Hi,
I will be visiting Ayers Rock in Dec07.
Is it possible to get the viewing areas of Ayers Rock without hiring a car or going on a tour - ie. go by bus? Want to get there before sunrise.

Thanks Mark

I suppose you could walk but you'd have to get up very early. It's a few miles/kilometers. Be aware that not all sunrises/sunsets have the burst of color on the rock, so plan on going as many times as you can if you want more chances to see it. Our sunrise was a dud, colorwise, but great otherwise. Driving around there is very easy, no traffic to speak of. Do not miss going to Kata Juta and take the hike there. From what I have read, Dec. is very hot and lots of flies, so take your DEET and sunscreen!
Sally in Seattle

Uluru Express (http://www.uluruexpress.com.au) offers a shuttle from the resort to Uluru and Kata Tjuta.

ALF

Thanks for that - exactly what I was looking for - pay $40 AUD instead of $200 is much better.

Another question for you - for the Sounds of Silence dinner - do we need to pay $25 to get into the national park?
Thx Mark

Well, you have to pay to get into the Park at some point, but once you are in (and that includes the Resort area), you don't have to pay again. The only way that you would have to pay the entry fee for Sounds of Silence is if that was the sole reason why you were coming, and you intended to leave afterward.

We had hoped to do the self-drive option--just so we'll have more flexibility. But we're worried about breaking the rental car contract by driving before and after sunset. We'll be at the Ayers Rock Resort--so it'll be close--I just worry about taking the risk.

Caligirl56
Are you saying that you cann't drive a hire car after dark - that's nuts?? Surely it must be if you are going off road??

ALF - I understand - the resort is in the NP, so I guess you pay when you get to the airport? We are coming for 2 nights & I was looking at the different tour options & some included the $25 fee, some didn't. Do not want to pay twice.
Thanks Mark

Actually, not allowing driving after dusk is not as crazy as it sounds. The odds of hitting a 'roo or eagle, or other nocturnal animal are quite high. We have had several night-time white-knuckle driving escapades in the NT, with several near collisions, and a couple of actual collisions. We bought a van that came with heavy-duty 'roo bars across the front that we thought were ridiculous until we realized how many animals walk the roads during the night.

I would think nothing of driving around Yulara or Uluru/Kata Tjuta, but it would be a risky adventure to go full tilt down a highway.

As for the Park entrance fee, I don't know where you would pay it, as we drove in.

There a rule against driving after dark at Ayres Rock?
Must learn to read the entire car rental contract!

I thought that the "no driving after sunset" applies to all of the Northern Territory (for rental cars)--that would include the Darwin/Kakadu, Alice Springs and Uluru area, I think. I really hope that I am wrong. Does anyone know?

in 2004 we encountered the no driving from dusk to after dawn rule in Kakadu. Not in Uluru that we knew about and actually did drive back in the dark from Kata Tjuta which was quite scary, but nothing jumped out in front of us, luckily. Heard from another person that there were camels on the road right after we had gone through.
Sally in Seattle

p.s. it is not only a rule, by the way, but your insurance does NOT cover you during the predark to post dawn times.
Sally in Seattle

Caligirl: I'm a local & have been driving on Australian country roads for 40+ years and I don't drive between dusk & dawn on them if I can avoid it.

Regrettably, in 200+ years, we haven't been able to teach 'roos, emus, pigs,'possoms, koalas, wombats or (in the Ayers Rock/Alice Springs area) those pesky camels, any road sense or courtesy. And, as all the natives prefer to feed in dusk to dawn hours, we who know the place prefer to let them have their run of it then.

Just my 2 cents worth

Sounds like the shuttle may be the safest way to go!