Uluru, or Ayers Rock, is one of the most iconic destinations in Australie, and while you can fly directly to Yulara airport, there is nothing like a great Australian road trip. This road trip itinerary departs from Sydney heading to Uluru through Broken Hill, visiting some of Australie’s most unique towns. It then comes back to Sydney via a slightly different route so you can see a little of Victoria and say you went to 4 states.
I learned a lot about driving on remote Australian roads from our Sydney to Uluru road trip, and that’s where the advice below comes from.
While the route is not the most direct and has some long driving days, I think the itinerary we came up with is fantastic. It gives you enough time to cover the key sights at Uluru and Kata Tjuta while also experiencing some remarkable parts of Australie that most Aussies have never seen!
Just before we jump into the details of how you’re going to get yourself from Sydney to Uluru. Lets run through a few safety and preparation tips.
These tips are by no means exhaustive but they will hopefully help you get more from your Sydney to Uluru road trip!
Australian Road Trip Safety Tips
This road trip involves long stretches of driving, and there is a lot of ground to cover during the day. Between goats, cows, emus and kangaroos, there are a lot of animals that you may encounter on the road.
At night, these animals can be especially difficult to see – and there are black cows and goats that are almost invisible after dark.
At dusk, kangaroos come out to feed and are very unpredictable.
Flash flooding can also be a problem. The road is all sealed on this itinerary (except for a few sights that have dirt access roads), however, It doesn’t take much rain for roads to be cut off. Take care and never drive through deep water.
Drive with care and always try to arrive before dark. Especially avoid roads after dark that run through cattle stations.
Trip Preparation
Australie is big, and it’s a long way between things.
This whole trip is almost 6000 kilometres worth of driving just to get there and back. More depending on how many things you do along the way.
Make sure you are adequately prepared for the trip!
Fuel
Know your fuel type.
Make sure you know what kind of fuel your vehicle needs.
The more remote you get, the less choice there is.
The most common options for fuel in outback Australie are:
- Diesel
- E95 Regular Unleaded
If your car needs premium unleaded fuel, be prepared to take E95 or consider a different car.
Most remote service stations and filling stations only have diesel and one kind of unleaded petrol – E95 regular.
If you are taking a voiture de location, your fuel will most likely be either diesel or E95 regular unleaded petrol. Make sure you know which one it is. You don’t want to put the wrong fuel type in your vehicle.
There will usually be a sticker inside the fuel cover telling you which fuel type it is. If you are renting a diesel vehicle, they now often have stickers on the outside of the fuel cap and on the windshield telling you that it is diesel.
Use the right fuel
At most service stations in Australie, diesel is marked with black. The pump will have a black handle and the word DIESEL will usually be written in white on a black background
E95 regular unleaded petrol will usually be marked with green. The pump will usually have a black handle and the word REGULAR UNLEADED will usually be written in white against a green background.
This is not always the case though, especially on some of the smaller independent service stations on the route from Sydney to Uluru. Sometimes all fuel types will have black handles and white writing against a black background. Make sure you double check.
Choose a diesel vehicle if you can
If you have the option of a diesel vehicle, and it’s not going to be significantly more expensive for you, I’d highly recommend taking the diesel route. There are two reasons for this.
The first is that you have long distances to cover. There are enough service stations that any vehicle SHOULD make it between them. The longest stretch between fuel is from Glendambo to Coober Pedy, 254 kilometres.
However, if you are driving something like a petrol Kia Rio, while it might be a fuel efficient, economical little car, it’s only going to do around 600 kilometres on a tank of petrol. That means you need to stop frequently to fill up.
Diesel vehicles often have a range in the 900-1000 kilometre mark per tank of diesel, especially on long open roads like the ones you will find on this road trip.
Our diesel car easily does 1000 kilometres from a 55L tank on these long open roads which is part of how we were able to get away with doing this trip with far less planning than we should have done.
The second reason you might want to consider a diesel vehicle is that diesel prices are more stable around Australie.
While diesel prices do still get higher the more remote you get, diesel can be significantly cheaper than petrol at outback roadhouses and filling stations. This can save a lot of money on fuel over long distances like this road trip.
Plan your fuel stops
There are more than enough places to get fuel on this route, however, there are still long distances between many of them, so it is important to be aware of how much fuel you have, and how much you will need to get between each roadhouse or town.
You don’t want to get caught out a long way from fuel and potentially in an area that has no mobile phone service, so know where you can get fuel on the route, and identify when you will need to.
If you are driving a voiture de location and you aren’t familiar with the mileage it gets, having a plan of where you will be able to fill up can help to ensure that you don’t get stuck somewhere.
Even without a detailed plan, we still checked where fuel stops were every morning before leaving our accommodation so we had some idea of where we should fill up to ensure we didn’t get caught out.
Plan your days
Just as important as planning your fuel stops is planning out your days.
I know everyone is different in how they like to travel, and for some of us, that means planning can be a little light on. However, it’s important to plan your days for a few reasons:
- It’s not safe to be driving after dark.
- Ensuring you have enough food, water and fuel.
- Operating hours are often shorter than they are in cities and check-in times can be early.
- Ensuring you have adequate breaks.
This itinerary is completely doable. We have done it in Winter when the days are shorter, but it is only just possible to get in before dark on some of the longer days. With that in mind, it is important to know how early you need to leave each morning and how long you can spend at each stop.
If you need more time, take more time, but stay safe and avoid driving after dark.
Mobile phone service
Cell tower coverage is pretty limited on a Sydney to Uluru road trip, however, you will find coverage with Telstra in almost all the towns and Telstra does have the best coverage along the road as well.
Optus does have coverage in many of the townships but it doesn’t extend far out, especially as you get more remote.
One exception to this is Yulara and Coober Pedy which has excellent coverage with Optus.
Vodafone has the most limited coverage. If you choose a sim card that uses the Vodafone network, you will spend most of this trip without any coverage at all.
If you need the maximum coverage possible between Sydney and Uluru, I recommend getting a sim card that uses the Telstra network.
Yes, Telstra is the most expensive, but there are some great options that use the Telstra network without being anywhere near as expensive.
These are called MVNO’s, or Mobile Virtual Network Operators. These are providers that use some or all of the coverage provided by an actual network operator. Be aware that there are some regions where you will still only get coverage if you go directly with Telstra, but most MVNO’s that use Telstra still have more coverage on this route than Optus or Vodafone.
Dans Australie, there are only three network operators. Telstra, Optus and Vodafone in order of coverage.
Great options for low cost pre-paid access to the Telstra network are:
- Woolworths Mobile (this is who I use) – Can be bought at any Woolworths supermarket and also gives you 10% off one shop at Woolworths each month. Signup using my referral code to get a $10 Woolworths WISH eGift Card: B86ABC
- Aldi Mobile – Can be bought at any Aldi supermarket
- Boost Mobile – Can be bought at any supermarket, most department stores, service stations, etc. Frequently come on special with lots of data for a low initial purchase cost but tend to be more expensive after the initial purchase.
There are others, but the above options are some of the easiest to get and the best value in my opinion.
You don’t have to switch phone providers, but if you need the extra security of better coverage, or just need to be connected, you could get a pre-paid sim card from one of the above providers to use for your road trip and then get rid of it when you are done.
Handy hint: While MVNO’s provide cheap access to the Telstra network, they currently only have access to the Telstra 4G and 3G networks, not 5G. If you require 5G, you will need to go directly with Telstra. That said, there is virtually no 5G coverage between Sydney and Uluru anyway, so, do you really need it?
What should you pack for a Sydney to Uluru road trip?
When you do a road trip that covers as many different regions as there are between Sydney and Uluru, and back again, it can be tricky to determine exactly what to pack, especially when you factor in different times of year as well.
The key thing to keep in mind when planning out your packing list for a road trip from Sydney to Uluru is that you are going to the heart of Australie. While you might not be right in the desert, you aren’t far from it.
Temperature considerations
Desert means desert weather. It can be blisteringly hot during the day and freezing cold at night with average temperature swings of 18-20 degrees celsius from the average high to the average low.
In the summer months of December through February, I don’t recommend doing this road trip. If you decide to brave the summer heat though, you can expect temperatures around 40 degrees celsius during the day and 20 degrees celsius at night.
If you go in the winter months of June through August, expect highs around 22 degrees celsius and lows around 4 degrees celsius.
One really important thing to remember is that these numbers are just based on averages. I can tell you from my own experience that in the dead of winter, we’ve had 30 degree days at Uluru with 4 degree nights.
My suggestion is to do the road trip between April and September. This gives you the best temperature ranges without it getting quite so hot during the day.
Of course, this is just at Uluru. You will experience a variety of temperature ranges along the way as well and just because it might be hot one day, doesn’t mean it will be the next.
So the key is to pack flexibly. Be prepared to dress lightly during the day with something warm to put on in the mornings, evenings and overnight.
If you need to keep your bags lightweight, I suggest a good jacket. I’m a big fan of (and highly recommend) the Kathmandu Heli 600 fill down jacket. It compresses up into its own pocket making it tiny, light, and easy to carry once the day warms up while being toasty in the cool temperatures.
I’d also recommend taking an emergency blanket or two in your day bag. Hopefully, you won’t get stranded, but given the low temperatures, once the sun goes down in the desert, an emergency blanket can help to keep you warm if you get stuck.
Rain and other weather considerations
Again, it’s mostly desert weather, so don’t expect there to be a lot of rain, especially if you do the Sydney to Uluru road trip in the months I suggest, between April and September.
Even in summer, the average rainfall is quite low, so you shouldn’t need to pack a lot of rain protection.
Take an umbrella or a lightweight poncho to be on the safe side, but don’t stress too much about it. You’ll probably appreciate the rain if it does happen!
Closed-in walking shoes
I highly recommend taking a good pair of closed-in walking shoes.
To do all the activities we did, you don’t strictly need hiking boots, but if you do go with boots, something breathable would be a good idea.
I highly recommend the Kathmandu Strowan NGX Hiking Shoes for men, I’m onto my fourth pair of these shoes. They last so well and give you a sturdy, supportive shoe without the added height and bulk of a full boot. They also have a breathable waterproof liner which comes in handy.
However, as breathable as that liner is, it’s not as breathable as standard walking shoes usually are. If you aren’t going with a hiking shoe or boot, I recommend Skechers. Their GoWalk and GoRun range are much lighter than hiking shoes and breathe way better. I’m onto my fifth pair of Skechers now and absolutely love them!
Water
This is a big one with the hot weather during the day. Whenever you are in towns, there should be options for safe drinking water, however, at many of the rest stops along the highway, especially between Port Augusta and Uluru, there is no water, or it is not safe for drinking.
It’s very easy to get dehydrated on a hot, dry day, so make sure you carry lots of drinking water with you, both in the car and when you are out on walking trails.
A water filtration device should not be necessary but do make sure to carry enough water to get you through the day so you can fill up your water bottles at your accommodation each night. I’d suggest at least carrying 3-4 litres of water per person in the cooler months. If you travel in summer, you will need even more.
I’m a big fan of my Fill2Pure Advanced Filter Water Bottle.
Camping gear
Camping isn’t essential, there is accommodation available on all of these days. However, you definitely can camp. We were doing this trip on the cheap and booked everything at the last minute. As a result, we couldn’t get into a hotel at Yulara and were only able to get a campsite. We took a small tent, inflatable mattress, sleeping bags and camp stove to heat food on the two nights we were there.
If you want to do the trip even cheaper, camping everywhere will lower the cost more, but it does mean arriving early enough to set up camp every night, which might not be possible.
Toilet paper
Regardless of whether you camp or not, take some toilet paper to keep in your car. Many of the rest stops along the Stuart Highway that have toilets don’t have toilet paper and I’m sure you don’t want to be caught without!
Now, let’s get into the itinerary!
Sydney to Uluru Road Trip Day 1 – Sydney to Dubbo
390km’s (from Sydney CBD), approximately 5 hours + stops.
We actually decided at midday that we were leaving on this trip so didn’t get underway until about 2 pm and caught school traffic on the way out of Sydney. It made it a slow trip over the mountains to Lithgow where we actually had dinner instead of lunch. As a result, it was dark the whole way to Dubbo. There are some things to see along the way, but we didn’t stop since it was getting quite late.
I do suggest leaving in the morning to avoid the outbound Sydney traffic and see more of the things on the way.
You could easily spend a few days in the Blue Mountains, but for this itinerary, we opted to just take in the views as we drove through.
- Montagnes bleues
- The Blue Mountains on TripAdvisor
- We took Bells Line of Road through the Blue Mountains this time which has excellent views across Grose Valley.
- Depending on where you depart from, the Great Western Highway may be a better option.
- Both routes have spectacular views!
- Lithgow
- Distance: 138km’s from Sydney CBD, about 2 hours drive if Sydney traffic is not too bad.
- Lithgow on TripAdvisor
- Stop for lunch (or dinner).
- If you come via the Great Western Highway, you will pass through the outskirts of the town and most fast-food restaurants.
- Dubbo
- Distance: 252km’s from Lithgow, about 3 hours drive.
- Dubbo on TripAdvisor
- We stayed at: Ibis Budget
- Hotel Website
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- Compare Prices
- More accommodation options in Dubbo
- Low-cost accommodation.
- Late check-in options.
- Convenient to Western Plains Zoo.
- Beds are on the hard side of firm.
- Basic accommodation but it has the essentials.
- We booked on Agoda.
Sydney to Uluru Road Trip Day 2 – Dubbo to Cobar
301km’s, approximately 3.5 hours + stops.
Dubbo is probably best known for the Taronga Western Plains Zoo, a large zoo with massive paddocks and enclosures that you can drive around in your own car.
We spent the day at the zoo before heading onwards to Cobar with a brief toilet and food stop in Nyngan.
- Dubbo
- Taronga Western Plains Zoo
- Buy Tickets on Viator
- Opening Hours: 9am to 4pm
- Cost:
- Adults: $43.20
- Children: $22.50
- Family ticket options available for 20% off individual ticket prices.
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- You can drive around the zoo in your car.
- It’s possible to cover it reasonably quickly if you don’t watch any of the talks or shows, but even so, be prepared to spend a whole day here.
- Recommend most of the day if you watch any of the shows and you could still come back for a second day to see them all.
- We were here from 10am-5pm.
- Yes, that means we arrived in Cobar after dark.
- Taronga Western Plains Zoo
- Nyngan
- Distance: 170km’s from Dubbo, about 2 hours drive.
- Big Bogan
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- Look out for the Big Bogan sculpture in the middle of town. You’ll see it from the main road!
- Cobar
- Distance: 131km’s from Dubbo, about 1.5 hours drive.
- Cobar on TripAdvisor
- It will likely be dark when you arrive unless you leave Dubbo earlier than we did, so you probably won’t see a lot on arrival.
- We stayed at: Copper City Motel
- Hotel Website
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- Compare Prices
- More accommodation options in Cobar
- Cheapest in Cobar
- Older buildings and some of the furnishings are an older style – though many have been updated.
- Very comfortable, clean and quiet place to stay
- We booked on Agoda.
Sydney to Uluru Road Trip Day 3 – Cobar to White Cliffs
333km’s, approximately 3.5 hours + stops.
- Cobar
- Cobar Town Monument
- It’s a sign like an old mine at the entrance to the town
- Fort Bourke Hill Lookout, Peak Gold Mines
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- Just out of Cobar to the South East.
- Learn about some of the mining operations and see an open cut mine.
- Cobar Miners Heritage Park
- Cobar Hot Bake
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- They have some pretty amazing baked goods, maybe grab something for breakfast, and even lunch as well!
- Cobar Town Monument
- Mt Grenfell / Ngurrampaa
- Distance: 72km’s from Cobar, about a 1 hour drive – last section is a dirt road.
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- Ngiyampaa Walkabout.
- Look for “Mt Grenfell Trail” on Google Maps.
- 300m walk to Aboriginal rock art sites – this is what we did.
- 5km loop walk (you probably don’t have time to do this walk on this itinerary).
- Wilcannia
- Distance: 253km’s from Mt Grenfell, about 3 hours drive.
- Wilcannia on TripAdvisor
- Historic Post Office, Police Station, Courthouse & Pioneer Museum.
- I recommend getting fuel here.
- Falaises Blanches
- Distance: 96km’s from Wilcannia, about a 2-hour drive.
- White Cliffs on TripAdvisor
- Get your photo at the opal blower truck that welcomes you to White Cliffs.
- Stay: White Cliffs Underground Motel
- Hotel Website
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- Compare Prices
- More accommodation options in White Cliffs
- Unique, underground accommodation experience a little like you’ll find at Coober Pedy.
- Hand-dug style, Coober Pedy tends to be more machine dug.
- Furniture is basic and old, in various stages of being updated and modernised.
- Shared bathrooms only (no ensuites, though one room does have a second entrance that takes you straight to the bathrooms).
- No in-room fridges or tea/coffee facilities.
- Decent homemade food – we got dinner here.
- Expensive for accommodation, but a unique experience.
- If basic accommodation with shared bathrooms isn’t for you, skip White Cliffs.
- Stacks of history in the internal museum. Can spend 30 minutes to an hour exploring it and finding your way through the tunnels to the rooftop lookout.
- We booked on Agoda.
Sydney to Uluru Road Trip Day 4 – White Cliffs to Port Augusta
650km’s, approximately 7 hours + stops.
- Falaises Blanches
- There is not much time to see anything in the morning as you will need to get an early start
- There isn’t a lot to see in White Cliffs anyway (besides an opal mine tour).
- Continental breakfast available at the White Cliffs Underground Motel.
- Colline Brisée
- Distance: 260km’s from White Cliffs, about 3 hours drive.
- Broken Hill TripAdvisor
- Turn your clock back half an hour, you are now on Australian Central Time.
- The Living Desert Sculptures
- Entry Fee: $6pp or $22 for a family of 4
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- About 16 minutes north of Broken Hill.
- Located in The Living Desert State Park.
- Fascinating sandstone sculptures atop a hill with views in every direction.
- Gates open from 6:00 am to sunset December-February and 8:30 am to 6:00 pm the rest of the year.
- Sculpture Symposium Walking Track
- 1.8km one-way return walk
- 900m to the sculptures
- Cultural Walking Trail
- 2.2km circuit
- Allow 1-1.5 hours
- Gate open from 9:00 am – 5 pm.
- Entry gate locked at 4:30 pm.
- An interesting circuit highlighting both the original Aboriginal culture and the later mining history of the area.
- Flora Walking Track
- 1km circuit
- Allow 1 hour
- Gate open from 6:00 am – 2:00 pm December-February and 9:00 am – 5 pm the rest of the year.
- Spot desert flowers and other flora native to Australian desert regions.
- Line of Lode Miners Memorial
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- Visible from much of Broken Hill as it sits atop a hill overlooking the town.
- A remarkable memorial to the many miners who lost their lives over the years working in the Broken Hill mines.
- NSW / SA Border Crossing (Cockburn, SA)
- Distance: 47km’s from Broken Hill, about a 30-minute drive.
- There may, or may not, be vehicle checks to ensure you aren’t bringing any prohibited produce into South Australie.
- Don’t bring any fresh fruit or vegetables and you should be fine!
- Port Augusta
- Distance: 365km’s from Cockburn, about 4 hours drive.
- Port Augusta on TripAdvisor
- Chances are the sun will set while you are driving this stretch. Look out for some brilliant light shows in the sky!
- Stay: Augusta Budget Motel
Sydney to Uluru Road Trip Day 5 – Port Augusta to Coober Pedy
557km’s, approximately 6 hours + stops.
This is another big day of driving and fuel is limited along the way. As tempting as it is to spend time in Port Augusta, you need to get away fairly early to get into Coober Pedy before dark to see some of the sights there, so keep an eye on the time.
There are many rest stops on the side of the Stuart Highway, but the only roadhouses for fuel (or food) between Port Augusta and Coober Pedy are at Pimba and Glendambo, so make sure you have enough fuel to get the 250km’s from Glendambo to Coober Pedy.
- Port Augusta
- Port Augusta Wharf
- Water Tower Lookout
- Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- Matthew Flinders Red Cliff Lookout
- Try some of the brilliant native-flavoured ice creams like quandong, native lime, lemon myrtle or wattle seed. AMAZING!
- Woomera
- Distance: 180km’s from Port Augusta, about 2 hours drive.
- Wooomera on TripAdvisor
- Turn off the Stuart Highway at Pimba onto the Olympic Dam Highway and travel about 7km’s to reach Woomera
- Missile Park
- Woomera Heritage and Visitor Centre
- Pimba
- Distance: 7km’s from Woomera, about 10 minutes drive
- There is a roadhouse here called Spud’s Roadhouse, and it’s another 114km’s before the next fuel at Glendambo, so fill up here if you are running low.
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- Glendambo
- Distance: 114km’s from Pimba, about 1.25 hours drive.
- Glendambo on TripAdvisor
- Glendambo is the last fuel or food before Coober Pedy. Make sure you fill up here if you have a small fuel tank.
- There is also accommodation here if you can’t make it all the way to Coober Pedy.
- Coober Pedy
- Distance: 254km’s from Glendambo, about 2.75 hours drive.
- Coober Pedy on TripAdvisor
- Welcome to Coober Pedy Blower Truck/Sign
- Underground Serbian Orthodox Church of St Elijah
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- A fascinating church that has been carved out of the rock.
- A bit confusing to get to and involves some roads that don’t entirely look like they are roads.
- The Big Winch
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- The Big Winch isn’t actually operational and the shop that was there doesn’t open anymore either.
- Scenic Photo Point / Coober Pedy Sign
- From the Hollywood style Coober Pedy sign near the Big Winch you can get some great photos looking over the town around sunset.
- Directly adjacent to the sign is a house that features some rather unique art!
- Stay: Underground B&B
- Dinner Suggestion: Outback Bar & Grill
You can see a lot of Coober Pedy in this trip since you go through it twice, but it isn’t enough time to see everything, and you really do want to see as much as you can! Here are 14 reasons you’ll want to spend time in Coober Pedy.
Sydney to Uluru Road Trip Day 6 – Coober Pedy to Yulara (Uluru)
725km’s, approximately 7 hours + stops.
- Coober Pedy
- Welcome to Coober Pedy Blower Truck/Sign
- If you didn’t get a chance to get a good picture on the way into town the day before
- Welcome to Coober Pedy Blower Truck/Sign
- Marla
- Distance: 235km’s from Coober Pedy, about 2.5 hours drive.
- Marla Travellers Rest
- Marla on TripAdvisor
- The Caltex Roadhouse sells fuel and a variety of food and assorted grocery items.
- This is the last fuel before the Northern Territory border.
- There is actually a (very) small town at Marla that you can do a quick circuit of if you are making good time.
- SA / NT Border Crossing
- Distance: 159km’s from Marla, about 1.5 hours drive.
- One of the more interesting state border crossings in Australie.
- There is a big, iconic sign by the road along with a rest stop.
- Not far after the border crossing, the speed limit increases to 130km/h, the highest legal limit on any Australian road. Don’t feel you have to go this fast though, most cars will use a good chunk more fuel at this speed and the road is not very wide, nor is it divided, nor is it the best maintained (it isn’t terrible, but don’t expect the quality of something like the Pacific Highway and Hume Highway that connect Brisbane-Sydney-Melbourne).
- If 110km/h or 120km/h is what feels safe for you, do that.
- Erldunda Road House
- Distance: 95km’s from the SA/NT border crossing, about 1 hours drive.
- Erldunda on TripAdvisor
- Located at the turn-off from the Stuart Highway onto the Lasseter Highway to Yulara and Uluru.
- Mount Conner Lookout
- Distance: 139km’s from Erldunda, about 1 hour, 20 minutes drive.
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- Keep an eye out for Mount Conner to the south of the highway. When you think you spot Uluru, you’ve probably spotted Mount Conner.
- You cannot visit Mount Conner on your own, and it is not included in this itinerary.
- If you climb the dunes on the opposite side of the road you’ll be treated with views of Lake Amadeus, a big, dry salt lake.
- Check out Curtin Springs Walks for more information on guided tours of Mount Conner.
- Yulara
- Distance: 107km’s from Mount Conner lookout, about a 1-hour drive.
- Yulara on TripAdvisor
- Yulara is 246km’s from Erldunda making it the second-longest distance between petrol stations on this itinerary.
- You cannot stay inside the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, the township of Yulara will be your home base to visit these beautiful, sacred sites.
- Yulara Visitor Centre
- Part of Ayers Rock Resort
- Excellent resource for what’s on and booking anything last minute.
- Accommodation check-in
- Do it now, if you have time before sunset, so you don’t have to worry about it later.
- Uluru Sunrise Viewing Area
- Distance: 25km’s from Yulara, about 25 minutes drive.
- If you can, head out to Uluru for sunset photos.
- I know, it might sound odd going to the sunrise viewing area for sunset, but it’s worth seeing Uluru at Sunrise and Sunset from both directions!
- The Sunrise viewing area is the furthest from Yulara so give yourself plenty of time.
- You will need to buy a park pass in order to enter.
- You can buy a park pass online before you go, or on entry to the park.
- At the time of writing, park passes are $38/adult for 3 days and under 18’s are free.
- Watch as the sun sets behind Uluru, silhouetting it and Kata Tjuta in the distance.
- Stay: Ayers Rock Resort
- We took a tent with us and camped at the Ayers Rock Campground section of the resort.
- All the accommodation here is through Ayers Rock Resort and there are a number of non-camping options available.
- Hotel Website
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- Compare Prices
- More accommodation options in Yulara
Sydney to Uluru Road Trip Day 7 – Uluru and Kata Tjuta
- Uluru Sunset Viewing Area
- Distance: 15km’s from Yulara, about 15 minutes drive.
- Just like it’s worth visiting the sunrise viewing area at sunset, the sunset viewing area is worth visiting for sunrise as well. Don’t worry, we’ve also got the reverse in this itinerary too!
- Watch the sunrise from behind Uluru, silhouetting it in the foreground.
- Kata-Tjuta Dunes Viewing Area
- Distance: 31km’s from the Uluru Sunset Viewing Area, about 25 mins drive.
- Great views of the Kata-Tjuta rock formations from the top of a sand dune viewing platform.
- Also a pretty good, but uninterrupted view of Uluru in the distance.
- 600m return walk (300m uphill going there, 300m downhill coming back)
- There is a steel-grate style boardwalk over the sand.
- Walpa Gorge
- Distance: 18km’s from the Kata-Tjuta Dunes Viewing Area to Walpa Gorge carpark, about 15 mins drive.
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- Walking Distance: The Walpa Gorge walk is 2.6km’s return through beautiful sandstone rock formations.
- Walking Time: Allow at least 40 minutes for the walk.
- It’s cool in the gorge, but make sure you take plenty of water and drink frequently.
- Noter: The path is primarily rough sandstone as you are quite literally walking on the same rock that forms the cliffs around you. There is a steep section in and out of the gorge.
- Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre
- Distance: 51km’s from Walpa Gorge carpark, about 35 mins drive.
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- This is a great place to learn a little about the cultural significance of Uluru and Kata-Tjuta before heading off to see Uluru itself.
- Uluru Base Walk
- Walking Distance: 10km
- Walking Time: The Uluru base walk requires about 3.5 hours on foot.
- You can hire bicycles from Outback Cycling Uluru next to the Cultural Centre, which are a great way to do the base walk around the entire rock (this is what we did). However, the base walk is not all smooth sailing on a bike, there are many sand sections that are tough peddling.
- It took us 3 hours to do the base walk on bikes with stops at all the key points for photos and lots of stops for water, trust me, you need a lot of water, it’s hot and there is not much shade.
- If the walk isn’t your thing, there are 3 car parks located around Uluru that are located close to shorter walks to some of the key points of interest.
- Have a slice of cake or some ice cream at the Cultural Centre once you’re done, you deserve it!
- Sunset Uluru Camel Tour
- Distance: 19km’s from the Cultural Centre, about 20 mins drive.
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- Tour takes 2.5 hours
- Leaves 1.5 hours before sunset, so the exact times vary a little each day.
- Really enjoyed this tour and seeing Uluru at sunset from the back of a camel.
- The view is similar to the Sunset Viewing Area. If you don’t do a camel tour, definitely go see it from the Sunset Viewing Area.
- Includes a light supper of Outback bush foods, damper, herbs and dips.
- As an alternative, you can also do this at sunrise or during the day.
- Compare Prices and Book:
- Stay: Ayers Rock Resort
Sydney to Uluru Road Trip Day 8 – Yulara (Uluru) to Coober Pedy
755km’s, approximately 7.5 hours + stops.
We filled the car up with diesel in Yulara after watching the sunrise and then got on the way.
- Uluru Sunrise Viewing Area
- Distance: 25km’s from Yulara, about 25 mins drive.
- Watch Uluru light up as the sun rises from behind you and illuminates the rock, bringing it to life.
- Coober Pedy
- Distance: 755km’s from Uluru, about 7.5 hours of solid driving.
- After leaving Uluru, we only stopped for rest breaks and food.
- The only roadhouses along the way for fuel and food are Erldunda and Marla.
- There are roadside stops, some with basic drop toilets, most without.
- Opal Cave Shop
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- Part of the Opal Cave Bunkhouse complex.
- Great spot to check out some opals, and the Pitch Black Space Ship at the same time.
- Pitch Black Space Ship
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- Chances are, you’ve probably already driven past this at least once, possibly twice, and not even seen it!
- It’s pretty inconspicuous from the road and isn’t signposted.
- You’ll find it in the car park of the Opal Cave Shop, hidden behind signs advertising accommodation.
- It isn’t maintained and you can’t go inside so it is just a quick look and photo.
- Here’s the Google Maps reference.
- Stay: The Lookout Cave Underground Motel
- You can get brilliant desert sunrise and sunset views from the hill on top of the motel mound (roof).
- This hotel is not as expensive as some of the other underground motels but it is really nicely done with the sandstone walls and ceiling left exposed in the main hallway and the rooms.
- The rooms themselves are very comfortable.
Sydney to Uluru Road Trip Day 9 – Coober Pedy to Morgan
841km’s, approximately 9 hours + stops.
This is the longest driving day of the entire trip by distance. There’s a lot of ground to cover so get away early.
If you have more time, you might consider splitting this into two days.
- Coober Pedy
- Desert sunrise views from the hill on top of the motel if you can.
- Port Augusta
- Distance: 537km’s from Coober Pedy, about 5.5 hours driving.
- Glendambo and Pimbo are the only road houses along the way for fuel or food.
- Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden
- Very convenient to stop at again for a good lunch!
- Crystal Brook
- Distance: 115km’s from Port Augusta, about 1.5 hours of driving.
- Take a drive down the main street of this quaint little town and see the replica lace monitor lizard, modelled after the lizards that are frequently seen in the area.
- Morgan
- Distance: 174km’s from Crystal Brook, about 2 hours driving.
- We arrived after dark.
- Stay: Morgan Riverside Caravan Park
Sydney to Uluru Road Trip Day 10 – Morgan to Wagga Wagga
844km’s, approximately 10 hours + stops.
This is the longest driving day. There are two routes you can take. One is a little shorter, we took the longer one and the itinerary below is based on that.
Skipping Woodsies Gem Shop and/or Robinvale Organic Wines makes the route more direct and saves around 2 hours worth of driving.
You could also move some of this into the next day easily.
- Morgan
- Say hello to the birds in the aviary at the caravan park and head off bright and early.
- If you are lucky, you might catch the sunrise over the Murray River.
- Take the free car ferry across the Murray River from High St (just down the road from the caravan park). The shorter route doesn’t take the ferry.
- Waikerie
- Newland Bakery
- Distance: 40km’s from Morgan, about 1 hours drive (depending on the ferry).
- Just outside the town of Waikerie as you are leaving, after turning onto the Sturt Highway.
- Grab some delicious bakery items for breakfast and take in an excellent view of the Murray River
- Newland Bakery
- Paringa
- Historic Paringa Bridge
- Distance: 81km’s from Newland Bakery, about 1 hours drive.
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- Originally opened in 1927.
- Unusual dual road+rail configuration (rail now closed and converted to a bike track).
- Lifting bridge operates at 9:30am and 2:30pm.
- Historic Paringa Bridge
- SA / Victoria Border Crossing
- Distance: 28km’s from Paringa Bridge, about 20 mins drive.
- Recherchez le panneau de style piste de course Dunlop juste avant la station de quarantaine de Yamba.
- Le panneau "Bienvenue à Victoria" vient ensuite. Ce n'est pas un signe particulièrement élaboré, il est donc facile de le manquer.
- Mildura
- Centre d'information touristique de Mildura
- Distance: 114km de la frontière, environ 1h15 en voiture.
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- Centre d'information vraiment sympa avec des piles d'affichages et des informations sur la région.
- Boutique de pierres précieuses Woodsies
- Distance: À 7 km du centre d'accueil de Mildura, à environ 10 minutes en voiture.
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- Un magasin et une salle d'exposition, loin de la ville, pas vraiment près de tout avec une vaste collection de pierres précieuses.
- Excellents affichages et informations.
- Laissez-vous tenter si vous n'aimez pas les pierres précieuses. Si c'est le cas, vous allez adorer !
- Leur café fait également un très bon sandwich grillé.
- Centre d'information touristique de Mildura
- Robinvale
- Si vous prenez la route légèrement plus courte, vous reviendrez à Mildura, mais vous traverserez plusieurs fois la frontière Victoria / NSW en sillonnant la rivière Murray.
- Vins Bio & Bio-Dynamique Robinvale
- Distance: 94 km de Woodsies Gem Shop,
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- Un domaine viticole qui produit des vins biologiques depuis des années ainsi qu'une fantastique gamme sans alcool.
- Je ne bois pas de vin, mais leur gamme sans alcool font partie de mes favoris et valent la peine d'être essayés.
- Mes meilleurs choix sont les Tango à la Mangue et fraise pétillante.
- Wagga Wagga
- Distance: 481 km de Robinvale, environ 5 heures de route.
- Wagga Wagga sur TripAdvisor
- We arrived after dark.
- Stay: Mercure Wagga Wagga
Sydney to Uluru Road Trip Day 11 – Wagga Wagga to Sydney
535 km, environ 5,5 heures + arrêts.
Cette journée est un peu bizarre. Il y a des choses à faire et à voir à Wagga Wagga, mais nous avions prévu de nous arrêter à Canberra pour rendre visite à la famille (et j'ai déjà beaucoup exploré Wagga), alors nous sommes partis tôt.
J'ai inclus mes suggestions ci-dessous en fonction de mes visites précédentes à Wagga Wagga.
- Wagga Wagga
- Nous avons quitté Wagga Wagga avant que les choses ne soient ouvertes, mais si vous êtes toujours là après 10 heures du matin, visitez la National Art Glass Gallery – Nous y sommes déjà allés et cela vaut le détour.
- Galerie nationale du verre d'art
- Vvoir sur TripAdvisor
- Galerie d'art très sympa.
- Ouvert 10-4 la plupart des jours. Fermé le lundi.
- juin
- Distance: À 44 km de Wagga Wagga, à environ 30 minutes en voiture.
- Junee sur TripAdvisor
- Junee est une petite ville avec des trucs plutôt sympas, et si vous aimez l'histoire du rail et les trains, c'est l'endroit où aller !
- Junee Réglisse et Chocolaterie
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- Ces gars font de la réglisse brillante et du bon chocolat aussi à partir de leur usine à l'apparence inhabituelle.
- Musée ferroviaire de Junee Roundhouse
- Entry Fee: $8pp ou $20 pour une famille de 4
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- Assurez-vous de vérifier leurs heures et jours d'ouverture actuels car ils ne sont pas ouverts tous les jours.
- Rotonde historique et dépôt ferroviaire toujours en activité dans le cadre de l'atelier ferroviaire de Junee.
- Le dépôt date de 1878 et la rotonde couverte date de 1947.
- Comprend une plaque tournante de 30,5 m et des piles de locomotives et de matériel roulant restaurés et partiellement restaurés.
- Chemin de fer de Pete's Hobby
- C'est un passe-temps qui n'est pas ouvert au public, mais si votre Sydney-Uluru Road Trip coïncide avec un événement publié sur le site Web de Pete, ou si vous avez de la chance, vous pourrez peut-être voir la locomotive à vapeur restaurée de Pete sur les rails ou à la gare routière.
- Chien sur la boîte Tucker
- Distance: 91 km de Wagga Wagga, à environ 1 heure de route.
- Avis sur TripAdvisor
- Voir le chien sur le Tuckerbox (à côté d'Olivers) et le Big Koala (devant Olivers)
- Il y a aussi un relais routier Shell Coles Express à la même sortie. Il y a beaucoup de monde là-dedans et les toilettes et franchement même le parking peuvent devenir assez ordinaires.
- Yass
- Distance: À 92 km du Dog on the Tuckerbox, à environ 1 heure de route.
- Yass sur TripAdvisor
- Yass est une petite ville qui était autrefois sur l'autoroute mais qui a depuis été contournée. Un détour par cette petite ville vous offre de belles opportunités de déjeuner dans l'un des cafés locaux.
- Halte Nid de Faisans
- Distance: 208 km de Yass, environ 2 heures de route.
- Il est étiqueté comme "Nid de faisans Caltex" sur Google Maps, mais c'est en fait un 711 maintenant.
- Sydney
- Distance: 100 km, environ 1 heure de route.
- Si vous partez de Sydney Terminal International de l'aéroport le lendemain matin, je recommande Aéroport Rydges de Sydney – J'apprécie particulièrement les chambres avec vue sur l'aéroport. Il n'y a pas autant d'activité en avion ces jours-ci, mais c'est toujours fascinant à regarder pendant un certain temps.
That’s it!
C'est tout ce qu'il y a. Vous l'avez fait à partir de Sydney à l'un des Australieles sites naturels les plus emblématiques d'Uluru, et vice-versa. Qu'as-tu pensé?
Avons-nous manqué quelque chose à ce sujet Sydney à Uluru itinéraire qui vaut la peine de faire? Faites-moi savoir dans les commentaires ci-dessous!
3 réflexions au sujet de “11-Day Sydney to Uluru Road Trip Itinerary (and return)”
Any 10 -15 days bus tour From Sydney to Uluru?
I’d be looking at someone like AAT Kings: https://www.aatkings.com/destination/sights/uluru-ayers-rock
They might have something. Otherwise you could take a train from Sydney to Adelaide and then a bus from Adelaide to Uluru.
Hello Matt,
Thank you very much for your article and sample itineraries. It is thorough with references for further information and enjoyable to read with beautiful photos that are very appealing. It is a beautiful piece of work that is so motivating.
Thank you once again.
Pannee