, it's much closer to Darwin so that you won't spend so much time in the car. Secondly, my kids (who were the same age as yours when we went) were fascinated by the gigantic termite mounds at Litchfield and swimming at Wangi Pool there was one of the highlights of our trip to the Top End. On the other hand, we found Kakadu to be much more crowded, very expensive and with a lot less to do. The highly-touted Yellow River cruise was good, but the boat was absolutely PACKED! You would need at least one night in Kakadu to do it justice. If you have only a day to devote to an out-of-town trip, I think you and your kids would love Litchfield.

myaustralia

I would definitely spend 2 nights at Uluru. Although Sydney is nice and has lots of things to do, the Outback is unique to Australia. And the area around Uluru has a lot to offer.
Most people only visit the Olgas and Ayers Rock. However there are other great places like Kings Canyon (absolutely spectacular), Ormiston Gorge, Simpson Gap, Stanley Chasm.... only to mention a few. Try to visit Kings Canyon, you will like it.
Agree with shandy, try to fly into Ayers Rock directly, saves you a 6 hour drive through nothing to reach Ayers Rock. You can spend this time exploring the area.

To me the best and cheapest way of exploring Sydney is by the Sydney/Bondi Explorer buses (http://www.sydneypass.info/sydneyexplorer/). You get on and off at the best sites whenever you want.

crosscheck

Thanks, all. We are flying to SYD from Uluru, but couldn't get flight there from Darwin, so we have to fly to Alice and drive. Will do Litchfield instead of Kakadu. 99% convinced to change Uluru to two nights, though change will be costly....

Lyndie

Another vote for Litchfield. It is glorious! If you had one full day and one night at Uluru it might be sufficient. We got a bit bored looking at that great big rock for hours. My partner walked around it and loved that experience and the visitor's centre is very interesting. We saw the rock at dawn & dusk & in between and it was enough for us. Good luck!

crosscheck

Thanks, all. Spoke to our friend in Darwin and he too suggested Litchfield; we will be going with some local families. He also said one full day and night in Uluru should be fine.

AndrewDavid

crosscheck,
100 kms south of Alice is Stuart's Well, the home of Dinky the world famous piano playing and singing dingo of Central Australia. You will all love him.
A/D

christellefv

one night is not nearly enough! i stayed 3 nights.. sleeping in a swag under the stars.. and i wanted to stay longer. i never got tired of seeing sunsets/sunrises at uluru and kata tjuta!

crosscheck

AndrewDavid - Wouldn't miss Dinky! Will he be around in the morning?
Would love to stay at Uluru longer, but the urbanites in my family want to move on to Sydney...

AndrewDavid

ctosscheck, He's always around, but not always performing. He only sings when he wants. The beer at Jim's is good so easy to wait for Dinky!

AndrewDavid