Uluru

Uluru: The Climb Closed in 2019 and That Is the Right Call

Uluru is a sandstone inselberg (an isolated rock hill rising from a flat plain) 348 metres high above the surrounding desert and 3.6 kilometres long. It sits in the Northern Territory, 450 kilometres south of Alice Springs, within Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. The rock is arkosic sandstone, deposited as sediment approximately 550 million years ago and subsequently tilted by geological forces so that the strata run nearly vertical. Most of the rock extends below the surface; what you see is the upper portion of a much larger formation.

The Anangu are the traditional custodians of Uluru and have lived in relation to the rock and its surrounding landscape for at least 10,000 years. Tjukurpa, the Anangu system of law, knowledge, and spirituality, is embodied in the rock and the surrounding landscape features in ways that are not fully disclosed to outsiders. The climbing of Uluru was closed permanently in October 2019 after years of Anangu requests that visitors not climb. This was the correct outcome, and the experience of visiting Uluru does not require a climb.

The Base Walk

The walk around the base of Uluru is 10.6 kilometres and takes 3-4 hours at a moderate pace. The circuit follows the rock’s perimeter at close range and reveals a landscape that is not visible from the viewing areas: waterholes fed by rain running down the rock face, ancient cave paintings on sheltered surfaces, fig trees growing in crevices where moisture collects, and the rock surface itself changing texture and colour as you move around it.

The Mala Walk on the northwest side and the Kuniya Walk on the south side are shorter sections covering the most significant cultural features; the Mutitjulu Waterhole at the base of the Kuniya Walk is a permanent water source and one of the most important locations in the park. The cave paintings at Kantju Gorge on the Mala Walk are accessible and explained in interpretation signage.

The full circuit requires an early start: in summer (October-April), temperatures exceed 36 degrees Celsius by mid-morning and the walk becomes dangerous without extensive water and heat management. The park recommends completing the walk by 9 AM in summer. May to September is cooler (15-25 degrees Celsius during the day) and the comfortable time for the full base walk.

Kata Tjuta

Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) is 50 kilometres west of Uluru within the same national park. It is a group of 36 domed rock formations of the same geological deposit as Uluru, reaching 546 metres at the highest point (Mount Olga), which is 200 metres higher than Uluru. The Valley of the Winds walk is 7.4 kilometres through the domes with views of the interior of the formation from a series of lookouts. The walk is more physically demanding than the Uluru base walk and closes at 11 AM in summer due to heat.

Many visitors spend more time at Uluru than Kata Tjuta, which is a mistake of photography over experience. Kata Tjuta is a quieter, wilder landscape with more varied walking terrain and less tourist infrastructure at the site.

Sunrise and Sunset

The colour of Uluru changes dramatically with the light. At sunrise and sunset, the rock shifts through orange, red, and purple as the low-angle light saturates the iron oxide in the sandstone. The designated sunset viewing area west of the rock has car parking and a catered dune platform for a tourist experience of this. The sunrise viewing area is at the same location, requiring an arrival time calculated from the day’s sunrise (posted at the Cultural Centre).

Both sunrise and sunset viewing areas can be crowded with tour groups. Walking to the base of the rock in the early morning light without the viewing area apparatus is more interesting and considerably less crowded.

Staying at Ayers Rock Resort

The only accommodation near Uluru is at Ayers Rock Resort (Yulara), a purpose-built town 20 kilometres from the rock with five accommodation options ranging from the Ayers Rock Campground (from around $40 AUD per night for a powered site) to the Sails in the Desert Hotel (from around $300-500 AUD per night). The resort is managed by Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia. There is no off-resort accommodation near the park, so Yulara is the only option unless you camp within the park itself at designated sites.

Dining options at the resort are limited and expensive relative to quality; this is a consequence of location rather than anything else. The Night Sky Show at the resort, run on clear nights by a professional astronomer, is genuinely worthwhile: the absence of light pollution at Uluru produces a night sky that is not available from most inhabited places, and the southern sky includes the Milky Way galactic core, the Magellanic Clouds, and southern constellations not visible from the northern hemisphere.

Getting There

Ayers Rock Airport (AYQ) receives direct flights from Sydney (3.5 hours), Melbourne (3 hours), and other capitals on Qantas and Jetstar. Flights are expensive, particularly in peak season. The alternative is driving from Alice Springs (5-6 hours on the Stuart and Lasseter highways, sealed all the way).