What age to go to Ayer's Rock?
 

Wow! What a forum this is! I'm impressed and overwhelmed with the amout of information you all have.

We will be travelling in July/August (total 25 days) with our 2 boys (6 and 10). Are they too young to appreciate Ayer's Rock?

We'll be starting in Sydney, and also considering GBR and Darwin. We'll be spending some time in Perth with family, so will have a "home base" of sorts.

Appreciate any and all advice! Will also post some more specific questions in a day or two.

Hi runkfamily,

Your boys will certainly enjoy Ayres Rock they will most likely not have an appreciation that you will have but the WOW factor will still be there in their eyes.

Cheers

Paul_S

Hi there,
I agree with Paul, your boys will enjoy the trip, but you only really appreciate the area around Uluru (Ayers Rock) if you know and understand the aboriginal history and the meaning of the area to the local aboriginal people. It is a wonderful and spectacular place and you should definitely go! I would highly recommend the Great Barrier Reef to you. You and your kids will love it, snorkelling and maybe diving between colorful fishes and sea turtles. It is an experience you will never forget. Great place to start from is Port Douglas which is the closest to the Outer Barrier Reef. There are different trips catering for non-swimmers to dive specialists. Another great area up there is the Daintree Rainforest, another great place to visit while you are in the area. If you want more info and links to tour operators just visit
www.wonderfulaustralia.com

Hope this will help

PS: If you have time, you might wanna go to Monkey Mia (north of Perth) to see the wild dolphines. They will come up to the beach and you can get really close - kids will love it. Also visit the Pinnacles - spectacular!!

Hi Runkfamily, I've just come back from Ayres Rock (Uluru)and am sure your boys will LOVE it! There's a particularly good Cultural Centre, with interactive displays and would be an excellent "first stop" on your way to the Rock itself. My advice would be to go to the Cultural Centre in the afternoon and then get to Ayres Rock pre-dawn and walk around it as the sun comes up and strikes the various faces. It truly is an experience you & your family will remember. There are a couple of links which will be helpful and I'll dig them out and post later for you. In the meantime, please feel free to ask any questions you like - can't guarantee I'll know the answer, but will give it my best shot.

How are you travelling to Ayers Rock?

We went to Uluru with a 6- and 10-year old, and they had a blast! There are tons of things for them to enjoy. Both went on a camel ride at the Yulara Camel Station, that they thought was great fun. Another big hit was grilling our own steaks at the Outback Pioneer. We all liked taking a guided tour along the base of The Rock, with an Anangu guide (Mutijulu Walk). The night sky is incredibly starry, so a trip to the Ayers Rock Observatory is fun and educational (and much cheaper than the Sounds of Silence dinner). We bought our son a small Aborigine spear and woomera at the Cultural Centre, and he became quite an expert with them. Hopefully the blowflies will be gone by July - they were terrible in late May/early June. You might want to check to see if you will need headnets to keep the buggers off you and your kids. Finally, a sunrise hike in the Valley of the Winds, at Kata Tjuta was enjoyable, with all the strange rock shapes that the kids could explore.

We took our 6 yo daughter to Uluru last October. Since it was our first stop in Oz, I didn't plan any bus tours because I thought we'd want to relax. I now wish I had, because we skipped Kata Tjuta -- I guess we'll have to go back! However, you do not need to take bus tours if you rent a car or take a shuttle.

If you're put off by the "sunrise" part of the tours, here's something to think about. Since it was our first stop (we came from Arizona), it took us awhile to adjust to the local time. We were up at 4 and 5 am the days we were there! Plus the tour bus parked right outside our room, so we would have been up anyway.

Enjoy your trip!

Just a couple of things I thought of: Make sure you take a warm jacket - it can be VERY cold in the mornings & evenings, and VERY windy around Uluru & Kata Juta (The Olgas). We were there at Easter and I was surprised how cold it could be for the first couple of hours. Then quite warm (mid - high 30's). The skies are incredible - with myriad cloud formations in the day and zillions of stars at night.

Just a note for any intending climbers: Firstly, the Aboriginal people prefer that we don't climb Uluru as it's a very important (sacred) place for them.

Second: If you do want to do the "Rock Climb", couple of notes about weather conditions which you might not pick up until you arrive - and then may be disappointed. Because the climb is deemed to be quite dangerous, if it's too wet,foggy, hot or windy, the Rangers close the climb. You'll still be able to walk around the base of the rock, though. Personally, although I haven't done the climb, I think the best perspective and view of its many facets is gained by doing the base walk at a leisurely pace. (10km - take a couple of hours or so.) The climb usually re-opens later in the day when weather conditions permit.

July / August should be a great time to visit - particularly if they get some rain as all the wildflowers will be out.

Besides the fact that it is indeed incredibly disrespectful to climb Uluru, it is also too dangerous to climb with young children.

It is indeed a very good forum for exchange. We too, plan to go to Australia and Ayers Rock is in the agenda for Christmas day. What is the best way to get to Ayers Rock from Cairns - direct flight or fly to Alice springs and take the bus/train. Can we cover anything else along the way from Alice Springs to Ayers Rock .?
For the walk around Ayers rock during sunrise - is this something we do on our own or with tour company? Sorry for the many questions.

It is a long ride on a bus from Alice to Uluru. The only reason to do it would be if you also wanted to visit Watarrka Natnl Park (Kings Canyon), or some of the attractions around Alice Springs (McDonnel Range, Desert Park, Standley Chasm). It might be smarter just to fly directly into Conellan Airport at Yulara, and you're there.

It is going to be awfully hot at Christmastime - I'd plan on trying to do most activities in the morning, before temperatures rise too high. You can walk along several of the trails that run along the base of The Rock. There is a free ranger-guided Mala Walk that goes from 8am to 10:30am. There are also guided Mutitjulu Walks that you can book through the Cultural Centre. Alternatively, you can get an inexpensive self-guiding pamphlet for either of these walks.

Lastly, I'd suggest viewing sunrise at Uluru from a more-distant viewing location. It isn't nearly as impressive up close.