Have booked flights for me and her to take a month down under. We have "rellies" in Melbourne and Sydney. I'd be interested to drive from either city to Ayres Rock. Anyone done that? If so, what was it like? Interesting/boring? easy/tough?
Got a spanking good deal via ebookers on business class with Qatar Airways. Probably find its an outside loo for the price I paid.
Cheers
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Can't help tack. Never been. Just wanted to wish you a great trip though.
Any of it has got to be better than Cheshire to Heathrow on a wet November Wednesday which is what I'll be doing tomorrow ! Yuck....
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In a straight line isn't Melbourne a bit closer. Tell you what when I'm next down in south Wales I'll ask my mum to ask Kylie Minogues auntie or grandma ;-)
Have a good trip - never been but sounds fun. Glad you're going business class and therefore will have leg room. And time to stretch legs using the outside toilet.
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Its over 2k kms from Melbourne and nearly 3k from sydney. I have never done either route, but I have done long drives through Aussie bush and its pretty boring.
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In a straight line the difference is a few hundred miles. But mostly very boring road. And watch out for those huge road trains and 'roos.
Edited by rtj70 on 10/11/2009 at 21:56
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Just read a few blogs and forums..........I think I'll do an internal flight! Sounds boring, just miles of red dust, interspersed by........more miles of red dust. However, the great ocean road from Melbourne sounds a hoot. I think I'll give it a go.
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I met a couple on a Cruise earlier this year theat went by coach to Ayres Rock and other that the view they were very dissapointed/anti climax as you can not get near it. I am sure it will be much discussed on various forums if you search. Regards Peter
Edited by Peter D on 11/11/2009 at 04:49
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Ayres Rock is a loooooooong way from anywhere. You'd probably need a decent 4WD with a few spare cans of fuel and water to motor out there comfortably. Stick to driving the coast! Distances are huge though, particularly if you are touring. The estimated 1100 miles from Brisbane to Cairns was approx doubled by the time I'd finished with my rental car back in July...
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I would recommend flying, Uluru (Ayres Rock) is a purpose built resort consisting of a tiny airport and a few hotels. If you have time check out AA&T tours about a bus tour to Kings Canyon, another small purpose built resort, which is well worth seeing, and walking around, and on to Alice Springs. Then fly on from there. This will take you around the Mareenie Loop Road, (serious 4X4 recommended), in comfort, and you will see some remote and wild areas.
Edited by Old Navy on 11/11/2009 at 08:39
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As Peter D says above, Uluru is just a big smooth rock in the middle of the desert, worth seeing but not making a specific trip for. This is why I suggested combining it with Kings Canyon, (worth a visit) and Alice Springs, also not spectacular but has an airport. Should you choose to see Kings Canyon from the air, I think the helicopter used has a motor bike engine. It seats three including the pilot.
Edited by Old Navy on 11/11/2009 at 08:55
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BIg Sis & hubby done this run a wheen o years ago
With the adolescent children
The thought, in retrospect that just perhaps, possibly, maybe
THEY SHOULD HAVE FLOWN
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If you decide on driving the Great Ocean Road from Melbourne, give yourself 2 days at least so that you have time for the various stops of interest. If you are interested in matters maritime, there are a couple of interesting shipwreck museums along that route, as the South coast of Australia was a bit unkind to sailing ships. As you get close to Adelaide, a run up through Halls Gap is a pleasant drive.
I can't remember whether it was on the ocean road or the inland road from Geelong, but I saw an official road sign pointing up a dirt track saying "Somewhere Else".
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I wouldn't drive to Uluru from Sydney. I personally would drive from Melbourne to Adelaide via the Great Ocean Road. This can be done in 2 days but if you want to savour the journey, try and allow 4 days. Some fantastic scenery here including the 12 Apostles. Then from Adelaide, you can drive to the Stuart Highway taking you to Uluru via Coober Pedy and Kings Canyon. From Adelaide, it took us 2 days to drive to Uluru and we stopped and 2 places, one of which is Coober Pedy. Then from Uluru, backtrack to Stuart Highway and drive to Alice Springs - a full day's drive. Then fly to Sydney.
I would highly recommend it - the roads are all tarmac so any vehicles will suffice.
Do it.....a highly unique and fantastic experience.
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Sorry, an afterthought - also see the Olgas which are a short drive from Uluru. Much more interesting. They are a series of rock formations silimar to Uluru but spread over a wider area.
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I drove from Alice springs to Ayers rock and back. That was far enough. The journey was quiet and fairly uneventful, apart from driving through the biggest thunderstorm I have ever experienced. I would not consider driving there from either Sydney or Melbourne as most of the scenery once you get otback is flat uninteresting desert( although the vastness of the place is awesome). I would do as we did and fly to Ayers Rock from Sydney and hire a car there at the airport. Be aware that yo will not be insured if you hit any livestock whilst driving at night.There is a real hazard as the desert cools, the cows, kangaroo's, camels and buffalo like to sleep on the nice warm tarmac. In the pitch black darkness, with no speed limit in the Northern Territories once outside Alice springs the combination of the two can be deadly. Hope you enjoy yourself.I have been down under thirteen times now and never tire of the place.
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PS. If you are going to drive I would go as previously reccomended from Adelaide. Don't miss the Barrossa Valley if you like your Vino.
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The correct name of the bus tour company we used is "AAT Kings" can recommend them.
Edited by Old Navy on 11/11/2009 at 11:57
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Tack - I fly Qatar Airways to Doha regularly and they really are top class for service with a very modern fleet, in fact their business class I believe was voted number 1 by airline users recently.
Are you stopping over in Doha? If so I would check transfer times.
Sometimes it is an overnight stopover. Doha airport is quite small ( although better than it was ) . If you are on business class the business lounge is fine for a couple of hours but you should check and make sure that you get Qatar Airways to provide hotel accommodation if it is more than 8 hours.
If you are staying over then let me know and I can give you a heads up on where to go and what to do in Doha .
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Thanks for the heads up Helicopter.
Going out, we have 5hrs at Doha before our onward to Melbourne. Coming back, we have 1.5hrs to change planes. Hope that is enough time. What business lounge does Qatar use at H/row?
One thing I am going to do is hire an open top for the coast trip from Melb/Ad'e. Going to take our tme, after all we have 29 free days down under.
To get around the big trips between north/south, we anticipate using Virgin Blue
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London to Doha is 7 hours and 5 Hours is not really long enough to get out and back. I would just chill out in the lounge. Most of the passengers will transfer rather than be going to Doha as a destination as I do. Some I have talked to have 8 hours plus and I believe the ailine has to provide hotel accommodation if the transfer time is more than 7 hours.
Coming back 1.5 hours should be more than enough because Doha is Qatar Airways hub so they would probably delay the outgoing flight if the incoming is late.
I don't fly from Heathrow as Gatwick is much quicker and easier for me so cannot confirm what lounge they use at Heathrow.
Enjoy your flight and the rest of the trip. Qatar Airways is a very good airline these days and travelling business class makes life so much easier.
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When I was going to Doha regularly last year they were using one of the American carriers, maybe Continental, lounge at T3. Adequate for the early Sat morning i usually took but not the best.
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G'day Tack
If you are here for 29 days I suggest civilservants advice is pretty good. There is not that much to do in Oz except travel and see places, and enjoy the great weather. I fly through Alice every month, most flight are full and Oz internal flights / service will make you appreciate flying out business class. As an alternative to a soft top how about a camper van Oz is set up for campervan touring, road hotels are not up to Europen standards and you would be able to apprecaite the size of the place. I hope you have a great time, have a look at Brisbane / Cairns / Gold coast.
We live in Perth - expensive/cut off/energy/mining/horrible drivers.
Cheers
Jim
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I would recommend flying, Uluru (Ayres Rock) is a purpose built resort consisting of a tiny airport and a few hotels.
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I agree - fly there.
The resort is set up to control the tourist impact on the area. There are a variety of beds etc at all sorts of prices. IIRC you cannot stay anywhere else in the area.
I have been told about this big red rock!
What I saw ( I was told it was a dawn) was a big grey lump with waterfalls running off it as we stood there shivering in the rain. The show must go on so all the trestle tables with glasses of Champagne on them were there for the tourists to toast the dawn :-(
Some you win......
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Some you win......
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I was there in winter, -2c overnight, the locals were in thermal shock. Pleasant during the day though, the rock is red, same as the rest of Oz.
Edited by Old Navy on 12/11/2009 at 15:04
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A campervan is certainly the better option. Lots of campsites to pitch up and plug in the electrics. Saves messing around trying to find and book accomodation - which can be dodgy in some places!
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I twas 45C when I drove to the rock. When we got there it was too hot to walk very far.
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Oz desert as you say turbo, "hot" + flies (that crawl into every available orifice) and quite cool at night as most deserts are..........but oh my the stars at night, absolutly wonderful. I've been in some out of the way places but I think the view of night sky in Oz is best.
Sorry about the champers in the rain hope it wasn't the real stuff.
Jim
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night sky in Oz is best.
Don't know if it's the best - people speak highly of the high Andes and the Pacific Islands - but it sure is an improvement on the sky as seen through our murky skies.
The thing that really amazed me almost any clear night in rural NSW was that you could see the greater and lesser Magellanic Clouds with absolute clarity. The other surprise was the false Southern Cross, bigger and higher than the real one but quite similar in shape.
But recognising those nebulae was a big thrill. You wouldn't be able to discern them if they were in our skies except on very rare occasions, owing to all the water vapour and light pollution in Western Europe. Even when there's no cloud as such the atmosphere in South-East England nearly always has thin mist in it, illuminated by waste light from our cities, that makes faint objects invisible. You can't even see the Milky Way on some nights that pass for clear in these parts.
For what it's worth, my impression is that there has been a quite marked deterioration of visibility over the past twenty years.
Edited by Lud on 13/11/2009 at 17:02
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One o9f the great wonders in the world is staring at a night sky with no light polution, The fact that you see the southern cross is a greater thrill. I saw mine from a dark corner of Tasmania.
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I drove the Melbourne Uluru Melbourne loop over fifteen days or so in July 2005 with two friends who live in Melbourne. We headed out via Ballarat, then Adelaide, Woomera (for the museum of the British space programme, not the infamous detention cntre I hasten to add) , Lake Eyre, Oodnadata (check out the Pink Roadhouse and its amazing display of worn tyres), Alice Springs, Uluru, the Olgas. Back via Leigh Creek and the Great Ocean Road. Throughly enjoyable. On the way we kept following bits of the Old Ghan railway (on another trip we visited the Pichi Richi railway at Quorn and that is worth a day if you have time and it is running) and we were also sworn in a temporary posties to delver some mail at one point. We had tents and either camped or stayed in motels. Oh and an underground hotel in Coober Pedy.
There is plenty to see and do should you tire of driving on empty roads. I would suggest a Lonely Planet or too for some research.
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