Uluru is a fair journey from anywhere in coastal Australia, e.g. a 3-hour flight from Sydney. But it's certainly worth the trip. It is a very welcome change from the major cities and beaches on the coast, and it really provides a deeper cultural history to Australia than I found from visiting a couple of the major cities (Sydney and Melbourne).

The Cultural Centre at Uluru gives an excellent overview of the geological and cultural history of Uluru, which is worth visiting before you take a closer look at the rock yourself. It helps to place Uluru into context.

I found the best way to appreciate Uluru is to go on one of the many marked walks that exist around the base. These range from short 20 minute walks close to the main Mala Car Park area at Uluru (e.g. the "Liru Walk" and the "Mala Walk"), to walking around the entire rock - the "Base Walk" (allow around 3 hours).

At 8am, each day, there is a complimentary ranger guided walk, known as the Mala walk, which lasts around 90 minutes - this is very informative and does not stray too far from the car park if you don't fancy walking too far.

I did the Base Walk around the entire of Uluru (10.4km) twice - once at 8:30am and on another day at 3:30pm. This was the highlight of my trip to Uluru. Allow 3 hours for the walk. I did it in 4 hours on one day, takings lots of photos and several 10 minute breaks, and then 2.5 hours on another day, only stopping once for a 10 minute break.

IMPORTANT: make sure you have enough water (you should drink 1 litre every hour to prevent dehydration). I visited in summer (February) and found the Base Walk a lot more enjoyable in the morning, because the temperature was cooler (below 30C). In the afternoon in summer, the temperature can reach over 44C, so bear that in mind. I only passed 4 people on the entire Base Walk, each time I did it, so this is a really good way of feeling at one with Uluru, and to explore the base of the rock on your own. Be sure to take a look at every waterhole you pass, since these are very peaceful places. A number of rock paintings are visible too and walking around Uluru allows you to appreciate the various formations on the rock.

I also watched a couple of sunrises and sunsets over Uluru, from the various viewing areas that are dotted around the place. These sunsets/rises were magnificent but I found the walks closer to Uluru more enjoyable and rewarding.

I found the best way of getting to and from the rock was with the Uluru Express - it was an excellent friendly bus service that you can book from your hotel reception, or in advance online. They simply pick you up at the Ayers Rock Resort, take you to Uluru and pick you up at a later time.

My visit to Uluru was easily the highlight of my short trip to Australia; I also visited Sydney and Melbourne (and went to the Australia tennis Open). If you have the time (and money, it is not a cheap place to travel to and stay at), I'd definitely recommend a visit to Uluru. I stayed for three nights, and found this was just about long enough to see everything at Uluru in detail. I also spent a day walking around Kata Tjuta (the Olgas), which is a 45 minute drive from Uluru (the Uluru Express go here too).