15 day Road Trip-Rockhampton to Uluru

Hi Krista....slow this thing down a bit I suggest. Rocky/Cape Trib/Ularu in return in
15 days..??? not on...forget it. Even Rocky/Ularu in 15 days wont be much fun..
try to stretch it to 3 weeks, or more, & smell the roses. 500 Km a day for 12 days is
required just to get there & back. You wont average better than 80 kph towing a van,
so that equates to about 8 hrs driving a day...not a lot of joy in that either.
Plan your route..then decide what you want to see on the way...while you're there..
& on the return journey...then allocate your time accordingly..cheers....oldbaz.

You're right, I didn't realize at first how long it would take to do all the driving! You're probably thinking, silly Canadian lol! I am definitely thinking 3 weeks now and just Rockhampton to Uluru, we can do Whitsundays and Cape Trib any other time. I don't want to be driving every day! Can you recommend places we should definitely stop at and explore between Rocky and Uluru? And certain activities like places to go hiking or places to see? Stuff that a 6 year old can do as well, can't do any extreme hiking unfortunately :)

No silly Canadian thoughts at all Krista. As I live in southern nsw I am only guessing
at your route from Rocky. What I would do is follow your chosen route on Google
Maps...note down the places you pass through then google each for the local attractions. You may wish to climb Uluru, but also walk around it. Valley of the
Winds Walk at the Olgas is also not to be missed..as are the walks at Kings Canyon.
The scenic attractions E & W of Alice are also excellent.
Get planning, girl,...while I go back to dreaming about going to Canada...:))))).
cheers....oldbaz.

Thanks for your help! I really appreciate it :) Climb Uluru you say? Is it like climbing with ropes or like a walking-climb? Is it safe for a 6 year old? If so then I'm totally down for that!

I will research what's around Alice, thanks for that!

Canada is great to travel to! !

Hi Krista,

Uluru isn't a climb that I'd personally be wanting my 6 year old to do - even I chickened out 20-odd years ago! Others, of course climbed it on that day even though there was quite a strong breeze, but the start looked steep enough for me to give it a miss.

I'm not sure any 6 year old child would have the sense not to chase their hat if it blew off! Plenty of adults have died on that climb - just check out the plaques and signs at the base of the climb.

Not trying to put you off and I'd hope you'd know your child better than I do, but I've worked with enough young folk over the years as a Cub leader and church children's worker to understand their psychological sense of possession and even, surprise, surprise, occasional disobedience. :-)

Regards,


Charlie

Thanks Charlie! I had no idea at first what kind of climb it is, when someone suggested it, I thought it was like a "walk/hike" not an actual mountain climb. And I did more research and how the aboriginals don't want you to climb it anyway, so we won't be doing that.

Thanks! I've been going along google map to see the stops in between. I'll check out that Whereis trip planner as well :)

Thanks for your input! I appreciate it. We were thinking of towing a camper trailer with our Navara. We want to rent a camper anyway (I'm not keen on sleeping in a tent lol).
Do you know if all of these places to hike have easy hiking/walking trails for a 6 year old?
Is 3 weeks long enough to enjoy the trip?

hi karin b
july/august is a good ideal time cold nights but generally nice warm to mildly hot days to go that area as later gets hot to very hot 40deg plus and and late august included depending on the seasoni have been up it twice once very late july and once in october
yes the walking trails /tracks are ok for a fit 6yr old wearing a comfortable pair of broken in joggers
dont do what a lot of parents make the mistake of leaving home with a brand new pair of footwear for the kids and themselves and then find first day on the trail the shoes are rubbing the heals etc resulting in blisters and kids not wanting to keep them on
there are plenty of burrs and prickles on the ground out there get up early and walk in the cool of the mornings its much more enjoyable and the kids will last the distance and take drinking water with you and have frequent rests
at the olgas there is a bit of moderate climbing on the trails over granate depending where you choose to see but worth it imho
there is a chain between posts cemented into the climbing trail on uluru rock and imho is worth the climb just take it easy and walk carefully up and down
back in 1979 october i actually carried my 4yr old daughter to the top and back down on my shoulders i was fit 33yr old in those dayswe started out at 6.30am and by the time we got back down it was 38deg at 10am there was very little restrictions and no fees for individuals only those on tourist buses
in those days not like now
cheers barry

Yeah we decided to make it a 3 week trip, it's a long drive to get out there! I want to spend time out of the car as well lol. I'm going to look at including these places you suggested!

Thank you that's a lot of good info!! Yeah I'm thinking it definitely will be the first of many trips :) when our daughter is older we can do longer/tougher hikes as well! The macDonnell Ranges are on the "must do" list for sure! I will definitely have to research which walks are the most "kid friendly" for this trip. And I am the most safety-conscious (or paranoid) mother there is, I won't let go of her hand on our hikes that's for sure! :) Do you think 6 1/2 is too young to do a hiking trip? We're gonna start this year doing small hikes in the area where we live (Yeppoon) and see how long she lasts...will definitely need lots of breaks :) lol

I didn't know before what kind of "climb" Uluru was, if it was just a walk-hike kinda thing or more advanced climb. I've read up more on it now and how the indigenous people don't want you to climb so I didnt know all that before. Good to know :)

This is turning out to be a much bigger trip than I expected! Ha. It's such a far drive. We don't have to see it all in one trip, as we live here now so we will definitely be back for other trips. I definitely see that we need at least 3 weeks tho. From Rocky to Uluru is 35 hours each way, so to make it a comfortable trip driving 5 hours per day would be not too crazy and be able To see some places along the way. So 7 days driving each way, and 7 days around Alice and Uluru. Is this a suitable trip for a 6 1/2 year old? 3 weeks camping in the outback? It sounds so awesome to me but would she be bored? I'm kinda not sure now...