If I have only 17 days should I go to Ayers Rock or stick to sydney and Cairns?

If you have 17 days in Australia and have only planned to go to Sydney and Cairns, then you certainly have the time to add Uluru to your itinerary. You will not need more than 2 nights there. So the question is: Do you want to go there?

I think 3 nights at Ayers Rock is optimal if you want get the most value for the time, money and effort getting there. This gives you a full day to explore Ayers Rock (Uluru) itself...hike around it (or climb it), do a guided walk, enjoy the visitor center, and see the sunset. It also gives you a full day at the Olgas, arguably an even more interesting rock formation about 40 miles west of Uluru. You'll have time to do the Olga Gorge walk as well as the phenomenal Valley of the Winds hike..the best one in the area, and one of the best in Australia, in my opinion.

I think winter months are the best for Central Australia...cooler temperatures and practically no flies.

Of course there are more great things to see in Central Australia if you have the time - Kings Canyon, the MacDonnell Range and gorges, Palm Valley and so on. But you'd need a good week to 10 days for all that.

Please don't take this wrong, I really want to know, what is the attraction of Ayers Rock ---- we will have about 3 weeks in Australia, including 5 or 6 days in Melbourne (including the Australian Open), the same in Sydney, and probably head up to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef. I know people talk about Ayers Rock as though it's must-see, but I just don't see it, and would love to know why.

dmlove, not everyone finds Ayers Rocks a "must see" especially if they have been to other areas in Australia that are more interesting and diverse AND cheaper. There is another rock in Western Australia that is many times the size of Ayers Rock and there are plenty of Aboriginal areas where you can a similiar "experience" such as in the Northern Territory i,e, Kakadu, Litchfield and Kathrine etc and in Queensland in and around Cairns and out in Carnarvon Gorge but in particular Lawn Hill National Park but for the best experience the Kimberleys and North West W.A is probably the best - but again that is expensive to get to-but worth it.

I would say the main attraction is the extraordinary beauty of Uluru (Ayer's Rock). I personally have never seen a more beautiful rock (although Sugar Loaf is a close second)!

Uluru rises straight out of very flat land (so there's a bizarre aspect to it), the colour changes at sunset/sunrise are astounding. As you walk round it, the different textures of the rock are beautiful. That's leaving aside the Aboriginal account of the rock and its formation and different facets, which is a whole other layer of meaning.

As RalphR indicates it makes more sense to visit Uluru in conjunction with other areas such as Alice Springs.

dmlove: Ayers Rock may not be for everyone, though I think most people, upon seeing it up close, would be awed by its enormity and its stark beauty. And it's not just seeing the rock, it's seeing (and hiking among) the Olgas nearby, the experience of visiting somewhere so very remote in such an inhospitable environment, the connection with Aboriginal culture, the bright red sand dunes, the brilliant night sky....

Liz..what's the rock in WA is that is so much bigger than Ayers Rock? I want to go.

Ralph, here is a website that can start you on the quest for more information.
http://www.discoverwest.com.au/weste..._augustus.html

Here is a little bit more information on Mount Augustus
http://www.naturebase.net/component/...58/Itemid,755/

If you were doing the NW or Western Australia then you could include it in your travels. You can get accommodation at some of the stations around the area as well. There is a park ranger at the base of the Mountain.