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Print ISBN
9781743609446
Destinations
Uluru, Alice & the Red Centre
Visit stunning Uluru and Kata Tjuta, or explore the awesome gorge of Kings Canyon in Watarrka National Park.
North to Darwin
From the deserts to the tropics, the Northern Territory is a splendid place to be during Australia’s winter months.
South to Adelaide
The road south will take you through Coober Pedy, where opal-crazed locals beat the desert heat in ‘cool’ underground houses.
Outback New South Wales
Explore this remote pocket of New South Wales, full of sleepy towns and dazzling displays of nature.
Ormiston Gorge, West MacDonnell Ranges
AUSTRALIAN SCENICS/GETTY IMAGES ©
AUSTRALIAN SCENICS/GETTY IMAGES ©
Uluru, Alice & the Red Centre
The Red Centre is Australia’s heartland, boasting the iconic attractions of Uluru and Kata Tjuta, plus an enigmatic central desert culture that continues to produce extraordinary abstract art.
ULURU (AYERS ROCK)
The first sight of Uluru on the horizon will astound even the most jaded traveller. Uluru is 3.6km long and rises a towering 348m from the surrounding sandy scrubland (867m above sea level). If that’s not impressive enough, it’s believed that two-thirds of the rock lies beneath the sand. Closer inspection reveals a wondrous contoured surface concealing numerous sacred sites of particular significance to the Anangu. If your first sight of Uluru is during the afternoon, it appears as an ochre-brown colour, scored and pitted by dark shadows. As the sun sets, it illuminates the rock in burnished orange, then a series of deeper reds before it fades into charcoal. A performance in reverse, with marginally fewer spectators, is given at dawn.
2 Activities
There are walking tracks around Uluru, and ranger-led walks explain the area’s plants, wildlife, geology and cultural significance. All the trails are flat and suitable for wheelchairs. Several areas of spiritual significance are off limits to visitors; these are marked with fences and signs. The Anangu ask you not to photograph these sites.
The excellent Visitor Guide & Maps brochure, which can be picked up at the Cultural Centre, gives details on a few self-guided walks.
Base Walk Walking
This track (10.6km, three to four hours) circumnavigates the rock, passing caves, paintings, sandstone folds and geological abrasions along the way.
Liru Walk Walking
Links the Cultural Centre with the start of the Mala Walk and climb, and winds through strands of mulga before opening up near Uluru (4km return, 1½ hours).
Mala Walk Walking
From the base of the climbing point (2km return, one hour), interpretive signs explain the tjukurpa (Aboriginal law, religion and custom) of the Mala (hare-wallaby people), which is significant to the An...
Table of contents
- Cover
- How to Use This eBook
- Contents
- Welcome to Outback Australia
- Outback Australia Map
- Outback Australia Highlights
- City Guide
- Need to Know
- Road Trips
- Destinations
- Driving in Australia
- Behind the Scenes
- Our Writers
- Index
- Back Cover