Ayers Rock
 

Is it worth it to go to Ayers Rock and include the Sounds of Silence Dinner - a four day/3 nights tour for a first time Australia visitor?

Mary<BR><BR>Ayers Rock can be a unique experience for many people. It is also an aboriginal spiritual place. Once you arrive at Ayers Rock, or Uluru, there's not too much to see except the rock. I would doubt of you would need two nights. The hotels there are fairly expensive as is Sounds of Silence dinner. When you add this to the cost of flying to Ayers rock - the whole trip becomes quite expensive. If I could do it over I would probably spend more time in Sydney and the barrier reef.

Hi, Mary!<BR>Uluru is quite a sight, but, when all is said and done, it's just a big rock, and once you've walked around it for a while, what can you do with it? You wouldn't spend four days and three nights looking at Niagara Falls, would you? The problem with Uluru is that it's so far from everywhere that to get there is hard on both your schedule and your budget, and the accommodation is way overpriced, as the tourists are the only reason for a settlement. If you want to see the outback of Australia without it costing you an arm and a leg, you could probably do it cheaper by taking a plane out to somewhere like Broken Hill and then getting the train back to Sydney or Melbourne or Adelaide or wherever. Then, as Nikki suggests, you'll have all that extra time and money to spend at the Reef or in the major centres!

I think that Uluru is a magical place that is worth visiting. Instead of a tour, I would fly to Alice Springs, rent a campervan, and do my own tour, which would include Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Kings Canyon, and the McDonnel Range. To be sure, there is quite a bit of driving here (over 1000km), but you will get a much better appreciation for the varied terrain and vastness of the Red Centre!

Hi Mary, I definitely agree with Alf that Uluru is a very special place and worth the time and expense to see and spend a few days. There are also some other large formations called the Olgas which are also interesting. We also did a sunset helicopter ride over the Rock and you get a completely different perspective from above. FLying into Alice Springs and driving from there sounds good. We spent 5 weeks in Australia on our trip and drove from Sydney across and up through Coober Pedy on to Uluru and up to a little place called Tennant Creek before heading east & back toward the coast to Brisbane and then down to Sydney, about 5000 miles. Being out in the desert for hours at a time truly gives you a feeling for the country and we found wonderful little motels in little towns to stay in. We have done a lot of travelling over the past 10 - 12 yrs. around the world and this trip still stands out as one of the most enjoyable. Have a great trip.

The Olgas = Kata Tjuta

<BR><BR>Ayers Rock = lots $$$; lots of bugs; lots of rock; lots of time

Ayers Rock is one of those places that you visit once with no desire to return.

I totally disagree with John.

I went to Ayers Rock in 1991, did the sunrise base tour and climb. It was fantastic and for the view from above, I rated it as the spot no. 1 of all my 27 intercontinental trips.
I am planning to go back this august and really can't wait.......

Hi Mary,
Well this is quite a mixed bag of replies isn't it?
We've been to Uluru twice and had a wonderful experience both times. IMHO you need to be able to experience a sunrise, midday and sunset at Uluru. Also there is the Cultural Centre which I thought was well worth a look.
There is a free ranger guided 'Mala Walk' available at Uluru. The base walk around Uluru will take about 3 hours.

At Kata Tjuta there is the Valley of the Winds walk, which will also take about 3 hours.

I've not done the Sounds of Silence Dinner but now regret that I didn't do it whilst I had the chance.

I could be just an old romantic but for me there was quite a spiritual feeling at Uluru.

You make up your own mind but my vote is yes, definitely go and do your 4 day 3 night tour but if you're feeling a little adventurous why not do what Alf suggests and hire a van and take in the other surrounding sites.

Kings Canyon, Ormiston Gorge etc are truly spectacular places to visit as well.

I'll happily put my hand up and say that Kings Canyon and Uluru are my two most favourite places on earth.

Each to their own! :)

Hi Mary,

It depends entirely on the individual and your connection to the Earth, IMHO. If you've ever walked or sat alone in a forest, by a river or ocean &amp; felt a stirring in your soul, that's almost moved you to tears ...like Fabio &amp; others, you'll carry the spirit of it away with you in your heart.

If it's something on a list to &quot;do&quot; or tick off, you may not regard it as &quot;worth it.&quot;

But then, as a Northern Territory Tourism ad some years ago went ... &quot;You'll never, never know if you never, never go.&quot;

I think the length of your visit would probably depend on
* How long you're in Australia
* What other things in the area would interest you?
* Time of your arrival at Uluru.
* When you're coming - it can be very very hot in the middle of the day in the hotter months, and the hotel pool may have more appeal than hiking. It would be a pity to feel that you had to be out in uncomfortable weather in order to fit everything in.

Personally, I think you could have a wonderful experience in 2 days &amp; 2 nights if that works with your arrival/departure times. That would allow you time for the Sounds of Silence Dinner, a dawn walk around the Rock, walk through Kata Juta (The Olgas), a visit to the Cultural Centre (allow 2+hours &amp; try to do it before you see anything else.) That would give you a valuable insight into the land &amp; the people whose sacred sites you're visiting.

Agree with Bokhara in that the length of time you spend in the Centre depends on how long you have in total. And what you think you are going to find.

You could easily spend 5-6 days there if you have 3 months. Not just at the Rock (which imho is only one of the area's attractions, and maybe not even the most memorable one).

If you go all that way it is definitely worth seeing it at sunset and sunrise, and taking an early morning walk around the base (or part of it) with a local guide.

You mention a tour - if it is of the sort that gets you out sleeping under the stars - then yes - definitely worth it. And if it takes you to the East Macs, even more worth it.

Or you could fly into Yulara, do an overnight, transit to Alice, stay overnight; hire a car to see the East Macs yourself and fly out late pm (depending on flight times of course).

Another amazing thing to do is a day trip out to Chambers Pillar - one of the best tours I have ever done in Australia. But it is a full day and runs ex Alice - you would have to overnight there before and after. But actually, again imho, a better use of time than hiring a car to go to those on the beaten track locations - the Olgas and Kings Canyon.

Not knocking them - just wanted to say there are alternatives.

Finally - don't feel you haven't &quot;been to Australia&quot; if you don't go to the Centre. But it would be a shame not to visit somewhere that is totally non-city, and gives a taste of the vastness and the extraordinary landscape.

Cheers.

We went to Uluru in 2004 and had a wonderful experience. We stayed three nights. We did the &quot;Mala Walk&quot; and a ranger-led walk from the climbing place. We viewed the Cultural Centre, which is great, went to Kata Tjuta, sunrise and 2 sunsets. If you can afford it, I would go. Others have spoken about the beauty of the area and I agree. We were there in July and it had rained some weeks previously so everything was green and flowers were blooming. And no flies!
Sally in Seattle
p.s. you don't need to do a tour if you don't want to--we rented a car and did our own thing.

I'm not quite sure why this thread from 2002 has re-surfaced, but I will take this opportunity to say that my wife and I are SOOOO glad we decided - at the last minute - to include Uluru into our trip to Australia in 2004. I won't say it was the highlight of the trip (the whole trip was wonderful), but we're very glad we did it.

From reading this thread, I'm wondering if we're going too far in the other direction, and spending too much time in the Red Centre. Here is our plan (we will be there in late September):

3 nights in Uluru:
Day 1: Arrive from Adelaide at around 1:30 p.m. and go to Sounds of Silence Dinner
Day 2: Sunrise at Ayers Rock, then do base walk. Visit Cultural Center. Sunset at the Olgas or Ayers Rock.
Day 3: Sunrise at the Olgas and hike the Valley of the Winds (do the entire hike, so I assume this will take a while).

2 nights in Alice Springs:
Day 4: get up very early, drive to King's Canyon--do the hike. Then drive to Alice Springs. Possibly stopping at Stuart's Well, etc. I wanted to see the Rainbow Valley at sunset--but I guess we may not have time.

Day 5: Visit Alice Springs Desert Park, Telegraph Station OR go to Ormiston Gorge and Standley Chasm. &quot;Take a Camel to Dinner&quot; at 4:00 p.m.

Now I'm wondering if we are staying in Uluru too long. That 3rd day seems kind of empty. I guess I'd figured we'd need to do all our hikes in the morning, before it gets hot--so I had to just keep adding days.....on the other hand, maybe we should take the extra day in Alice Springs. Not sure.

(just to give you a frame of reference, we will have just spend 5 nights in sydney, 4 in adelaide/kangaroo island--and after leaving Alice Springs, we will spent 4 nights in Darwin/kakadu (this may be a bit rushed) and about 10 nights at the Great Barrier Reef/Daintree/Tablelands).

What should we do about our Red Center itinerary? Any ideas?

I wonder if you know about Dinky , the world famous singing and piano playing dingo who lives at Stuart's Well

ps he's greeeeeat

AndrewDavid

Mary
My husband and I and our then 9 year old stayed at an expensive hotel in Ayers Rock it was worth every cent! The best thing we did was book the breakfast sunrise to see Ayers Rock fantastico, you also get to see native animals and dingos you can pat!! We visited the rock and did the base tour, in my younger days when I was 20 I climbed the rock its hard work your sorta got to run up and down the rock to get to the top if you go on a bus tour don't sign the book they won't wait for you, I know from experience.
Have a great time its GREAT!!!!

AndrewDavid--
Dinky is why we're stopping there!! Couldn't miss that!

Caligirl56,
I have been to Uluru and Alice Springs twice. I LOVE the area. On our last visit we arrived from SYD in early afternoon. Took the sunset tour to Olgas (walked for 45-60 mins up a canyon). Next morning took sunrise tour of Uluru with stop at cultural center. Sounds of Silence dinner in the evening (we still talk about how fabulous that was). At the SOS dinner, we watched the sun set on Uluru and the Olgas. Next morning...don't flame me, but we climbed Ayers Rock. It had been a dream of mine for 20 years. So for my 50th birthday, my DH, DS and I climbed it. We started at 7A. We where the only ones at the top at about 8:15A. OMG, I will never forget the feeling. To me it was very spirtual. Anyway, back to the hotel by 10A and left for Alice Springs at 1P.

We did not visit King's Canyon. Hopefully we will return so we can visit it. However, we visited Palm Canyon while in Alice Springs. Rough ride, but it was so fascinating to see an oasis out in the middle of the desert.

Each person responses to Uluru diffferently. I look at it as a place of nature and spirtual awareness. Soak in the surroundings..never enough time for me.

The town of Alice Springs is just OK. If you decide to spent more time in Alice Springs, explore the surrounding area.

Your trip sounds fabulous. I've been to Great Barrier Reef area three times and love it. Visited Darwin/Kakadu on our last trip. Oh, heck, Austalia is a great place to visit. People are so friendly and helpful.

RosieR- Signing book at the top of Ayers Rock is no longer there. I was told rangers did not like to climb up everynight to get it. Maybe also to discouage people from climbing. I may not have left my signature, but I left a piece for my heart up there.

Thanks so much for the encouragment. We'll definitely won't cut out anytime there. I still wonder if I should add a day in Alice Springs so we can see both the Ormiston Gorge and the Desert Park, though?

As I already mentioned I did the climb of the rock in 1991, as also many others have done, as I can see from your posts. I am now wondering whether or not it is still possible to do the climb or if they closed it due to safety reasons. Hope yes, and that I did not misread it somewhere ! I am coming back this august !!

Hi Fabio,
You may climb Uluru (Ayers Rock) if you wish (subject to weather conditions); but the Aboriginal owners of that area much prefer that you don't.

It's a sacred site for them and, I suppose, they feel much the same as we would if people climbed all over our Church, Mosque, Temple, or Synagogue.

The rangers close it to climbers if it's too hot/cold/wet or windy for safety reasons. Sometimes, as when I was there last March, it's only closed for 3 or 4 hours (wind then) but if people are on a tight schedule,they do need to understand it might not be possible to do the climb within that timeframe. As you'll be in the area for a few days, this aspect probably won't worry you as much as the day trippers. BTW, I was surprised at how windy it was very early in the morning - and cold, too. August will be colder in the mornings and, possibly, quite windy.

Regrettably, death &amp; accidents to climbers are a fact, so the rangers need to minimise risks to climbers as much as possible.

thank you !

My mind goes back to that nov 1991.
I started the climb with cloudy sky. I reached the top and it was fantastic. After a while it started raining !!!
I remember how dangerous it was to descend the slippery and wet rock by just hanging very strongly to the chain with both my hands, step by step down, facing the rock and my feet so that I could not see below !!
I, as many others, did not have proper trekking shoes but just sport shoes and it was really very slippery.
I was one of the last to complete the descend and the ranger just closed it immediately!!

It was very impressive and fantastic !
By the other side I felt much better once down on ground again and I could say that I found one of the very few rainy days at Ayers Rock !

Fabio,
I made my climb in August. We started at 7A (about the time the gate opens). It was COLD. Gloves help. It was also windy. I had a sweater on, but wish I also had a wind jacket. Good luck.

caligirl56

Dinky rocks! When I first wrote about him everyone on the site thought he was a figment of my imagination.

Neil Cammack actually found an ABC interview. The only problem was the interviewer talked to much and Dinky only had a short time to sing and play! Maybe Neil can repost that link

AndrewDavid

When are Dinky's performances? We won't be stopping there from the night, simply going past on our journey from King's Canyon to Alice Springs. I guess we probably won't hear him sing then... Am I right?

We emailed ahead of time and Dinky did a special early morning mini-performance for us.

Also, I highly recommend Uluru. We missed the Sounds of Silence dinner because my son was ill, but we dic have a memorable experience in the clinic.

How can I join some Uluru guided base and walk tours when I drive there by my own?

Fabio:
Try this link: http://www.ananguwaai.com.au/anangu_tours

I didn't do their tour, because I didn't know about it, but I will next time because I think Aboriginal guides would add another dimension &amp; insight.

Can't reember if it's been mentioned - but do visit the Cultural Centre when you get to Uluru. Allow a couple of hours ... lots of interactive stuff that kids (young &amp; old) wll like, and a great introduction/refresher/resource before seeing the rest of Uluru area.