Getting there

Planes

Regular flights are available from all major Australian cities to Ayers Rock Airport (also known as Connellan Airport) with Qantas (www.qantas.com.au). Flights are daily from Perth, Sydney, Cairns and Alice Springs and there are flights from Melbourne twice a week. If you’re coming from Darwin or Brisbane, you’ll have to change at Alice Springs. Many travellers choose to fly to Alice Springs and then drive to Uluru; again Qantas flies from the major Australian cities. Tiger Airways also flies to Alice Springs from Melbourne and Adelaide (www.tigerairways.com).

Trains

Alice Springs is a stop-off on the famous cross-continental Ghan train route (www.gsr.com.au/our-trains/the-ghan/the-journey.php) that runs twice weekly between Adelaide and Darwin.

Automobiles

4WDs are best suited to handling the Red Centre’s rugged terrain, and a large stash of water is always advisable when taking to the tracks of the desert. Avis (www.avis.com.au), Thrifty (www.thrifty.com) and Hertz (www.hertz.com) have branches at Yulara and Alice Springs, and it’s a 4-5 hour drive between the two – book in advance.

Others

Guests of the Ayers Rock Resort and Longitude 131° get a free return transfer from Ayers Rock Airport. AAT Kings operates luxury air-conditioned coach services between Ayers Rock, Kings Canyon and Alice Springs. P+61 8 8956 2171 (www.aatkings.com). The Uluru Express also runs between Uluru and Kata Tjuta (www.uluruexpress.com.au).