Uluru National Park (Ayers Rock) Travel Forum

Hi,

I have 6 days to get from Melbourne to Sydney. I would really like to visit Uluru in-between. Is it possible to accomplish this by car? I would be the only driver.

Is that a safe drive?

If not, what's the best alternative for such a trip?

Thanks in advance.

Try putting it into whereis.com which will give you routes and travel times.
I think you will find that you would only barely manage it if you drove for 8 hours a day, a bit much on your own.
Lesley

Probably not.
It'd take about 25 hrs to drive from Melbourne to Alice Springs and about 30 hrs to drive from ALice Springs to SYdney. So thats about 2 and a quarter days already, keeping in mind, however that this is actual driving time.
On top of that you would need to sleep - say 8hrs a night, then petrol / food and rest breaks - and the actual sight seeing itself - so it doesnt leave you with a lot of time.
Personally, I would save Uluru for another time when you have more time to enjoy it and take it all in. Otherwise it would be too rushed.
Happy travels

Hi, the "only driver" thing in six days does not sound like a safe or viable option.

Melbourne to Sydney via Uluru means traveling through Victoria, South Australia, the Northern Territories then Queensland and down through New South Wales .... Mmmmmmm.

The alternative is - take a plane.

:-)

Hi,

I have actually this trip twice and have lived in the N.T.

SERIOUSLY....would I do this in your time frame and the safety aspect?.... NO!

You would need to travel as mentioned before through S.A up to Cooper Pedy and then onto the Alice, there are heaps of reasons as to why you need more time to do this trip but mainly 6 days is far too short and the roads are long, and not all that great in places... and the beasts (wild buff and cows and bulls) on the roads are plentiful besides the Road Trains, which you do not want to negotiate when you are tired.

There is alot to see and do on this trip and I would recommend you spend at least one night in Cooper Pedy in a dug out and explore The Devils Marbles blah blah blah.

Why not go along the Australia's famous Great Ocean road and see how spectacular the Southern part of our Country is.

Good luck

The short answer is that it is not do-able as proposed at any reasonable level of comfort, satisfaction and safety as the distances are just too great.It would also be more economical( for one person) to fly given accommodation costs in between. You should take the opportunity to fly into Alice springs and link up with a pre booked 3 day tour of the region which includes the Mcdonndell Ranges and associated gorges,and goes further afield to Kings canyon, Uluru and Kata Tjuta (olgas). Don't go just to see the "rock" and miss the other delights of the region. You could fly in and out of Yalara village(at Uluru)if that is all you want to do, but you are best advised to fly to Alice. There are good guided return trips of the whole region emanating from Alice springs. You could then fly out to Sydney. Just driving the return trip from Uluru to Sydney would take you three days of very long and solid travel with little time to stop at any attractions in between. best wishes.

Thanks everyone for your detailed and well-argumented responses!
Given what I heard, I will most likely forgo the trip to Uluru with a leisurly drive from Melbourne to Adelaide and then to Sydney. Drive the Great Ocean Road, visit some wineries, maybe a couple of beaches. If you have any tips on where to stay (book in advance?) and what to see, they would be most appreciated.

Thanks again!

If you have 6 days, I would take a very leisurely drive from Melbourne to Sydney talking in the coastal road - driving all along the southern coast of Victoria, crossing the border into NSW, head inland around Jervis Bay or so to Mount Kosciuszko (Australia's highest mountain)and the Australian Alps before heading into Sydney.