Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park Driving Tour: A Guide to its Legends and History

(8 reviews)

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park audio tour: Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park Driving Tour: A Guide to its Legends and History

This is a 58.2mi driving tour

It takes an average of 90 mins to complete.

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park

Australia

$14.99

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About the Tour

Let Uluru’s landscape come alive with stories of giant lizards, shape-shifting ‘devil’ dogs and giant snakes on this driving tour through the Uluṟu Kata Tjuṯa National Park, to the Valley of the Winds.

Starting in the little town-site of Yulara, I’ll share the area’s history as a meeting point before European arrival, along with unique Aboriginal creation stories linked to the land. The Anangu regard these stories as sacred, to be treated with respect, not unlike the parable stories in the Bible. You’ll also hear about the National Park’s geology and sustainable multi-layered land management practices, which is one reason the park has received three UNESCO awards for excellence. I’ll also throw in a splash of astrophysics for good measure.

On this 90-minute tour, you’ll see many beautiful and interesting sights including:

Uluru Sunset Viewing Area where visitors can park and watch the ever-changing colours of sandstone formation at sunset
Uluru Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre, which houses a museum, art galleries, parks rangers and a restaurant with a gift shop
Mutitjulu Waterhole where you’ll hear about the creation story involving a battle between two snakes carved into the rockface
Kata Tjuta Viewing Area, otherwise known as The Olgas, where spectacular vistas of mountain range resembling multiple heads can be photographed
Valley of the Winds, home to a couple of walking trails for avid explorers
Walpa Gorge and its spectacular and unique ’Christmas pudding’ rock formations

Whether you’re a curious local or have travelled from overseas, Uluru is one of the most precious and unique locations in Australia to see and explore. We’re proud to showcase ’The Rock’ in all its splendour and can’t wait to share our excitement with you. So be our guest and come and see Uluru like never before!

Music

Travel Light by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

Redwood Trail by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

Redwood Highway by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

Front Porch Sitter by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

Plantation by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

Tour Producer

Clive Gregory

4 tours

I am an accredited Tour Guide with over thirty years experience exploring both the Australian outback and cities alike. I have worked for many tour companies of varying sizes that have given me the capacity to work with and cater for the needs of many different types of personalities and tour groups.

I enjoy the interaction between visitors and guests alike by showing them the many fascinating places and sharing their local stories. The depth of this knowledge and understanding was gleaned over many years of guiding.

My tours are a great insight into the local culture, history, geology, architecture and biodiversity of the areas that I have toured.

I hope you will enjoy the apps as much as I did making them.

See you on tour...

Clive Gregory

Preview Location

Location 9

Kurpan (koor – pan) Devil Dog

You should be approaching the Mala Walk car park on your right hand side. Find a suitable park and park you car now. While you park, I'll quickly tell you about the fascinating Devil Dog story before the short Mala Walk at the base of the Rock which is right in front of you.
... You should be approaching the Mala Walk car park on your right hand side. Find a suitable park and park you car now. While you park, I'll quickly tell you about the fascinating Devil Dog story before the short Mala Walk at the base of the Rock which is right in front of you.

I'm going to share with you a quick story about the Creation time Mala People who were expert shape shifters. This should take about 5 minutes and after that you can go on a short walk along a small section of the base where you will actually see the impressions that these creation beings made in the caves on the Rock. So here goes....

The Mala, Rufus hare – wallabies, came to Uluru from the North and West. They came for important men's ceremonies at Uluru.

The Mala men decorated a ceremonial pole, the Ngaltwata. A group of senior men then climbed to the top of Uluru and planted the pole on the highest point. You can see the Ngaltwata to your left at the rock's north – western corner as an almost detached pillar of stone. The sacred ceremony had now begun.

In the meantime the women had gathered enough food for everybody. They prepared and stored it in caves at Taputji; a small separate outcrop at Uluru's north – east side. The Mala women and nyumpa (Seed cakes) they made are visible as small rocks on top of Taputji.

Not long after the mens ceremony began an invitation came from the Wintalyka men, the Mulga Seed Men, in the west to attend their ceremonies. However, once a ceremony has begun it cannot be interrupted. The Mala men had to decline the Mulga Mens Invitation however, this caused insult and outrage. A plot was hatched to pay the Mala men back where powerful magic was used to conjure an evil monster called Kurpany or Devil Dog to wreak havoc on the Mala Ceremony. The Kurpany headed towards Uluru from Katta Tjuta gathering speed and anger as it came. Kurpany shape shifted back and forth to a strong, hot wind as it blew and ran towards Uluru and the unsuspecting Mala men, vengeance and hatred in it's heart.

The Mala women, who were camped down for the night, did not hear the Devil Dogs approach. Luunpa the kingfisher woman who lives in Ininti waterhole, screamed out a warning and the woman fled right to Malawati, where the men were performing their ceremony. The arrival of the women ruined the ceremony and the monster attacked two Mala men and killed them. The women fled many hundreds of kilometres to the south with the Devil Dog in hot pursuit.

At Ininti waterhole Luunpa still keeps watch, but she is now a large rock. Just above her Kurpanys footprints are deeply pressed into the rock, striding towards the east and south. Mala wati where the Mala men were attacked remains as a honeycomb of shallow caverns.

I invite you now to go on the Mala Walk at the base of Uluru. It is a circular walk which begins at the base on the right hand side of the car park. It will take about 40 minutes at a comfortable strolling pace. You will see the impressions of the Devil Dog in the rock at the Mens cave and body parts left in the rock in the Kitchen Cave. Be sure to take the map that was given to you at the Gate and your camera but pay attention to the Sacred Site location(s) which are clearly marked. Please note that there is no photography at sacred sites Have fun and I'll see you back in the vehicle after your walk. Don't forget Hats, sunscreen and water. Enjoy.

If you need to use the toilets they are over to your left. Read More

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Major Landmarks

Ayers Rock Airport
Yulara
Uluru Meeting Place - Ayers Rock Resort
Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park
Uluru
Uluṟu Sunset Viewing Area
Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Cultural Centre
Uluṟu Base Walk
Kuniya Walk
Muṯitjulu Waterhole
Talinguṟu Nyakunytjaku - Uluṟu Sunrise Viewing Area
Kata Tjuṯa Dunes Viewing Area
Kata Tjuta / Mount Olga
Kata Tjuṯa Sunset View Area
Walpa Gorge
Valley of the Winds

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
257 Yulara Dr, Yulara NT 0872, Australia
Total distance

94km
Final location
Kata Tjuta Rd, Petermann NT 0872, Australia
Distance back to start location

28km

Directions to Starting Point

Start: Shell Ayers Rock Service Station, 257 Yulara Dr, Yulara NT 0872, Australia

This tour starts in the car park of the only petrol station in the resort town of Yulara (which is only a 20 minute drive to Uluru). This is located right in the middle of the town just off the eastern edge of the ring road. This middle – of - town ring road links all the hotels, motels and shopping precinct of Yulara together. Please be mindful of other motorists and park away from the bowsers.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Photographic Opportunities Include:
Uluru
Sunset viewing area - Mala walk (West side) – Kuniya Pitti (East side) –Mutitjulu waterhole (South Side)
Kata Tjuta
Viewing Platform (On approach) – Valley of the Winds – Walpa Gorge
Exploring Opportunities Include:
Uluru – Base walk.
Cultural Centre – Art Galleries, cinema, restaurant, gift shop
Kata Tjuta – Valley of the winds walk(s) – Walpa Gorge walk.
You will need to purchase a pass per adult to enter the Park. They can be bought on line here
Children under 18 are free* (*Current as @ April 2023).

Restaurants in Yulara:
Gekos Cafe – Located in the Town Square, good TripAdvisor reviews but you will need to book as they can be quite busy Phone: +61 8 8957 7722
Kulata Academy Cafe – Good for lunch and again good TripAdvisor reviews. Also located in the Town Square. Phone: +61 2 8296 8010
The author has been to both and enjoyed lunch at Kulata Cafe and dinner at Gekos Cafe.

Best time of day

From dawn to dusk. Beware of the very early morning traffic an hour either side of sunrise. These are fellow tourists who drive to and from the sunrise viewing area. Be also aware of the extra traffic an hour either side of sunset. These fellow tourists are travelling to and from the sunset viewing area.

Precautions

Central Australia can be very hot in Summer (November to March). Please make sure that you have enough water, hats and sunscreen with you before you begin your journey. Flies can also be an issue in these warmer months and a fly net and / or fly repellent is highly recommended. Please also ensure that you have suitable footwear to enable you to go on the various walks that are available in the National Park.

There are a number of retail outlets located in the Town Square which is on the northern end of the ring road however, limited stocks can also be purchased from the petrol station.

Dingos

Dingos look like wild dogs and can be seen loitering in various locations in and around Yulara and surrounds. Please do not attempt to pet or feed these animals as they are wild and not domesticated. In the past unthinking tourists have felt pity for dingos and fed them food scraps. This sets up a dangerous precedent as they then associate food with people. Problems arise when subsequent tourists don't feed them and then they become aggressive, so please DON'T FEED THE DINGOS.

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Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park Driving Tour: A Guide to its Legends and History

About the Tour

Tour Producer

Clive Gregory

Preview Location

Location 9

Kurpan (koor – pan) Devil Dog

How VoiceMap Works

Major Landmarks

Ayers Rock Airport

Yulara

Uluru Meeting Place - Ayers Rock Resort

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park

Uluru

Uluṟu Sunset Viewing Area

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Cultural Centre

Uluṟu Base Walk

Kuniya Walk

Muṯitjulu Waterhole

Talinguṟu Nyakunytjaku - Uluṟu Sunrise Viewing Area

Kata Tjuṯa Dunes Viewing Area

Kata Tjuta / Mount Olga

Kata Tjuṯa Sunset View Area

Walpa Gorge

Valley of the Winds

Getting There

Route Overview

Directions to Starting Point

Tips

Places to stop along the way

Best time of day

Precautions

Get The App

Questions and Reviews