Ayers Rock/Uluru
 

We are planning a trip down under, limited time frame, and are wondering if it is worth 2 1/2 days to see Uluru? Also is there a place to stay close to Uluru? Is the Sounds of Silence dinner really worth $120 a person?<BR><BR>Thanks for any input.<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>

Hi Gretchen,<BR><BR>If you are coming out to the Northern Territory as part of your holiday then yes Ayres Rock is a worthwhile side trip. If you intend to spend 2 days there then I suggest you take a trip to Kings Canyon on one of those days and spend the other exploring Ayres Rock and The Olgas.<BR><BR>As for accommodation at the rock, well there is a big tourist development town known as Yulara which has every level of accommodation available from camping to 5 star hotel.<BR><BR>Depending on when you are coming to Australia would depend on whether I would recommend going to the rock. If you are here in the months April through to September then I would recommend it, outside of those times then it is just too darn hot to be enjoyable and the flies are intolerable.<BR><BR>The Sounds of Silence dinner is enjoyed by many people and it will give you something to do in the evening.<BR><BR>Hope this helps.<BR><BR>Cheers<BR><BR>Paul S

Hi, Gretchen!<BR>Paul's advice is excellent; I might just add, however, that if you are flying to Uluru from a coastal city, such as Sydney, I think that you would be spending a great deal of time and money for what is really just one single tourist attraction. Uluru is so far from anywhere else that all facilities had to be specially-built just for the tourist trade, and, therefore, everything is top dollar. Even the "budget" camping accommodation isn't budget by the standards in other parts of Australia. The indigenous people who are now custodians of the area would prefer that you didn't climb the rock, so, really, all you can do is look at it, and eat your $120 dinner. I think your time and money might be better spent.

Paul & Alan,<BR><BR>Thank you for the honest replies. We would be at Uluru mid December. Sounds like the heat and the flies would make this trip very unpleasant. I agree with you Alan, there is a better way to spend the time and money.<BR><BR>Really appreciate your input! (:&gt;)

Gretchen:<BR>As someone who has visited Uluru in November of 1999, you've made the right decision.<BR>I like to measure an attraction on the basis of "would I do it again". From a money standpoint, definetly not. There are many places in the world that I won't get to see. I've made my peace with that. Had I not visited Uluru, I would have neither lost nor gained anything.<BR>On the other hand, there are places in the world that I have visited that I long to return to, ie, Edinburgh, Paris, London, Queenstown, Christchurch, Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmania and others. <BR>Be at peace with your decision, it's the right one.<BR>John