A Journey through the Red Centre - Things You Need to Know

When you try to imagine what the quintessential landscape of Australia looks like, it's hard to think of anywhere other than the Outback. And there is one place where all of the iconic experiences of the Outback collide, and that's the Red Centre.

Desert adventures, aboriginal culture, and the ever changing colours of Uluru are all found in the region between Alice Springs and Yulara, the town closest to Uluru itself.

I was lucky enough to experience the Red Centre of Australia over a period of 7 days, and I'll be sharing that journey with you here. I hope that this story will inspire you to visit this part of the country, as your authentic Australian experience is not complete without setting your eyes upon Uluru at sunset.

What follows below is my personal experience in visiting the Red Centre. I did a lot of amazing things, but I didn't do everything. One could easily spend 10 days or more exploring this incredible region of Australia. I will share with you my personal recommendations on what to see and do, but I encourage you to consider things outside of what I share with you.

Our journey through the Red Centre of Australia began at Alice Springs, as it does for most travellers. The Alice Springs Airport has domestic flights from most capital cities, including Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Darwin. It is usually cheaper to fly into Alice Springs, compared to Uluru Airport.

The easiest way to get from Alice Springs airport into the main town is with a private airport transfer, as Alice Springs has almost no public transport. You can book your transfer right here on Klook.

The town of Alice Springs lies almost exactly between Darwin and Adelaide, and was actually setup to be a telegraph station to connect the two coastal towns. The town has since blossomed into a thriving, spirited community in the heart of Australia's Outback, and draws in thousands of visitors each year.

If you're planning a visit to Alice Springs, make sure you checkout these two activities:

Perhaps my most memorable part of my Red Centre experience was the drive from Alice Springs towards the town of Yulara, the gateway to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.

It is on this journey that I was able to experience first-hand what life is like in the Outback. Campfires under the stars, sleeping in a traditional swag, and hiking through the most incredible gorges were all stand out moments. Read on to discover more.

There is no shortage of incredible hikes to do in the Red Centre. You could spend days exploring the MacDonnell Ranges alone. But one of the most iconic hikes to do in the area is the Kings Canyon & Scenic Rim walk.

The Kings Canyon is located a few hours outside of Alice Springs, along the route towards Uluru. We got to the start of the hike in the early morning - around 8am - which is the best time to arrive to avoid what can be some brutal midday heat (you are in an actual desert, after all).

I fully recommend having a guide with you when you do the hike, as they'll be able to point out everything of interest, and also ensure you take the hike safely. You can view our recommended guided Kings Canyon hike right here.

The hike takes around 2 hours to get from the parking lot nearby, all the way up to what is known as the 'Scenic Rim' - a flat, sandstone section of the hike which overlooks the canyon and valley below.

On the way up to the Scenic Rim, you will encounter plenty of the natural flora of the area. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable about the environment and pointed out some truly fascinating aspects of the rock formations. He even pulled some grub worms out from the ground and ate them just like that!

Continuing the journey towards Uluru, we arrived at the famous Kings Creek Station, a working cattle ranch with facilities for camping or stay in safari cabin accommodation, both options designed so you can experience the outback.

If you're wanting to make the most of your time in the Red Centre, I absolutely would recommend spending a night or two at Kings Creek Canyon. It is a great base camp for experiencing a whole variety of activities in the area, including the Kings Canyon Walk. It also gives you the opportunity to take in the more subtle aspects of outback living, including making a campfire under the stars, and sleeping in a traditional one person swag.

Now you may have read the sub heading above and thought to yourself, "What on earth is a Camel Cup?". Well, it is exactly what it sounds like. It's a racing event, held in the outback, with everyone dressed to the nines, where camels trot around a dusty track. And it is absolutely one of the most spectacular things you will ever see.

Now, this is not at all like real horse racing. The camels are not bred for racing, and to be honest, no one really takes the racing element very seriously. It's more an entertainment showcase where camels gallop around a very short course and the crowd cheers wildly. Yes, you can technically bet on a camel, but the whole affair is more about socialising and enjoying what it means to live in the country outback more than it is about which camels takes first place.

The Camel Cup in Uluru takes place annually towards the end of May. If you have some flexibility as to when you visit the Red Centre, I would absolutely timing it so you can experience the Camel Cup. It is a celebration of Australian outback culture unlike anything else.

After our 3 day journey from Alice Springs, we finally pulled in to the town of Yulara. This tiny town, consisting mainly of high-end resorts, museums, and souvenir shops, would be our home for the final 2 nights of our journey.

Once settled in Yulara, we headed toward the crown jewel of Australia's outback, and the primary landmark people visit the region to see - Uluru rock. The most iconic way to view this natural wonder is at sunset, with a glass of champagne in your hand. It is perhaps one of the top 5 experiences I've ever had the privilege of enjoying as a travelling. Although i had an idea of the size of Uluru before seeing it in real life, nothing quite prepares you for the sheer scale of it. It truly is majestic - a giant cutout against what is an otherwise perfectly flat horizon.

The experience is best enjoyed with friends, and I was lucky enough to be with around 6 of my colleagues at the time. Standing there in the late afternoon light, watching the colours of the rock face change as the sun sets, created an atmosphere of reflection. You realise just how historic Uluru is, how important it is not just to the Aboriginal people, but to all Australians. It is, in many ways, the heart of the country.

After exploring the area around the base of Uluru, we headed for a lesser known part of the national park. That area is known as Kata Tjuta, or The Olgas, and is home to rock formations which are just as impressive as Uluru itself.

At The Olgas, we began our walk through The Valley of the Winds - the longest and most stunning of the available hikes. Watching the sun bounce off the rock surface in the midday heat was truly something magnificent.

After returning from The Olgas, we enjoyed our final dinner at our ranch accomodation, before heading to bed in the Red Centre for the last time. In the morning we were to fly home to our respective home cities, and life would continue as normal.

The journey through the Red Centre had certainly been eye opening in so many ways - seeing the outback, meeting the people who live there, and learning more about traditional Aboriginal culture.

For anyone wanting to see a different side of Australia to the capital cities of Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney, there is no one quote like the Red Centre in Australia's Northern Territory. It can be experienced in as little as 3 days, but I would certainly suggest a few more day - 5 to 6 days being the perfect amount of time.