Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Alice Springs – a very special trip to Australia’s Red Centre

When we decided to go to Australia we knew we had to experience the outback and see Uluru/ Ayers Rock. By the time we got to planning it we were short on time and funds so it was just a four day trip to the red centre for us. But it was an incredible four days!

The scenery was just breathtaking with the bright red sandy ground and green bushland on flat plains meaning you could see for miles and miles. It was so different to anything I’ve ever seen before! And George and I got engaged at Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) so it was just the most special and wonderful time 🙂 <3

During the four days we saw Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Kings Canyon and Alice Springs.

If you’re heading into this area I’d definitely recommend hiring a car, it’s the best way to see everything and means you can have these stunning sights a bit more to yourself. We flew into Ayers Rock airport, picked up our car, then gave it back at Alice Springs airport where we flew out to Cairns. Weirdly, it was cheaper to do it this way as the flights from Ayers Rock to Cairns were super expensive.

Uluru

This enormous red rock is an icon of Australia and is so impressive. Watching the sunset here is an absolute must – the rock turns so many different colours, it’s just amazing! But it’s also a really interesting place. This natural landmark has been culturally important to the aboriginal people for thousands of years. We did the Mala cultural walk and it was fascinating to hear the stories and see the ancient artwork in the caves. The walk doesn’t cover the whole base of Uluru – that takes about four hours – but the 1-2 hour Mala walk does cover a decent section and I’d definitely recommend doing it. It’s free! There are two each day – we did the one at 10am and there’s another in the afternoon. The nearby cultural centre is also really interesting with Aboriginal history, stories, artwork and videos all in relation to Uluru.

It is still possible to climb Uluru if the weather allows it, but it was closed while we were there. Regardless of the weather, the climb is forbidden under Aboriginal law so we would never have considered it. They ask you not to climb it for your own safety and for respect for their culture. It is their sacred place and just to be there and see the rock itself is a spectacular experience.

Entry to the Uluru – Kata Tjuta National Park is $25 per person for a three day pass.

Another thing that is available to see at Uluru at the moment is the temporary art light display – the Field of Lights. This is a display of hundreds of fibre optic lights on a grass plain in front of Uluru, which all change colours to reflect the colours that the landmark turns during sunset. It’s so, so pretty! We were lucky to have a clear night and see it all under the stars, it was very cute! You do have to pay to see it but it’s worth it, especially as it’s only there a limited time.

Accommodation wise, the only place to stay within a four hour drive of Uluru is at the Yulara resort. With zero competition it’s quite expensive. There is a hostel but the campsite is the cheapest option. There is an IGA with reasonably priced food but budget plenty of money if you want a drink – the only bottleshop is just at the bar where you’re looking at $35 for a six pack of beers and no goon in sight ha!

Kata Tjuta

As George planned this lovely trip, I didn’t know much about the Olgas/ Kata Tjuta before we got there. So its beauty really caught me by surprise, it’s gorgeous! It is like a small mountain range of big red rocks that are similar to Uluru, with green grassy areas and bushland around it. The views are just astounding!

There are lots of walks you can do around this area in what’s called the Valley of the Winds. There’s a circuit walk that takes about four hours but as we didn’t have lots of time we went for the shorter walk up to the Karingana lookout. All the info signs say it’ll take you two hours to get there and back, but it only took around 45mins for us to get there so it depends on your fitness levels and how long you spend up at the lookout. We spent a while there as this is where George proposed 🙂 so lush! Despite many attempts from the very chatty Aussie John, we failed to get a decent picture up there with us and the view in the same shot haha!

We didn’t have chance but it’s also supposed to be a beautiful place to watch the sunset and sunrise.

Kings Canyon

As I mentioned above, it was cheaper to drive to Alice Springs and fly to Cairns from there rather than flying from Ayers Rock airport. But we were more than happy with that as it meant we got to see another place! And the scenery along the drive there was amazing! Except for when I bumped off the edge of the road and got us a flat tyre… oops ha!

Kings Canyon is about a third of the way from Uluru to Alice Springs and is a lot quieter than both places. It’s a long line of red mountains either side of a canyon in the middle of nowhere and it’s just stunning. I loved seeing the trees growing from the side of a red rock face and walking along the pebbles where sometimes (not often) the river flows. We didn’t have much time as we set off from Uluru late and we wanted to avoid driving in the dark because of the nocturnal wildlife in the outback. So we didn’t have time to do the longer two or four hour walks around the canyon. Unfortunately, the lookout platform of the one hour walk was closed as it’s been destroyed by rockfall, so we missed out on seeing the canyon from high up. But it was still gorgeous from the canyon floor! 🙂

Alice Springs

I thought this was quite a strange little place, it made me think of an old Western film with ranch/saloon style buildings, trucks and people wearing cowboy hats. We only had a day here but it was an interesting place to wander around.

It’s worth driving up to the town’s Botanic Gardens as the views from the top of the hill there are absolutely stunning with mountainous hills all around Alice Springs. It’s also a good place for wildlife – we saw a perentie lizard and lots of birds, and it’s apparently a good place to see wallabies and kangaroos around sunset.

Another great nature spot is the Telegraph Station. You can walk from here right into the city, but we turned back at the park’s boundary as we had the car. It’s a lovely walk along the riverbank, which had zero water in it while we were there, and we saw a couple of wild kangaroos! There are also rock wallabies living along this walk, but they are difficult to spot any time other than dusk so we didn’t see any. The kangaroos were great fun though!

We stayed at Alice’s Secret Backpackers while we were there, which was a really cute little place with a pool, TV room, book room, and games including an outdoor chess board painted on the floor with bottles of sand as the figures! The reception can also help you out with trips and work if you’re staying longer. Definitely recommend this hostel! 🙂

All in all we had a bloody wonderful trip and I can’t recommend visiting the red centre enough. It feels like you’ve landed on Mars and it’s so unique. Even if it’s just for a few days, you’ve got to see it!