Uluru - Ayers Rock

As well as being passionate Airbnb hosts we are also frequent travellers ourselves. This month before the busy season hits in the Sunshine Coast we managed to get away for a couple of weeks to see some more of this incredible country we are blessed to call home.

Uluru is an absolutely magical, spiritual and iconic destination for any traveller. It’s been on our bucketlist for a long time and we thought we would share our trip here on the Property Hosts blog.

Getting to Uluru from the Sunshine Coast is a straightforward and easy trip. Flights from Brisbane are daily with both Jetstar and Virgin and approximately a four hour flight.

We spent three nights and four days here and managed to see everything on our must see list - Kings Canyon, Kata Tjuta (The Olga’s) as well as the iconic Uluru (Ayers Rock).

Kings Canyon is located 3 hours drive from Uluru centre - hiring a car from the airport is a must. The roads are all sealed and easy to navigate, that way you can self drive out to the Canyon as well as getting around the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.

Kings Canyon

The walls of Kings Canyon are over 100 metres high, with Kings Creek at the bottom. Part of the gorge is a sacred Aboriginal site and visitors are discouraged from leaving the walking tracks.

Three walks exist at Kings Canyon. The two km (return) and approximately one-hour Kings Creek Walk traces the bottom of the gorge. At the end of the walk is a platform, with views of the canyon walls above. The six km (loop) Kings Canyon Rim Walk traces the top of the canyon and takes three to four hours to complete. A steep climb at the beginning of the walk, which locals call "Heartbreak Hill" (or "Heart Attack Hill", due to its steepness), takes visitors up to the top, with views of the gorge below and of the surrounding landscape. About half way during the walk, a detour descends to the Garden of Eden, a permanent waterhole surrounded by plant life. The last half of the walk passes through a maze of weathered sandstone domes, reminiscent of the Bungle Bungle. A slow descent brings the visitor back to the starting point. The loop can also be done in reverse (anti-clockwise), but the National Park Rangers encourage visitors to walk in one direction. Access to the walk may be restricted during hot weather. The 22 km Giles Track connects Kings Canyon to Kathleen Springs and is popular with more adventurous hikers.

Kata Tjuta (The Olga’s)

Kata Tjuṯa, (Pitjantjatjara: Kata Tjuṯa, lit. 'many heads'; Aboriginal pronunciation: [kɐtɐ cʊʈɐ]), also known as the Olgas, is a group of large, domed rock formations or bornhardts located about 360 km (220 mi) southwest of Alice Springs, in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, located 25 km (16 mi) to the east, and Kata Tjuṯa form the two major landmarks within the Uluru-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. The park is considered sacred to the Aboriginal people of Australia.

The 36 domes that make up Kata Tjuṯa cover an area of 21.68 km2 (8.37 sq mi), are composed of conglomerate, a sedimentary rock consisting of cobbles and boulders of varying rock types including granite and basalt, cemented by a matrix of sandstone. The highest dome, Mount Olga, is 1,066 m (3,497 ft) above sea level, or approximately 546 m (1,791 ft) above the surrounding plain (198 m (650 ft) higher than Uluru).

Uluru (Ayers Rock)

We decided out of respect to the traditional owners of the land - The Anangu people - to not climb the rock and instead opted to cycle around the base. Personally with the heat and flies (there are millions of them so don’t forget your fly net!) we would of found walking too long and were able to rent bikes at the Cultural Centre which is located just before the main entrance. The bike ride took us under 2 hours and was absolutely incredible. When you hear that Uluru has a spiritual energy and a magical feeling it really is true - mesmerising.

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