← Australian Outback Marathon·Day trip

Uluṟu: The Rock at Walking Pace

A flat walk to the waterhole at the foot of Uluṟu, an hour in the Cultural Centre and sunset from the viewing area, all within reach of legs that ran on sand the day before.

DurationDay trip
TransitAbout 20 minutes by car, tour coach or hop-on hop-off shuttle from Yulara
DepartsAyers Rock Resort, Yulara

After the Australian Outback Marathon: Uluṟu

The Route: Yulara → Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa Cultural Centre → Kuniya walk → sunset viewing area → Yulara Logistics: Hire car, organised tour or hop-on hop-off shuttle. Park pass required. Marathon Month: July Duration: Day trip

Yulara ──(approx. 20 mins by road)──> Cultural Centre ──(5 mins)──> Kuniya car park (Mutitjulu Waterhole)
   ▲                                                                           │
   └──────(approx. 20 mins)──── Sunset viewing area ◄──────(10 mins)────────────┘

The Australian Outback Marathon is run on the last Saturday of July on tracks north of the rock, with Uluṟu on the horizon for most of the race. On Sunday, go and stand beside it. The day asks for no more than a couple of kilometres of flat walking, and the rest is looking.

July at Uluṟu is midwinter in the desert: clear skies, cold mornings close to freezing and days around 20°C. This is the best season for walking at the rock. The flies that plague summer visitors are rarely a problem in July, though a fly net weighs nothing. Sunsets come early, around six o'clock.

Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa National Park is jointly managed by its traditional owners, the Anangu, and Parks Australia. Every visitor needs a park pass, bought online or at the entry station, valid for several days; check the current price at parksaustralia.gov.au. The rock is about 20 minutes' drive from Yulara. Without a car, hop-on hop-off shuttles and organised tours run from the resort. There is no public transport in the park.

The Cultural Centre

Start at the Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa Cultural Centre, a low building of mud brick and timber near the base of the rock, designed with Anangu to explain Tjukurpa, the law and stories that tie the landscape together. Displays and videos tell the stories attached to particular parts of Uluṟu, and explain why the climb was closed permanently in October 2019. There is a café and Aboriginal-owned art galleries. Everything is level and indoors, and it is free to enter with the park pass.

Some sections of the rock are sacred sites that must not be photographed. The Cultural Centre explains where, and signs around the base mark them.

The Kuniya Walk

The Kuniya walk leaves from the car park on the southern side of the rock and follows a flat, sandy path about 1 km to Mutitjulu Waterhole, one of the few places around Uluṟu where water collects year-round. The rock face rises straight up beside the path, streaked black where water runs down after rain, and rock art sits under the overhangs. The return trip takes 45 minutes at a post-marathon shuffle, with shade along parts of it and seats at the waterhole.

Anyone with legs to spare can add part of the Base Walk, which circles the whole rock on a flat track for about 10.6 km. On the day after a trail marathon, a short section from the Mala car park is plenty; the rangers' free guided Mala walk, held in the morning in the cooler months, is the best way to see it. Check times at the Cultural Centre.

Sunset

The sunset viewing area, on the western side of the rock, faces Uluṟu as the low sun turns it from orange to deep red and then to purple. Arrive 30 minutes before sunset to park; the car park fills in July. Bring the warm layer from race morning. The temperature drops fast after dark.

Getting Back

Yulara is 20 minutes from the sunset viewing area. The park closes after dark, with gates timed to sunset, so leave promptly. Watch for animals on the road at dusk.