Melbourne to Uluru with kids....

Rebecca

Of course you could do it, but I wouldn't with young kids and older people presumably from a smaller country and perhaps a cooler country!
This is from someone who did 7000km with his teenage kids over 18 days or 5000km with kids and wife over 12 days.

IF you really want to see "the outback" settle for the Flinders over a week and half + a bit of time at Broken Hill. IF they are dead keen on Uluru, let them fly there. Your kids will have years to see it.

Just add up the distances, allow yourself 2 if not 3 days at Uluru-The Olgas & half a day at Coober Pedy then see how many ks you need to drive per day every day.

Mark

Rebecca,
IMHO that is too far in too short a time, have a look at doing the Fliinders Ranges. much easier and lots of impressive history.

Bob C.

Hi Rebecca,

All depends on how well your kids travel. When mine were 2 & 4 (now 12 & 14), we could do up to 500+ kms a day, but then needed a sightseeing day evey other day or so. Planning is the key and keeping them entertained is what makes the difference between an enjoyable trip or the road trip from hell.

Uluru is a magic place and IMHO certainly wirth making the effort to get there - we did this again trip in July last year, was a 2 week trip from Perth and the time frame was comfortable for us. The trip itself shows just how varied Australian countryside is and will certainly show your in-laws a good chunk of Australia.

Cheers

Captain

Rebecca ,Adelaide to Uluru or Alice springs you can do in two days Melbourne to Adelaide one day so that's 6 days on the road return of hard/long driving , that will give you 6 to 8 days to look around .

Adelaide to uluru etc not a lot to look at , kids will need DVD etc on that leg of the trip . If you go Alice springs plenty to do there .
But generally that's a long way to go just to look at a bloody big rock ......LOL

Flinders rangers is a great spot if your prepared to get out and have a" GOOD "look /walk etc .... you will need to do some research before hand ...

What ever you do drive careful on the road it's a long way in a short time.......

Good luck & have fun

cheers nick

It will be very hot at Uluru, especially for the poor bugger who gets to carry the 4 yr old around Uluru when he/she konks out. Our kids (8 & 4) loved the Flinders.

Rebecca,

We took my elderly parents and our two daughters [11 and 13] to Alice Springs - including 3 days at Uluru, from Melbourne - and had two days in Mildura on the way home - spare.
It is certainly 'do-able' and it remains our favourite trip to this day.

I saw a sticker on the back of a 4WD today - 'Some people watch Getaway - others do it!'.

Gary

Hi Rebecca

It will be getting hot and most walks are closed on hot days - however the long walk around Uluru may not be subject to these closures.

Perhaps somewhere closer to home and not so hot would be more suitable for your family.

Motherhen

I did Melbourne up to Coober Pedy, Uluru, Kings, Alice etc in 2 weeks recently.

We put the 4wd on the Ghan and came back that way. It's cheaper from Alice to Adelaide than the other way around, and it bought us nearly a week of daily travel. It means you can take your time and go one way.

It was $600 for 1 kid, 2 adults and the car from Alice to Adelaide. Then I was rested and drove home to Melbourne that day. 1 1/2 days from Alice to Melbourne with no stress. We were in Economy seats but for the 24 hours it was quite bearable and you can go to the "club" car and "cafe" car. It was a bit of a highlight and made what would of been an otherwise rushed trip quite relaxed.

BTW when in Coober Pedy stay at at "The Lookout cave" It is run by a Greek guy who was a miner. He is knowledgeable and really friendly to kids. He has a box of old opal pickings that the kids can go through and keep with "colour". Great entertainment for a few hours while you sit out the front and have a drink. Reasonably priced, and a really great stay.

Thanks for your replies everyone, you have given us lots to think about. We might just look at Adelaide and the Flinders instead. We can always do the longer road trip when the kids are a bit older.

We did the same trip in August 2011. Total of 6,800 kms in 23 days towing camper trailer with two kids. Too much to see to rush there and back. Either add a week, or define exactly what to want to see and do part A now, and part B later. Here's some notes about our trip:
Melb to Uluru