Uluru.

When a Google search produces over 6.5 million results, writing anything else about Uluru becomes SO redundant I’m tempted not to use it for my Aussie ABC.

What’s left to say about this massive monolith of sandstone 348 metres (1141 feet) high, 3.6 km (2.2 miles) long, 1.9 km (1.2 miles) wide and 3.33 km² (1.29 miles²) in size? With a 10 km (6 mile) hike around the base if you choose not to take the steep 1.6 km summit track?? And the slowly oxidising surface iron giving it that distinctive red colour, an instant worldwide recognition factor and over 400,000 visitors each year???

But Uluru is WAY more than just statistics. An Uluru experience can be awe-inspiring, surprising, fantastical, adventurous, mind-blowing, healing and deeply moving.

Nothing says Australia quite like Uluru.

And nothing says Uluru quite like the nine different first impressions of the Rock shared by nine (8 + me!) travel bloggers!

1 Linda – Journey Jottings

Since I discovered Linda’s fabulous Journey Jottings products back in my early blogging days, they’ve accompanied me to a LOT of Aussie Hot Spots! But not Uluru – yet, anyway!

Linda says: ‘Everyone has seen a gazillion photos of Uluru, but its magical presence simply can’t be conveyed in 2D. And It holds surprises – Hidden delights you can only discover when getting up close and personal.’

Did you know, there are waterholes at Uluru?’

2 Neil – Bushwalking Blog

By Neil’s Bushwalking Blog standards, a tactful person would describe MY bushwalking skills as ‘average’! Perhaps I can get some hiking credibility like Neil’s on one of the Aussie Hiking Tours on his new website!

But it’s not all about the walks. Neil’s first impression of Uluru didn’t actualy involve hiking …

Neil says: ‘I was in a pretty bad place when I visited Uluru. I’ll never forget how depressed and hollow I felt as I drove out the Lasseter Highway, and then how its energy completely overcame me as I approached, and I burst into tears and had to pull over. My healing began right there on the side of the road, staring at that incredible rock.’

3 Jo – Zigazag

Jo’s fabulous travel and lifestyle blog Zigazag is a go-to for anyone who wants to discover Western Australia’s hidden secrets AND tales of travel from around the world! But Jo’s WA roots didn’t stop her from visiting Uluru – where you can see what the well-dressed mountaineer was wearing back then!!

Jo says: ‘I visited Ayers Rock in 1983 when I was working in Alice Springs. I can remember driving for what seemed like hours along a corrugated red road that made my fillings jangle, and arriving finally at a small hotel, or was it a roadhouse then, I can’t remember where I was told I could pitch my tent. Problem was I’d forgotten the tent pegs so I had to borrow some string to hitch it between two bushes.

Ayers Rock was such a quiet place back then and for me it had an ethereal quality about it and really did change colour at different times of the day. We were encouraged to climb ‘the rock’ when I visited although now I believe it’s actively discouraged. I can remember standing on the summit at a quiet spot on my own, hair billowing in the breeze, wearing a wrap around skirt and a green sweatshirt and feeling at one with the world in that vast horizon in a spiritual place.’

4 Annie – Go Camping

Full of advice about the Aussie camping scene along with gadgets, recipes and bizarre camping must-haves, Annie’s blog Go Camping is the place to be when you’re planning a road-trip or camping holiday.

Annie says: ‘My first impression of Uluru was that of stunned amazement – I had seen so many photos of it over the years, but nothing prepared me for its size and beauty. It really is awe inspiring when you are up close to it, and walking around the base, seeing all these different aspects of it.

Must do for every Aussie!’

5 Andy – Travelling Type

After getting my regular fix of out-of-the-way Australia from Andy’s blog Travelling Type, he inconsiderately moved overseas to live and work and the Aussie posts thinned out. SO … as revenge, I’m hoping this post makes him homesick as hell!

Andy says: ‘When I first sighted Uluru, it was apparent to me how vast the landscape was surrounding it. However, it wasn’t until I got up close to this whopping rock that it really impressed me, far more than I thought it would, as there are many folds, caves and ridges that lay within.’

6 Mandy – Travelling Australia With Kids

I’ve never travelled Australia with kids and probably never will. But I certainly agree with the concept behind Mandy’s great blog Travelling Australia With Kids – especially if it makes those kids grow up to appreciate the awesome natural attractions in OZ. Like Uluru!

Mandy says: ‘Something somewhere inside stirred and I felt like it was connecting with my soul! All sounds a bit spiritual, but seriously I was moved on a level I had not experienced before. I just wanted to look at it and experience it and absorb it. Hence 163 photos!

I could go on and on! We stayed at the nearby caravan park and I would wonder where my hubby was and he would be up at the lookout and vice versa. Every moment we could we would be just staring at it, transfixed almost, it actually became a bit odd as if it was drawing us in. But we just could not stop.’

7 Amanda – Adventures All Around

We’re both Aussie travellers, bloggers and red-heads, so that makes Amanda and I virtually twins, right? Apart from a few trifling details like her radio show, overseas travel and a few years in age! Amanda’s first time at Uluru was a very different experience as she writes on her blog Adventures All Around!

Amanda says: ‘I’d seen all the pictures and heard all the stories, but still nothing prepared me for what it feels like to be in the shadow of Uluru. To look up at that huge rock and see the caves and crevices and the colours.

Pictures don’t do it justice and my words won’t either. It’s something that needs to be experienced and that I hope to experience again.’

8 Michela – Rocky Travel

Michela’s travels in Australia, documented on her blog Rocky Travel, put many Aussies to shame. Her Top Tips for planning a road trip to Uluru are great advice – and she’s the only blogger to date that I’ve met face to face!

Michela says: ‘I vividly remember the feeling I had while approaching Uluru by car the first time. From the distance the Uluru growing bigger and bigger into its mighty shape. It was a strange feeling, a mix of awe, bewilderment, excitement, and a deep peacefulness. Right now by looking back at that moment I get shivers.’

9 Red Nomad OZ – RedzAustralia

On the 100 km trek along the road to Uluru from Curtin Springs, where we’d staged a two-person protest against the high cost of accommodation closer to the Rock, I was distracted by wildflowers lining the road – the result of a wetter than average year.

But then I looked up out the car window and there it was dominating the landscape and pulling us towards it like a magnet – maybe there’s something in the ley lines theory after all! I just HAD to get closer – but when I saw the WAY steep and exposed track to the top, I just knew I wouldn’t be climbing it.

So big it made the huge rocky domes of nearby Kata Tjuta look like marbles, Uluru’s ever-changing colours are endlessly fascinating. And the rocky pools, waterfall spots and wave-like formations made the base walk a wonderful experience.

Wanting a part of the rock made me almost see the point of those kitschy Uluru snow dome souvenirs too.  So I bought one – and it looked a bit like THIS!

With those 6.5 million results from the ‘Uluru’ Google search, I have no fear that this’ll become the definitive ‘go to’ post for travellers seeking information and inspiration about Australia’s iconic rock.

But travellers unedited first impressions never lie – so if you’ve been thinking about visiting or re-visiting Australia’s BIGGEST Rock Star, then DO IT NOW!

Have YOU been to Uluru? What was YOUR first impression of Australia’s TOP Rock Star?!

Want MORE?

• Uluru, Northern Territory
• Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
• Central Australia
• TOP 7 Central Australian RED HOT Spots once you’re done with Uluru!
• MORE RedzAustralia Aussie ABC

The post U is for Uluru: 11 Photos; 9 Bloggers; One Awesome Rock! appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

Does it REALLY take 7 days to drive the ~3000 km from Adelaide to Darwin?

Only if you want to see a few sights along the way on a REAL adventure! Driving yourself is the best option (try Car hire if your vehicle isn’t up to scratch) to experience a cross-section of Australia’s unique countryside from the dry south, through the Red Centre deserts to the lush tropical north!

AND come to terms with the vast distances that road-tripping in Australia demands!

So follow my rough guide from Adelaide to Darwin via Uluru – with LOADS of optional extras! BUT … be warned! It might just mean your epic trek takes a few extra days!!

Day 1: Adelaide to Woomera

Distance: 487 km

Driving Time: 5½ – 6 hours (allow extra time for rest, food and sightseeing stops)

Scenery: Varied. After leaving Adelaide, drive through the scenic Clare Valley wine region; then along the edge of the Flinders Ranges to Pt Augusta. At this point, you’re still on the Adelaide Geosyncline (yes, I’m showing off!)(Dad, are you reading this??) landform.

It’s all Outback from Pt Augusta, and the drive along the Stuart Shelf, an extension of the Adelaide Geosyncline, is unremarkable but for some unexpectedly spectacular land formations.

Points of Interest:

• Salt Lakes and Claypans, including Pernatty Lagoon and Lake Windabout
• Island Lagoon Lookout (above) and Nurrungar – now closed, this joint US/OZ facility was the site of several protests, most notably by current Senator Peter Garrett, one-time front man for Aussie rock band Midnight Oil
• Woomera Heritage Centre & Missile Park within the western world’s largest land-based missile and rocket range

Enter the Woomera Prohibited Area (well … it gave ME a thrill!) 7 km off the highway from Pimba. The outdoor missile park’s unusual collection of relics from rocket range days is all the more bizarre for its location.

The Heritage Centre’s excellent displays show the fascinating heritage of this little town on the edge of nowhere that has variously included the Rocket Range, NASA Deep Space Tracking Station and a controversial Asylum Seeker detention centre.

READ: More about Woomera

Options:

• Spend an extra day exploring Woomera and nearby Roxby Downs, built in 1988 to support Olympic Dam – Australia’s largest underground silver and copper mine
• Combine Days 1 & 2 (be warned – that’s a LONG day) and save Woomera for another visit

Day 2: Woomera to Coober Pedy

Distance: 365 km

Driving Time: 4 hours (allow extra time for rest, food and sightseeing stops)

Scenery: Central Tablelands, with mesas, low hills and salt lakes before reaching the Stuart Range near Coober Pedy, where the landscape is dominated by mullock heaps.

Points of Interest:

• Lake Hart – either a saltpan so white it’ll hurt your eyes; or an oasis in the outback full of water!
• Glendambo Roadhouse complex and service centre – only place for fuel and food this leg of the trip
• Coober Pedy Mullock Heaps; Underground buildings and accommodation; and opal!

While passing Glendambo, spare a thought for Pilchard & I as we inched towards Glendambo after car trouble struck heading south just over half way from Coober Pedy in 2004.

The most compelling argument I can think of for a) carrying water and b) having paid up Road Assistance membership, with a blown head-gasket, the car was, as the mechanic put it in technical terms, ‘stuffed’.

Although he used a different word.

Road Assist paid for a) a motel unit; b) bus fares to Adelaide; c) trucking the car to Adelaide for repair; and d) general expenses. I still shudder to think how much we’d have been out of pocket – so DON’T leave home without it!

Staying in Coober Pedy’s underground accommodation isn’t for the claustrophobic – but IS something to experience at least once!  It’s even got the world’s only underground campground (or so I’ve been told). And looking for Opal, either in the tourist ‘noodling’ area OR ‘finding’ it at the nearest opal showroom can be very rewarding!!

Options: Stay another night and tour the nearby Breakaways and Painted Desert; the underground churches; and a working opal mine. Then take a round of golf at the Coober Pedy Golf Course. It DOES offer reciprocal rights to world famous St Andrews in Scotland after all!!

READ: More about Coober Pedy

Day 3: Coober Pedy to Uluru

Distance: 750 km

Driving Time: 8 – 8½ hours (allow extra time for rest, food and sightseeing stops)

Scenery: Varied. Once past the mullock heaps, red sandy soil and vegetation cover low hills, then the Indulkana range past Marla. Across the border, granite outcrops before entering the Amadeus basin, a former seabed.

Points of Interest:

• The Dog Fence – longest man-made structure in the world!
• Cadney Park and Marla Roadhouses
• South Australia/Northern Territory Border
• Sturt’s Desert Peas, depending on time of year
• Kulgera Roadhouse
• Erldunda Roadhouse – a giant, caged echidna near the car park was once a prop for Expo
• Mt Connor, sometimes mistaken for Uluru
• Uluru and Kata Tjuta

Start early for a long day because – trust me on this – you DON’T want to drive at night! There’ll be enough opportunities to hit stray wildlife during the day, when at least you can (mostly) see it coming!

Turn off to Uluru at the Erldunda Roadhouse. Mt Connor, at Curtin Springs station, is often mistaken for Uluru and is a tourist attraction in its own right. But there’s no mistaking the vast bulk of the world’s biggest monolith as it glows in the setting sun.

READ: More about Uluru and Central Australia

Options:

• Stay an extra night to explore Uluru and Kata Tjuta more thoroughly.
• Alternatively, take a detour to the remarkable Kings Canyon, and relive one of the more memorable scenes from cult Australian movie ‘Priscilla, Queen of the Desert’!

Day 4: Uluru to Alice Springs

Distance: 465 km

Driving Time: 5 – 5½ hours (allow extra time for rest, food and sightseeing stops)

Scenery: Central Desert and ranges.

Points of Interest:

• Uluru and Kata Tjuta
• Henbury Meterorite Craters
• Rainbow Valley (detour)

Spend the morning exploring the amazing Uluru and Kata Tjuta formations before returning to Erldunda and heading north to the Stuarts Well Roadhouse for a bizarre, uniquely Australian experience!

Doesn’t EVERYONE want to see a singing, piano playing Dingo? STOP PRESS:  Tragically, Dinky has now retired.

But this means extra time to take the short detour to Rainbow Valley, right?!  Check road conditions at the Stuarts Well Roadhouse – the turnoff is 14 km north; then it’s another 23 km along a dirt road to Rainbow Valley.

READ: More about Stuarts Well; More about Rainbow Valley; More about Alice Springs

Options:

• Stay overnight at the Rainbow Valley campground!
• Factor in extra time to explore Alice Springs – it’ll take a LOT more than an overnight stay to see the sights!

Day 5: Alice Springs to Tennant Creek

Scenery: Spectacular ranges around Alice Springs, which flatten out into the grassy plains and rocky outcrops of the Barkly Tablelands.

Points of Interest:

• Alice Springs
• Aileron Roadhouse
• Wycliffe Well Roadhouse complex, once proclaimed Australia’s UFO capital
• Wauchope Hotel
• Karlu Karlu (Devils Marbles)

Wycliffe Well Roadhouse’s unusual murals, strange otherworldly figurines and Elvis campsite are worth a look. Just up the road past the Wauchope Hotel are the Devils Marbles. While they’re at their best at sunrise or sunset, they’re worth stopping for any time!

Then it’s another hour or so up the road to gold mining town Tennant Creek.

READ: More about Wycliffe Well; More about Devils Marbles; More about Tennant Creek

Options:

• Stay overnight at Wycliffe Well, Wauchope or the Devils Marbles campground for sunset/sunrise shots of the Devils Marbles. Tennant Creek is 106 km north.

Day 6: Tennant Creek to Katherine

Distance: 673 km

Driving Time: 7 – 7½ hours (allow extra time for rest, food and sightseeing stops)

Scenery: Barkly Tablelands grasslands and cattle station country continue to Newcastle Waters. Tropical vegetation hides many relics from World War II, before the lush tropics of Mataranka and its thermal pools.

Points of Interest:

• Kunjarra (The Pebbles), a smaller version of the Devils Marbles
• Cattle Stations, Roadhouses and small towns including Banka Banka, Renner Springs, Elliott, Dunmarra, Larrimah
• Daly Waters Pub – a popular traveller stopover with meals and entertainment
• World War 2 Memorabilia and outposts
• Mataranka and Bitter Springs Thermal Pools – once part of Elsey Station, where the events of Mrs Aeneas Gunn’s classic Australian memoir ‘We of the Never Never’ took place.

Busy Katherine, on the edge of Nitmiluk National Park (also known as Katherine Gorge), is a crossroads and stocking-up point for travellers heading west to Kununurra or east to the Gulf of Carpentaria. The thermal pools just out of town are a popular gathering point at the end of a long day on the road.

 

READ: More about Katherine

Options: Stay 100 km south of Katherine at Bitter Springs, and soak in its famous thermal pools. Who could resist seeing the world’s biggest man-made termite mound in Mataranka’s main street? It even TALKS!

Day 7: Katherine to Darwin

Distance: 316 km

Driving Time: 3½ – 4 hours (allow extra time for rest, food and sightseeing stops)

Scenery: Tropical

Points of Interest:

• Cutta Cutta Caves
• Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge)
• Historic Pine Creek
• Adelaide River’s Historic Railway and War Cemetery
• Batchelor – Gateway to Litchfield National Park

Take a morning tour to Katherine Gorge or nearby Cutta Cutta Caves before completing the drive to Darwin. Although there’s lots to tempt the inquisitive along the way!

READ: More about Darwin & the Top End

Options:

• Stay an extra day to explore the Katherine Region more thoroughly, including the Gorge, and the marvellous Edith Falls just north of Katherine, for swimming and bushwalking.
• Take the scenic route through Kakadu National Park to, with its distinctive landmarks, walks, tours and scenic attractions to Jabiru, then via Mary River and Humpty Doo to Darwin.
• Stay an extra day in Batchelor and explore the natural wonders of Litchfield National Park!

Darwin is an adventure in itself so you might want to consider an open-ended car rental arrangement.  But of course it all depends on how much time you’ve got.

It’d be easy to spend a further week exploring this Top End wonderland – check out my TOP 10 Things to Do in Darwin HERE!

But if Darwin’s the end of the line, all you’ve got to do is fly or drive somewhere else!

Like continuing your road trip – try my 7 Days from Darwin to Broome itinerary!

The post 7 Days … from Adelaide to Darwin! appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.