Where is Ayers Rock?
Where is Ayers Rock? It is roughly slap-bang in the centre of Australia, although it is somewhat confusingly classified as within the Northern Territory. The state, however, extends beyond the centre of the country, and Ayers Rock can be found towards its southwest corner. It is part of Uluru National Park, an area set up to protect Ayers Rock and The Olgas.
The rock sits right in the middle of the national park, about 335kms southwest of Alice Springs. People usually get here by road from Alice (463kms), but there is also an airport nearby. About 20kms to the north of Ayers Rock is where visitors will find the service town of Yulara.
Ayers Rock itself is a World Heritage site within a World Heritage area. Motorists can get here by taking the Lasseter Highway from Yulara, which connects with the Stuart Highway from Alice Springs. The Lasseter Highway then spurs off to Ayers Rock and continues on to The Olgas (Kata Tjuta).
By road, the journey from Alice Springs is 200kms south along the Stuart Highway, another 245kms west along the Lasseter Highway, and then another 20kms south to Ayers Rock. There’s not much of interest along this route, but even less for those who head up from South Australia through Coober Pedy.
Tourists can hire cars in Alice Springs for the five-hour drive, and the entire trip can be done in one day if necessary. This is not recommended, however, and most people opt for a bus tour due to where Ayers Rock is – the middle of nowhere.
Uluru / Ayers Rock
Attractions
