What's on in Uluru (Ayers Rock), Australia through the year

Busy — Summer holidays in Australia, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Rule

  Park gates open by the sun

  1 Jan – 31 DecClosuresBook early

  The park opens about half an hour before sunrise and shuts after sunset, on times that shift every month, and you cannot be inside outside them. Sunrise in December means leaving the resort before five. Source ↗

Still on: Heat closures on the walks (1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually)), Summer storms and waterfalls (1 Dec – 15 Mar (usually))

Quiet — one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Park gates open by the sun (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Heat closures on the walks (1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually)), Summer storms and waterfalls (1 Dec – 15 Mar (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Park gates open by the sun (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Heat closures on the walks (1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually)), Summer storms and waterfalls (1 Dec – 15 Mar (usually))

Busy — Autumn / Easter break in Australia, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Park gates open by the sun (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — Cool season

• Season

  Cool season

  1 May – 31 Aug · usuallyDry seasonCrowdedBook early

  The months the walks are comfortable all day and the sunrise viewing platforms are full by half five. Yulara has a fixed number of beds and no competition, so this is when they cost the most and sell out first.

Still on: Park gates open by the sun (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Peak crowds — Cool season, Australian winter school holidays

• Hazard

  Freezing desert nights

  1 Jun – 15 Aug · usuallyExtreme cold

  The days that make winter the walking season come with nights below zero and frost on the spinifex before dawn. Sunrise viewing and the camping options both need more clothing than people bring. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Australian winter school holidays

  25 Jun – 20 Jul · usuallyCrowdedBook early

  The July break lands inside the best walking weather and the resort is the only accommodation for hundreds of kilometres. Rooms, campsites and the tours out to Kata Tjuta go months ahead. Source ↗

Still on: Park gates open by the sun (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Cool season (1 May – 31 Aug (usually))

Peak crowds — Cool season, Australian winter school holidays

• Festival

  Australian Outback Marathon

  25 JulMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  A road and trail race run on the red sand within sight of the rock on a Saturday in late July, capped at a few hundred entrants and sold as a package with the resort beds. Source ↗

Still on: Park gates open by the sun (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Cool season (1 May – 31 Aug (usually)), Freezing desert nights (1 Jun – 15 Aug (usually)), Australian winter school holidays (25 Jun – 20 Jul (usually))

Busy — Cool season, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  Desert wildflowers

  15 Aug – 15 Oct · usuallyWildflowers & blooms

  If the winter rain came, the sand plains between the rock and Kata Tjuta go yellow and white with wattle and daisies for a few weeks in spring. In a dry year it does not happen at all. Source ↗

Still on: Park gates open by the sun (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Cool season (1 May – 31 Aug (usually)), Freezing desert nights (1 Jun – 15 Aug (usually))

Busy — Spring break in Australia, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Fly season

  1 Sep – 30 Nov · usuallyInsect season

  Bush flies arrive with the spring warmth and go for eyes and mouth all day until the first real heat kills them off. Head nets are sold at the resort and every guide wears one; it is not a joke purchase. Source ↗

Still on: Park gates open by the sun (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Desert wildflowers (15 Aug – 15 Oct (usually))

Busy — Spring break in Australia, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Park gates open by the sun (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Desert wildflowers (15 Aug – 15 Oct (usually)), Fly season (1 Sep – 30 Nov (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Closure

  Heat closures on the walks

  1 Nov – 31 Mar · usuallyRisk

  Park rangers close the Valley of the Winds beyond the first lookout from eleven in the morning whenever the forecast hits the mid-thirties, and the same logic applies to the Uluru base walk. Summer walking means starting at first light or not at all. Source ↗

Still on: Park gates open by the sun (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Fly season (1 Sep – 30 Nov (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Australia, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Summer storms and waterfalls

  1 Dec – 15 Mar · usuallyFlood seasonClosures

  Thunderstorms come off the desert in the hot months and the rock runs with waterfalls for a few hours, which is the sight nobody plans for. The same rain closes park roads and the Lasseter Highway. Source ↗

Still on: Park gates open by the sun (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Heat closures on the walks (1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually))