I recently travelled to Uluru/Ayers Rock with my collie, Sandy and was happy to find that the heart of Australia is, surprisingly, dog friendly . I hope that you find this blog helpful in planning your Uluru trip with your BFF (best furry friend).
G’day!
I’m Melissa (Liss) Connell and this is my personal travel blog. The Slow Lane chronicles my Aussie adventures in my 1974 Kombi, with my furry sidekick Sandy. As the co-founder of Exploring Eden Media, I write articles (and post our books) as I travel. Check the postage stamp on your book order and you’ll see where I am right now!
The low-down on taking your hound to Uluru
Covering over 327,414 acres of Australia’s desert is the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. There’s much to see inside the park including Uluru (Ayers Rock) and the many-domed Kata Tjuṯa (The Olgas). While it’s not possible to take your dog within the national park itself, there are many ways that you can explore the surrounding region with your BFF and there are also options for dog-sitters, as listed below. If there’s any information that I’ve missed, or anything that’s outdated please leave a comment below!
Pet friendly camping
Ayers Rock Campground
Located only 15km from Uluru is Voyages Ayers Rock Campground. As I found, it’s vital to book ahead during the high season. The pro’s – it’s close to Uluru and the main shopping area of Yulara. Plus … it’s dog-friendly! The con’s – it’s busy. The campground was completely booked when I arrived so they offered a spot in their overflow for $30. Needless to say, there
Dog minding
There are a couple of options for dog minding here. 1) You can ask a fellow camper to mind your dog and, in exchange, could look after their dog another time. 2) Call Jess, the local dog minder – 0422 527 153 (if you’ve recently been to Uluru and this phone number is out of date, please leave a comment below this post). Jess’s current rate is $20 p/h.
Free camping
Click here to read my blog about free camping around Uluru / Ayers Rock.
Curtin Springs Roadhouse
This working cattle station and roadhouse is located about 100km from the Ayers Rock/Olgas National Park, on the Lasseter Highway. There are powered and unpowered campsites, plus homestyle meals. Unpowered sites are free, but showers are $3 as water is in short supply here. It’s pet friendly and you can have a campfire, but you must bring your own wood.
Dog minding
As per above, ask a fellow camper to mind your dog.
Further afield – King’s Canyon (Watarrka)
There are two campgrounds near King’s Canyon (Watarrka), both of which are dog friendly. These are King’s Canyon Resort which has powered sites for $25 pp / per night and unpowered $20 pp / per night and then there’s King’s Creek Station. Located 36km from the canyon, King’s Creek has an almost 5 star rating on Trip Advisor, which says a lot in this day of age. Campsites are $22 pp unpowered / $25.50 pp powered. Bring some wood for a campfire and have a go at one of their famous camel burgers!
Dog minding
As per above, ask a fellow camper to mind your dog if you’d like to visit the nearby King’s Canyon (Watarrka). Note that King’s Canyon is roughly 3 hours drive from Uluru.
Risks and dangers
A few things worth considering, for those bringing their beloved furry friend to the red centre:
- Dingoes. This wild dog is native to Australia and can sometimes be known to be aggressive. Keep yourself and your dog at a safe distance and don’t approach dingoes. They have been known to attack domestic dogs.
- Snakes. Liru means ‘poisonous snake’ in one of the Anangu languages. In Uluru-Kata Tjuta there are eight different kinds of Liru including the King Brown snake. Watch where your pup is walking. Browns hunt by day and on warm nights.
- Birds and other native animals. Keep your dog on a lead and help protect native wildlife from being attacked or hunted.
- Hot sand. Yep, the ground can get scorching hot, so keep this in mind when you’re walking your pup in the heat of the day.
- Dehydration. Carry plenty of water, both for yourself and your pup.
- Leaving dogs in cars. Keep the windows down, find a shady spot and leave them in the car for as little time as possible. Or better still – tie up your dog in front of the shops or cafe that you’re eating in, rather than leaving it in the car on a hot day.
Q: What do you get if you cross a Beatle and an Australian dog?
Yeah, that’s a dad joke if I ever did hear one
A: Dingo Starr
Vets in Alice Springs
Alice Springs Veterinary Hospital – Ph 08 8952 9899. 17 Elder Street Alice Springs.
Alice Veterinary Centre – Ph 08 8952 4353. 74 Elder Street Alice Springs.
Desert Oaks Veterinary Clinic – Ph 08 8953 4936. 17 Brown Street Alice Springs.
Boarding Kennels in Alice Springs
Pawz n Claws Pet Accommodation – Ph 08 8953 5590. 47a Priest Street Alice Springs.
Drop back from time-to-time as Sandy and I continue our journey to the Kimberley, Western Australia (I will upload more blogs – read them all here). And please – if any of the information has changed or if you know of more great spots, please leave them in the comments below 🙂
Want to keep track of your travel in Australia with your best mate? Grab the best map of Australia.
Australia Road and Terrain – Hema Maps
Sure, you could probably see mapping information like this on your phone, but is your phone screen nearly a metre high! Paper, it’s the way of the future.
This is GREAT Mel! Really helped me and Beau, my 13 month old Border Collie, while visiting Uluru, Kata-Tjuta, and Wartarrka (Kings Canyon). Here are a list of three more great dog minders in Yulara:
Jess – 0422 527 153 ($20 p/hr, and exceptional! She made a video of all the adventures she took Beau on, had her own reward treats, and sent pic updates regularly!)
Nathan – 0450 849 463 ($20 p/hr, also brilliant! Clearly a dog lover and happily hung out with Beau for an afternoon)
Sarah – 0468 946 122 (I never ended up using her because our schedules didn’t align, but another helpful and communicative dog minder!)
If travelling to Wartarrka (Kings Canyon) too, dogs can stay in vans/utes in the carpark of the Kings Canyon walks! Hot tip: leave early, even before sunrise, to hike the rim walk before it gets too hot for your doggo to be left in your vehicle. The rim walk is estimated at 3-4 hours, I am a fit 35 yr old who did it in 2.5hrs.
Hope this helps! Don’t feel like you have to leave your fur-friend in Alice Springs – take them with you and enjoy cuddles aplenty of an evening. And help people in Yulara get work while Covid is making their tourism suffer horribly!
Cheers,
Julia & Beau
Great tip on Jess, she was fantastic! I strongly recommend her to anyone heading to Uluru with their pup.
Hi Melissa,
Great information and advice on your blog. We are heading off soon with our pooch – 12 yr old Jack Russell from Busselton in SW WA and heading to Uluru. Thanks so much for Shannon’s details regarding dog sitting. Getting excited to finally head off.
Laura is no longer in Yulara unfortunately. However I have happily taken over the reigns as resident dogsitter. I have 10 years experience and along with my partner we are exceptional dog lovers! Give me a text on 0401 201 737 and I will do what I can to fit you in my schedule 🙂
Thanks so much, Shannon. We have updated our blog post with your details.
we are planning a trip soon, I just look at your lead for Laura for dog sitting it says she is closing down as of 31/03/2021, Which is a real bugger, might have to change our plans
We are permanently moving 19 hours away to Florida with my doggie!! Wish us luck!! Thank you!
Hi Melissa, thanks for the blog, encouraged me to head out this weekend with my 2 dogs. Just an update to your info, Che isn’t currently there for dog minding and he asked me to post this comment – as he is getting a lot of inquiries and feels bad about turning people down! He recommended Laura (0448604270) and I’ve just made a booking with her 🙂
Happy travels
Marlies
Hi Marlies,
thank you so much for providing the update to this info.
I’m so glad that this article inspired you to get out and explore with your furry friend 🙂
Melissa
Great article Melissa. This will absolutely help us with our journey to Uluru with our hound Rock-doggy-dog.
Thanks again,
Grace
Agh haha, good stuff Gracie. Happy travels with your hound.
Hi Melissa,
Hi Melissa, Thanks for your excellent blog. Only today my wife and I decided to look into a caravan trip to Uluru and maybe beyond. We’re experienced caravanners, as is our aged Golden Retriever. Any special advice for a pair of 70+ year- olds? What’s the best time of year at Uluru?
Thanks for your comment, Denis. That’s lovely that you’re travelling with your Retriever. I think mid year is best, temp wise. Or, the months around then. So … now! I hope that you have a wonderful time, when you go! This would be a great time to go now, with so few international travellers here!
Bless! Such helpful information, thank you!
Hi Melissa,
What a great article, I feel really encouraged as I am planning a trip through the Red Centre with my furry co-pilot and have been wondering about visiting some of the great sights out there.
You are an inspiration.
Did u travel solo with your dog? I am planning a similar trip on my own with my dog and am a little anxious about the restrictions and the solidarity of it all??
Hi there, yes, I was travelling solo (though, I did meet with a friend who was travelling in her own campervan for part of this trip). It’s difficult with the restrictions, but if you’re ok with leaving your dog with the dog sitter at Uluru then you’ll be ok. Or, leaving with another camper at the campground and then doing the same thing for them the next day. Hope that helps!
Hi Melissa. We had the pleasure of meeting you and Sandy on our travels during our holiday across the red centre not once but four times. Amazing how we kept meeting up. Love your stories. You and Sandy definitely left a huge impression on us. Keep up the good work. As soon as I saw this article I recognised Sandy. Lucky dog.
Until we meet again. Jenny and Peter.
G’day Jenny and Peter,
Oh wow, it’s lovely to see your names pop up on our website. Yes, I remember you both.
I hope that your travels are going really well!
Sandy and I are still in the Kimberley. An easy place to get stuck, for sure 🙂
Our adventure at Coober Pedy is published in the current issue of Time To Roam Magazine.
Happy travels and perhaps see you again down the road.
Kindly,
Melissa
Heading to the red centre next month with my kelpie, this is really helpful advice. Thank you
Thanks for your comment, Jacqui,
I hope that you + your kelpie had a great trip!
Melissa 🙂