Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

ULURU-KATA TJUTA NATIONAL PARK (AYERS ROCK/THE OLGAS) 389
Aboriginal arts and crafts galleries. It opens daily from early in the morning to
after sundown; exact hours vary from month to month.
PARK ENTRANCE FEES Entry to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is
A$16 (US$11) per adult, free for children under 16, valid for 3 days. The cost
of the pass is included in many organized tours.
ETIQUETTE The Anangu ask you not to photograph sacred sites or Aboriginal
people without permission, and to approach quietly and respectfully.
GETTING AROUND
Getting around the park is expensive. Ayers Rock Resort runs a free shuttle
every 15 minutes or so around the resort complex from 10:30am to after midnight,
but to get to the Rock or Kata Tjuta/the Olgas, you will need to take
transfers, join a tour, or have your own wheels.
BY SHUTTLE Uluru Express (& 08/8956 2152; www.uluruexpress.com.au)
provides a minibus shuttle from Ayers Rock Resort to and from the Rock about
every 50 minutes from before sunrise to sundown, and several times a day to the
Olgas. The normal shuttle costs A$35 (US$23) for adults and A$20 (US$13) for
kids, while a sunrise trip costs A$40 (US$26) for adults and A$20 (US$13) for
kids. To the Olgas it costs A$50 (US$33) for adults and A$25 (US$16) for children.
A 3-day pass covering as many trips as you like to both sites costs A$130
(US$85) for adults and A$60 (US$39) for kids, while a combined Uluru and
Olgas trip costs A$55 (US$36) for adults and A$30 (US$20) for kids. All fares are
round-trip.
BY CAR If there are two of you, the easiest and cheapest way to get around is
likely to be a rental car. All roads in the area are paved, so a 4WD is unnecessary.
Expect to pay around A$70 to A$95 (US$46–US$62) per day for a
medium-size car. Rates drop a little in low season. Most car-rental companies
give you the first 100km (63 miles) free, and then charge A28¢ (US18¢) per
kilometer after that. Take this into account, because the round-trip from the
resort to the Olgas is just over 100km (63 miles), and that’s without driving
about 20km ( 1 ⁄2 mile) to the Rock and back. Avis (& 08/8956 2266), Hertz
(& 08/8956 2244), and Thrifty (& 08/8956 2030) book 4WDs through their
Darwin offices. All rent regular cars and 4WDs.
Booking agent, The Outback Travel Shop (& 08/8955 5288; www.out
backtravelshop.com.au), in Alice Springs, often has better deals on car-rental
rates than you’ll get by booking direct.
BY ORGANIZED TOUR Several tour companies run a big range of daily sunrise
and sunset viewings, circumnavigations of the Rock by coach or on foot,
guided walks at the Rock or the Olgas, camel rides, observatory evenings, visits to
the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre, and innumerable permutations and combinations
of all these. Some do “passes” containing the most popular activities. Virtually
every company picks you up at your hotel. Among the most reputable are
Discovery Ecotours, AAT Kings, Tailormade Tours, and VIP Travel Australia
(see “Exploring the Red Centre” at the start of this chapter for details).
Tips Water, Water . . .
Water taps are scarce and kiosks non-existent in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National
Park. Always carry your own drinking water when sightseeing.