Heading To Ayres Rock

[harvyk]

Just about anywhere underground is good, apparently if you stay in a hotel on the surface you'll get no sleep thanks to the road trains...

When I was there I stay'd in something that was kinda like a dorm (Loads of bed's in one large room) but can't remember the name of the place. (Think it's mainly used for groups)

Also I don't quite rememeber how far up devils marbles are, but their also worth seeing if you can fit it in...

[drcook]

Hi guys,

suggest any advice / tips

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

dont fall off.

[Buf-Phoon]

Take the evening "Dinner in the Bush" tour which consists of a bus dropping you off in the midddle of the bush where you partake in a meal of all things Australian (chinese / curry) such as crocodile, wild boar, emu, kangaroo etc.  The joke of it was that you wouldn't have a clue what you were eating as it was pitch black with the only source of lighting being a solitary candle placed in the middle of each table.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hahahha The meal also includes crillions of Aussie Grasshoppers. Went on one of those Dinner in the Desert thingees,and could barely breathe without inhaling the farkers

[hafadude]

Hey, from a person who has visited Uluru twice and Alice Springs many times, I would definitely recommend that you go there. The Rock is amazing at sunset/sunrise and walking around the base is great. Excellent buffet restaurant at the Yulara Resort and the buffet is world-class. Stay at the Lost Camel. Yes also see the Olgas 'cos they are amazing.

The restaurants are very good in Alice Springs. Try that amazing pub called Bojangles (lotsa fun at night and try the Big Bugger steak) or the Red Ochre Grill. The surrounding areas are great. See Stanley Chasm, Territory Wildlife Park and the McDonnell Ranges. All are not far from town.

The drive between Alice and Uluru is good. No speed limit most of the way and seeing Mt Connor is amazing. Many people think it's Uluru. Petrol is not cheap out there though and you might not get premium.

I live in NT so tell me if you want some tips. Central Australia is a top place and believe it or not, I am not biassed or involved in tourism!

[EvilDaifu]

I live in NT so tell me if you want some tips. Central Australia is a top place  and believe it or not, I am not biassed or involved in tourism!

Hi hafadude,

Thanks for the tips.

Not sure if you or any others have any suggestions on accomodation, but I'd like some recommended places for accomodation over-night at Alice Springs and Coober Pedy for a family - 2 adults and 2 small children? Would prefer to know about places people have actually stayed at and what they thought about them.

Looks like I'll be using unleaded when I get there. Sort of looking forward to driving on some roads without speed limits, though don't think I'll be going very fast with a full family holiday load.

Don't know much about road-trains. I have heard you have to give way them a wide berth or something. Are there any suggestions about how to treat road-trains when I encounter one?

Thanks.

[kawerx]

can you still climb ularu?

I also am heading to the nt from melbourne next month.want to see the rock,kings canyon,kakado,also flinders rangers,far northQld,NSW.

do you think this is too far in 1 month.

[EvilDaifu]

I also am heading to the nt from melbourne next month.want to see the rock,kings canyon,kakado,also flinders rangers,far northQld,NSW.

do you think this is too far in 1 month.

I think a couple I knew about 5-8 years ago did a loop similar to that in about 4 weeks - Melbourne - Adelaide - Ayres Rock - Darwin - Townsville - FNQ - down the east coast back to Melbourne. They did it in a little Pulsar hire car and I think they pretty much drove all the time. I don't think they had the luxury of stopping and spending a day or so at places that appealed to them.

[hafadude]

Evildaifu and kawerx,

In Alice Springs I can recommend Alice Springs Resort or Crowne Plaza. The first one has a very good restaurant called Barra on Todd that serves excellent barramundi. The second has one of the best Thai restaurants in Australia called Hanuman. Rooms are good in both, service is good and both are very near town (not that Alice is that big anyway!). I have stayed at both and they're both fine. Haven't been to Coober Pedy so can't say anything about that town.

You can probably get premium gas in Alice itself so no probs there. If you are staying on the main roads, they are sealed and very good so you won't have any problems with road trains. They are long (they can haul 4-5 trailers at a time) when you pass them but your T will flash past them when you get on the boost! You really only have to be careful if you meet one on a dirt road, and yeah, give 'em plenty of room. The open speed limits are great and it's easy for the speed to creep up when you are on those LLLOONNGG roads. You find when you slow down to 100km/h, it seems like a snail's pace. You find most people drive around 120-140km/h on the open roads here. If you are stopping, watch your speedo as you slow down 'cos you can get tricked a bit after cruising for hours at high speed

One word of caution when driving in NT. There can be plenty of overseas tourists from Europe during peak season and they sometimes forget we drive on the left side of the road. They are also not used to the long distances and drive when they are tired or go off the bitumen at high speed on to the dirt so they do have the occasional prang

kawerx, yeah you can still climb Uluru but the traditional owners prefer that you don't. You also have to fairly fit to climb it and not afraid of heights. There's a bunch of memorial plaques at the base for the people who died from climbing the Rock from heart attacks ot whatever. I did start to climb it one time but turned back after 5 minutes. I had a great time walking around the base and there's plenty to see. Don't miss out on the sunset though and sunrise is super stuff. Depending on the time of year, it's bloody cold in the morning and you can even get ice crystals on your windscreen. If you have a month to do your trip, it should be plenty but will depend on whether you want to stop anywhere for a while. You will also enjoy the drive between Alice and Tennant Creek on the way to Darwin. You'll see the Devil's Marbles and make sure you stop at the Wycliffe Well Roadhouse. It's a real hoot (only in NT!). You'll see what I mean when you stop there. And of course, stop in Katherine to see the gorge. When you get to Darwin, you can use that as the base to see Kakadu, Litchfield, Mindil Beach markets etc

Just remember guys, that Alice is about 4-5 hours drive from Uluru so, no you can't see it from your hotel in Alice. If you guys want any pics from my past trips just tell me and I will PM them to you

[EvilDaifu]

hafadude,

Thanks for the tips about the places to stay at Alice Springs and about the road trains.

I read elsewhere on the web that if you do want to climb Ayres Rock, you need to do it either early in the morning as it gets unbearably hot there during summer. May be a different story in winter? Having read more about Ayres Rock and seeing your advice, I probably won't be climbing it because it's described as quite steep in parts and a long climb for small kids (though I know they'd love a piggy back up it ).

Also read that it's $16.50 per person (Adult or Child) for a 3 day pass to the Uluru and The Olgas area. So I guess it's 1 day at Uluru and 1 day at The Olgas. 4-5 hours one way between Uluru and Alice Springs is a far distance. Sounds like it means leaving Alice Springs about 2am in the morning to catch the sunrise (or are the changing colors of Ayres Rock happening all the time during the morning?). Probably catch the sunset instead

[hafadude]

EvilDaifu,

Yeah, that climb up Uluru is steep. I would not take kids under about 13 up there. I will try to attach a couple of my trip photos to give you an idea of what it's like. One of the shots shows the first stage of the climb and you will even see that part of it has no supporting chain so when you come down, some people skate down on their bums. Turned me off The other shot shows how far up I already was when I took the other shot. You can also see the Olgas (Kata Juta) in the background. Piggy back? Absolutely no way even if the kids are small, unless you are Arnold the Terminator!

That cost sounds about right. Why don't you stay overnight at the Yulara Resort near the Rock. It's actually a bunch of hotels and apartments owned by Voyagers. That way you can catch the sunrise and not feel totally stuffed when you get there, especially with the kids. You can eat cheap or have one of the best international buffets in NT (gawd, I should be getting commission for this!).

The Olgas are worth seeing at sunset too. Whatever you do though, take hats and lotsa sunscreen. Not much shade out there.