I will be spending 5 days in the Ayers Rock/Alice Springs area. I have already signed up for the "Sounds of Silence" dinner at the Ayers Rock Resort. Can anyone suggest any other "don't miss" tours or things to see? (other than Uluru, itself, of course!) I am very interested in nature and learning more about aboriginal culture. If relevant, I am a reasonably young athletic woman traveling solo. Thanks for any suggestions!

By the way, I'll be blogging about my Australian travels from May 3 through May 22, if you're interested in checking in! www.paynoattention.net I've blogged about some of my past travels there too -- to Croatia, Scandinavia, Thailand and other places.

In Alice Springs, definately go to Papunya Tula (one of the earliest Aboriginal art co-operatives), it's in the main street. That is also one of the best places to buy Aboriginal art, the money goes back to communities.

The Desert Park is a really good zoo with nocturnal displays and a variety of habitats. It will help you see the variety of desert climates etc when you are out in the bush.

Olive Pink's Botanical Garden is well worth a visit and her biography makes fantastic reading, she was an early defender of the rights of Aboriginals (the book is by Julie Marcus).

Araluen is the cultural centre it's a bit out of town, it has a wonderful permanent collection of Albert Namatijira watercolours--he is one of the first Aboriginal artists to paint in western style.

At Uluru, there's the also a good cultural centre, with instructions on how to do the self-guided round the rock walk.Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) is the other thing to see when staying at Yulara. There are more walks there--Valley of the Winds is a good walk.

A guided Harley ride around the perimeter of Uluru just before sunset is a lot of fun. You can ride on the back of one of the guide's motorcycles if you don't know how to operate a motorcycle.

Thank you! Great ideas!

The camel ride and dinner at the Frontier Camel Farm <http://cameltours.ananguwaai.com.au/> was very worthwhile. We did this a few years ago and found it to be a very unique experience and were glad we did it. Definitely bring your camera as you'll want a picture or two for next year's Christmas cards. Also, they do pick up and drop off at local hotels.

I do have two words of caution: 1) Be sure to bring a fly net. (A mosquito head net purchased in the U.S. also does the job!) 2) When the Camel Farm offers you a sheepskin for additional padding on your saddle, take two. Otherwise, the entire ride may leave a lasting and possibly painful "impression" on you, particularly if you are the "sensitive" type. (You will not find this tip in travel books.) And finally, the dinner they serve after the ride is excellent!

Great that you have put aside five days for a wonderful part of Australia. But seeing as you have, why not make the best use of it?

What were you planning on doing? Spending days in mega expensive Uluru and booking short trips?

Given your interests why not do something really special? Stuff the falsity of Yulara - go on a trip that will show you all the usual but will also allow you to camp under the blackest night sky?

www.wayoutback.com

There are others.