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The town of Alice Springs is located in the middle of the Australian continent and is the unofficial but undisputed capital of the Australia's vast outback.
Outback Outlook Reloaded - ABC South Australia - Australian...
If you missed the first half hour of Outback Outlook then you can listen here.. Each weekday morning we reload the first half hour of the show for your listening pleasure! You may have also missed out - Outback Outlook ... Publish Date: 06/23/2011 10:35 http://blogs.abc.net.au/sa/2011/06/outback-outlook-reloaded-5.html
Uluru (Ayers Rock), Northern Territory, Australia's Outback
Find more information about Uluru (Ayers rock) at www.australiasoutback.com Towering 348 metres above the red desert earth in the heart of Australia's Outback, Uluru (Ayers Rock) is possibly Australia's most recognised and most visited icon. The mono...
It is my understanding that traditional owners are in possession of both Uluru and the closest "resort".
Note from B.: The traditional owners don't own the resort. I wrote on the page about the resort that the tourism giant Voyages does: Ayers Rock Accommodation.
I hear that as of two months ago Voyages has sold the resort to "Indigenous Business Australia". But that is still a big industry body, and not the Anangu. (Thank you to the anonymous commenter who for the heads up.) Uluru National Park is a Commonwealth national park.
Image by Getty Images via @daylifeIf you are going to advertise your "sacred" site to ignorant tourists, whose main reason for travelling 3000km is to climb it, then why kick up a stink about the climb?
The Aboriginal people have more pressing issues than who is walking near the graves of their ancestors, when I die I hope my descendants don't have to pay an entry fee to enter the cemetery where I am buried, and you know what, if my grandchildren find a tree in the cemetery to climb, im okay with that.
Ayers Rock More Than Just A Rock!
Ayers Rock - World monuments | World monuments Ayers Rock, also known as Uluru, is a huge rock formation, made up of sandstone and is located in the southern part of Northern Territory, central Australia. Uluru is said to be a sacred place for the Aboriginals living ... Publish Date: 06/20/2011 17:18 http://www.lrfdecor.com/ayers-rock.html
There are hundreds of backpacker hostels in Australia, and you can find them absolutely everywhere! Yes, even in the remotest outback regions. This page will tell you how to find them, and how to make sure you get the best prices!
If you are backpacking around Australia, then you'll likely want to stay mostly in hostels. So it's good to know that Australian youth hostels are nothing like the spartan places that you may imagine. (Probably you are too young anyway to remember the kind of places that these words bring to my mind...)
Backer hostels are not only for "youth" either. Australian hostels are modern places with excellent services and amenities, run by people who will help you to organise and book your trips, explore the region on your own, or even find you some work if that's what you are after. Image by Getty Images via @daylifeBut most importantly, backpacker hostels in Australia are fun places filled with lots of like minded travellers!
Sharing A Dorm!
As long as you don't mind sharing a dorm with a bunch of total strangers, and sharing the bathroom and kitchen with even more, you'll make plenty of friends here. Travelling alone? Not for long if you stay in backpacker hostels in Australia.
If you are already familiar with Australian hostel accommodation, or backpacker/youth hostels in general, skip right down to where I tell you how to best book a hostel in Australia, so you don't pay more than you need to.
If this is your first big trip overseas, keep reading.
Australia is a vast continent, offering many different experiences. Backpacker hostel accommodation varies as much as the landscapes do. In popular places where the competition for tourist dollars is tough, you will often find youth hostels that are more like modern resorts than budget accommodation!
They have tropical gardens to hang out, big pool areas, lively bars, the music is on all day, and they also offer many activities. Free internet access is the standard, but, um, a quiet night not necessarily so. Many of those Australian backpacker hostels are non stop party places! But fear not, there are always alternatives.
Not everybody wants to party all day every day. I'll tell you below how to best go about finding that lovely, quiet family operated youth hostel that could become your home away from home. They are just as social as the party places.
In fact, that social atmosphere is the best aspect of backpacker hostel accommodation in Australia. You'll make friends, get lots of great tips and ideas, share your own experiences, and if you want to team up with someone, it won't take long to find the right travel partner.
Many backpackers look for hostel accommodation because they are looking for work. If a region offers lots of work for backpackers (like fruit picking), then it will also offer lots of backpacker hostels. Australian working hostels, as they are called, are a slightly different breed from the above mentioned resort style backpacker hostels. They are usually a lot more basic, and possibly things are a bit more dirty or smelly. (Hard to avoid when everybody is doing dirty, sweaty work all day!)
Not all are, of course! But there is not the same focus on tropical resort style and fun and activity.
If you want to work and travel Australia, the working hostels are the place to go! They often work together with employment agencies or with farmers and employers directly, and they can help you find jobs. You will also meet many other working travellers who are the best source of that priceless information about jobs in other parts of Australia. Wanna know where the work is and what it's like? Stay at the working hostels and you'll find out.
Another good thing about working hostels is that they usually offer long stay rates. You pay a lot less if you pay for a whole week in advance. (Many other hostels on the other hand do NOT want you to stay longer, and in fact have maximum stays of 5 - 10 days!)
And last but not least, at the other end of the population density scale, you just never really know what kind of backpacker hostel you'll find in those remote outback corners... What you do know is that generally there will be a backpacker hostel there! Usually one with lots of character. Whatever that may mean...
The standard backpacker accommodation in Australia is in a dorm: a dormitory, sometimes male or female only, sometimes mixed. The number of beds (almost invariably bunk beds) varies. You may end up in 4, 6, 8 or even 12 bed dorms. The fewer beds in the room, the more dollars you'll spend
Most hostels also offer double or twin share rooms, sometimes even with private bathroom facilities. While pricier than the dorm beds, the rooms at Australian backpacker hostels are still much cheaper than Australian hotel or motel accommodation.
Bathroom facilities are shared, and so are the kitchens.
Many hostels also offer free breakfast. (It's usually made of the cheapest of cheap stuffs you can find in the supermarket, but as a shoestring budget traveller I didn't care. Neither did or does anybody else. It's free.)
The kitchens are usually very well equipped. Everything you need is there. Often there are also shelves and fridge areas with food free food for all, things that other travellers have left behind. Always label all your food with your name so it does not get mistaken for free for all stuff! (And be prepared to find that every now and then food goes missing anyway. Not everybody is as honest as you are.)
Keep that last sentence in mind also when it comes to the gear in your room and your valuables. Lock your bags, and if the hostel offers a safe, get them to lock up your valuables. Otherwise carry them on you. That's just common sense.
There are of course laundry facilities as well, usually coin operated.
Pretty much all hostels also have a communal area with the ubiquitous TV (ugh) as well as outdoor sitting areas where everyone gathers and makes friends. Prices at backpacker hostels in Australia vary as wildly as the facilities. You will encounter beds from under $10 to well over $30.
Many Australian backpacker hostels belong to either the YHA (Youth Hostel Association, part of the Int. Youth Hostel Federation) or they are a franchise of the VIP Backpackers Resorts. Both organisations offer their members discounts on accommodation as well as on various activities. So make sure you join them, ideally before you leave home (it's usually cheaper) and get your member card. With about 150 Australian youth hostels in both organisations, that gives you 300 backpacker hostels in Australia to choose from where you get a discount. (And still hundreds of others where you can pay full price.)
Now, I still haven't told you how to book a backpacker hostel and where to find the best prices, have I?
The hard part of this is deciding where to go. Booking a backpacker hostel is easy. You can do it through this backpacker hostel search engine. (Bookmark it while you're at it.)
Why should you use that particular hostel search engine?
To start with because it will get you the best rates, duh. That's the main thing when you're on a budget, isn't it? On average the prices you find there are 8.7% cheaper than at other booking sites.
Secondly, the search engine is independent (i.e. it does not try to push you to any particular chain of hostels) and it charges NO booking fees!
Thirdly, other backpackers have rated the hostels for atmosphere, location, facilities, fun, staff, cleanliness, safety and value. So you get a very good idea what to expect.
And last but not least, this engine is also very user friendly. Click around in it a bit and you'll see what I mean. The page I linked to provides an overview of all Australian towns. You can already see an indication of the prices for a bed with either shared or private facilities.
Click on the town name, and you get a list of all the backpacker hostels and other budget accommodations in that town. Again there is an indication of the price, and you also see already what's included (e.g. breakfast, as I had mentioned above somewhere) and how well the hostel has been rated.
Click through to the hostel and you get all the details regarding the available facilities and also a very detailed rating.
Is this hostel booking engine perfect?
No, of course it isn't. Like at all other booking sites, the descriptions of the backpacker hostels are provided by the hostel itself. (So they all sound much the same anyway, and they all try to tell you that they are simply the best...)
Also, the search engine does not cover all hostels in Australia. No online site can or does, as especially the hostels in the remoter regions often just can't be booked online. But then again, you don't usually need to book those ahead!
On the other hand, some hostels are not there simply because only quality hostels are included. So that's not a bad thing. As far as online hostel booking engines go, this one is as good as it gets. Bookmark it now.
Because if you travel Australia on a budget, you'll be using it a lot.
Brumby logs National Trail by Myenvironment Inc
A short sequence depicting the grizzly discovery of the woodchippers cutting up Australia's, National heritage, Bicentennial Trail. This track runs from Healesville to Cairns and is the longest horse and wheel track in the world. It was a tourism mec...
In your Working Holiday Visa description it says that "You must not make arrangements to travel to Australia until you are advised that your visa has been granted." But on the application form it asks about your return flight.
Should I go ahead and book my flight to give myself a better chance to obtain my visa?
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Myself and 3 friends are planning a trip from Perth to Darwin from the 2nd April ? 27th April 2009. We were going to hire a camper van but are now not sure if this is our best option, we have been told that some areas up in the Kimberly regions are 4WD only. Is this the case? In particular the Bungle Bungles.
We have also been told that April is the rainy season and that some roads may be closed, please can you advise if there are alternate routes and what areas are closed and how long they are closed for.
We are basically trying to find the most affordable travel options without missing anything out, we have tried looking at tours but they are not within our budget range and we also wanted the experience of doing it ourselves.
Any information you can provide us with would be most helpful,
Kind regards Lizzie
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I am going (with my boyfriend) to be in Kakadu around the 5 December. We wanted to camp because everything is so expensive but you seem to say that it is not the best thing to do. Could it get dangerous with the storms? I really hope that we will be able to see a few great places in Kakadu. We are going to be there for three days. Thank you very much for your help!!!
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We are going to Katherine Gorge next week, but unfortunately because of the delayed dry season, the overnight canoe trip is off limits.
I still want to camp in the park, and am wondering if there are any other bush camps available or if the only place to camp in the gorge is at the Nitmiluk camp site?
Would love to know! Also, what a great site! I love your conversational tone.
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I have only got a few months left in Australia to complete my first year - I absolutely love the place and have travelled from Sydney right around to Darwin were I have settled for almost 5 months. I don't feel like I got the true Oz exerience.
I would love the opportunity to do some hospitality/bar work anywhere in Oz to meet real people and wonder could it go towards my getting a 2nd year visa? Any help would be great!
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My family and I are planning to visit Central Australia some time in December and January. But I worry about the temperature. Is it really very hot during that time of the year? Would it make the visit unenjoyable? Thanks for your advice.
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Up until not long ago that headline read "Cheap Travel TO Australia", because the great cheap deals I want to tell you about were only available to Australia visitors from overseas.
But now everyone can get huge savings on their Australia travel bookings! The Aussie Travel Saver Card is finally also available for us Australians.
Did you know that you can easily get discounts of up to 50% on your travel in Australia?
That's right, you can easily get really good deals on accommodation, car hire, restaurants, bars, in theme parks, on tours, cruises, when taking surfing lessons, when going whale watching, shopping... There are thousands of opportunities to save money. A lot of money!
It all depends where exactly you want to go and what you plan to do. But if you are lucky you can save hundreds and hundreds of dollars and have a real cheap Australia holiday.
How do you do it? It's so easy...
The Aussie Travel Saver Card is a special card that in the past only international Australia travellers could buy. And now Australian residents can get it as well!.
Having the card means you can get great discounts on thousands of different bookings and purchases.
The card is cheap as chips. For example a card for one month is $29, and you could do all your big bookings in that one month.
Lets do an example. On accommodation you can get discounts of up to 40%.
Say you need to book a hotel room for two nights, and say the regular price is $100 a night, and you get only 20% off. Over two nights you'd save $40. Already you made your money back and saved extra! Every purchase or booking from here on saves you money. Lots of money!
Not into accommodation? One 4WD campervan hire company offers a 10% discount for ATS card owners. If you hire a campervan for a week or more you are looking at well over thousand to several thousand dollars. And that means potential savings of several hundred dollars! All with a card that costs you $29...
As you will see below, you can save on so many different things!
Yep, you CAN have cheap Australia holidays!
For people who go on longer Australia holidays there are different cards available:
(On top of that I can also get you a 20% discount on those prices when you buy the card. More on that below.)
When I first heard about all this, I thought it's a bit too good to be true. Except it is true!
And this is how it works...
You order the Aussie Travel Saver Card online (wait with your order until you have read how to get the 20% discount!), and it is sent to you together with a unique identifier code. Every time you make a booking or purchase, you show the card or quote your unique code and you get up to 50% off the regular price. That's all there is to it!
You still get the same value as if you paid full price like everyone else. Only you don't pay full price.
Now, of course you do not get discounts at any and all places in Australia, but only at participating businesses. When I first read about that I thought, "Oh well, here we go. I bet there is nothing available that I would actually be interested in."
But the number of participating businesses is huge! I was totally overwhelmed by what's available.
On top of the obvious things like accommodation, car or campervan hire and tours, there are restaurants and cafes, bars and night clubs, theme parks and zoos, boat cruises, yacht hire and surf schools, hot air ballooning and dolphin swims... there is everything!
Some businesses offer a percentage, some times you get a fixed amount of dollars off the full price, and some places have different offers altogether.
(For example the famous Daly Waters Outback Pub offers you a free beer, wine or spirit with every meal.)
You can easily check first if it's worth for you to get that card. You just go the website and do some searches for things that interest you.
As one might expect, most participating businesses are located in the more populated regions of Australia, along the east coast and down south.
It's so easy to make just one booking and already you saved the price of the card. And from there on, every time you use it you save more. You can't lose. And for people traveling in the more "civilised" parts of Australia, the amounts can quickly add up to some staggering sums!
Go here and scroll down the page to have a look for yourself. (Don't forget to come back to find out how to save another 20% when buying the card!)
As I said, initially I could not believe this. Just too good to be true, I thought!
But I've been in touch with the people behind this card, and not only is it all true, I also managed to negotiate a special offer for you:
On top of the savings you get with the card, I can also get you a 20% discount on the card itself! (At least for now I can. I don't know how long this offer will be valid.)
For example instead of $98 for a 12 months card, you only pay $78.40, a saving of nearly $20 right off the bat.
And all you need to do to get the extra 20% is to go here to buy your card, and in the field "Promotion Code" enter the code ROUTBACK.
By the way, YOU specify the starting date of the card. You can buy a card today and select a starting date for some months down the track.
Keep in mind that you can use the card from home to make bookings for car hire, accommodation, tours and more, so don't make the starting date too late.
Go and make this the cheapest Australia holiday ever.
Get your Aussie Travel Saver Card now and don't forget to enter the promotion code ROUTBACK for your 20% discount.
From today on you don't want to pay full price ever again!
(And if you know anyone else who could benefit from the Aussie Travel Saver Card, send them here so they also can save the extra 20%.)
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A couple of hints for "first time" visitors to some of our country roads. Corrugations are the invention of a particularly fiendish devil and here are a couple of his favourite tricks.
Aluminium cans will abrade through in just a few miles and leave all your beer sloshing about in the bottom of your fridge if you don't wrap them up.
Sharp knives won't cut butter - supposing you have any left that wasn't spoiled by the beer - once again wrap them.
Screw tops will be undone and the contents of jar and bottle mixed in an unholy cocktail - green tomato pickle and Dettol is one that lingers in my memory. Worthwhile spending a few minutes to put a bit of tape on them and it might save you from a life-long aversion to what had been some of your favourite things.
Anything fastened with bolt and nut is fair game-a dab of nail polish helps or at least gives you a clue to what goes where, if you are cunning and use different colours.
Don't get me wrong, corrugations have their uses; they deter lots of people from visiting my favourite places and keep outback mechanics flat out for a good part of the year! Happy motoring !!!!!!
Photo by RobertPaulYoung
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I thought long and hard about whether to climb Uluru or not. My husband and I did the walk around first and were very careful not to photograph the sacred sights.
The climb was opened the next day and we decided to do it - figuring it may be our only chance.
We rationalised the decision based on the fact that the rock was here long before the Aboriginals settled in the area.
I am interested in Aboriginal culture but I am not prepared to live by their cultural beliefs, in fact, many of their dreamtime stories set in the Uluru area are forbidden to be told to people outside of their culture - so even if I desired to have a full understanding I am denied that in advance.
People who are wanting to be respectful and not climb compare climbing the rock to climbing over a church... but I see a stronger correlation with Islam and their ban on showing a picture of Mohammad, not only are followers not allowed to show the picture, NO ONE CAN.
Many people think this is unfair, including some governments.
Some people who choose not to climb Uluru seem to think they are superior to people who do choose to climb against the wishes of the local Aboriginals.
Well, I say there are very few in that number, who choose not to climb, who have any true or profound understanding of what Aboriginal culture is all about themselves, choosing to stay off the climb might make you obedient, respectful and nice but it doesn't educate you and it doesn't make you right.
In my short stay in Uluru I got the impression that Aboriginal culture had a strong series of customs based on exclusion.
They exclude the men from the womens sections and vice versa - the opposite sex may not even view the segregated areas - which is why photographs are forbidden FOR EVERYONE.
The serious and strong attempts to get everyone off the rock is an extension of the culture of exclusion that I don't live by.
The Aboriginals say it best themselves "We don't Climb" That's fine, don't climb, don't allow your families and extended community to climb - stick with your beliefs and don't impose them on everyone else on Earth.
The climb itself was amazing and I feel strongly that people should be allowed to climb if they want to.
I am horrified by the thought that it might be banned, in my opinion that will be a tragedy.
I am currently in Perth. I plan to leave Perth, drive the west coast to Darwin, over to Cairns then down to Brisbane, Sydney over to Ayers Rock and back to Perth. Do you reckon this can be done in 8 weeks stopping here and there?
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We (2a & 3k) plan to go from Sydney to Uluru in 2010 for three weeks. Unfortunately we are limited to school holidays so would you suggest April or July? Also is it feasible in our own 2WD? Could anyone suggest an itinery? Is 5-7 days to get to Alice Springs/Uluru from Sydney sufficient? Allowing us at least a week in Alice Springs, and then 5-7 days for the journey back? We would like to do some camping as well as stay in affordable accommodation.
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Ever since I translated a story about an illegal climb of Uluru via Ngaltawata in 1976 - I think - for a mountaineering stories anthology, I wanted to climb the rock. Being an enthusiastic and ambitious mountaineer, climbing Uluru appeared a most natural thing to do for me.
When I booked one of the Uluru One Day Tours ex Alice Springs, my first priority was to select an agent that offers the climbing option. But I was warned by them beforehand that more often than not the climb would be closed. Well, I had only that one day (05 May 2009) and that one chance.
I have a sincere respect for aboriginal culture and traditions and would have had no problems accepting a "no" due to ceremonies that prevented people from climbing, but I reckoned that the weather conditions might be favourable on that day. So when our bus entered the Uluru-Kata/Tjuta NP and I saw that the rock was open (which our guides of the excellent Emu Run Tours grudgingly acknowledged), my heart jumped.
I was only worried that our guides would run the schedule in such a way and with so tight timing that the climb might not be possible or closed by the time we arrived at the base. In May days are shorter, but the one day program still follows the year round schedule of things to do. Of utmost importance is the sunset BBQ with bubbly where our guides have the ambition to be the first on site.
So, they managed to let 5 aspirants in our group loose at the start of the climb with a mere 1hr 45min to go. I hurried up the chained and steepest part of the trail and then followed the white marks to the summit. I really enjoyed the views downhill, the clean rock with not a single loose stone, the few pools of water, occasional vegetation, strange rock formations,the short friction climbs up and down the waves of rock at the plateau, I enjoyed the views to Kata Tjuta where we had done the Walpa Gorge Walk 2 hours earlier, Mount Connor and the wide country around the rock.
As I wished to also do a bit of the base walk, I was back at the start after under 90min (as the climb just was being closed ahead of schedule) and walked the base until I saw Ngaltawata, the beginning of my dream, close up. I am grateful to the traditional owners of Uluru and the land around it that they allow us to climb the mountains as they have done from time immemorial.
The chains are great, the marks are clear. The first part is easy but physically tough, fitness and concentration are required, but it is a rewarding trip. Upon reaching the upper part one tends to think the summit is near, but I knew that 2/3 of the climb still lay ahead.
Coming down the chain trail is comparatively comfortable, but that is when accidents can easily happen! So take your time and watch you every step.
You say in your 'About me' section that every 6 months you left Australia and went to Timor, Bali, South Africa and then returned and renewed your visitors visa.
However, how long do you have to be out of Australia in order to return and renew? Is there a minimum amount of time you must be out of the country?
My husband and I live in the UK and are retiring next year. Our long term dream has been to buy a camper van and travel Australia, NZ, USA, Canada and South Africa.
If we left Australia after 6 months travel and went to NZ how soon could we return to Australia and start again with a new visitors visa. How often will the Immigration Service let you do this?
If we could wave a wand we would like to womble the World for about 20 years! Many thanks for any help you can give. We are struggling to find any help/guidance on the web about what we want to do. Thanks and best wishes Sharon
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I visited Ayers Rock in 1984, before it became a huge visitor centre. There was one hotel, still being finshed off, and contact for bookings was by telegraph.
I was "lucky" enough to climb it, and it is a treasured memory, but in those days I was ignorant of what the Aboriginal people felt about it. Since then I have learned more and would dearly love to visit The Rock again. However, after reading your article and what I know now, I would refrain from climbing it again as I have a lot of respect for the Aboriginal people and their culture.
I walked the Inca trail to Machu Picchu last year. You are only allowed by Permit now as the Peruvians want to preserve the trail for future generations. Perhaps the Aussie government could do the same, no more climbs, but guided tours of the rock from the ground. It is still an amazing experience to see this gigantic Rock and know its history. There is always helicopter and light aircraft flights for those who want to see the top.
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Image via WikipediaDo you want Opal Jewelry?
