Yulara is a town in the southern region of the Northern Territory, Australia. It is an unincorporated enclave within the MacDonnell Region. At the , Yulara had a permanent population of 1,099,

When the new facilities became fully operational in late 1984, the Commonwealth Government terminated all the leases for the old motels near the Rock, and the area was rehabilitated by the National Park Service (now called Parks Australia). Around the same time, the national park was renamed Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa, and its ownership was transferred to the local Indigenous people, who leased it back to the Parks Australia for 99 years.

There were originally three competing hotels, but that detracted from the viability of the whole enterprise, with the company (and, indirectly, the government) incurring massive operating losses. Between 1990 and 1992, the competing hotel operators were replaced by a single operator, the government-owned Investnorth Management Pty Ltd. In 1992, the government sold, through open tender, a 40% interest in the Yulara Development Company and, therefore, the resort, to a venture capital consortium.

In 1997, the entire resort was again sold by open tender to General Property Trust, which appointed Voyages Hotels & Resorts as operator. Voyages operated all aspects of the resort, with the exception of the post office. Almost all residents of the town rented their housing from Voyages, but the government leased some housing for its employees. Most residents are either workers in the resort or tour operators.

In 2011, the resort was sold once more, to the Indigenous Land Corporation, which operated the resort under its subsidiary, Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia. In 2026, the since-renamed Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation sold the resort to Journey Beyond, a tourism company that operates The Ghan and other luxury trains.

Demographics

The 2016 Australian census found that Yulara had a population of 1,099 people, which had the following characteristics:

The resort is served by one major road, the Lasseter Highway, which links it to surrounding roads and landmarks. In the early 2020s, the highway was expanded to cope with increase tourist traffic. The sealed highway runs east to meet the Stuart Highway. The roads in other directions are not well maintained or travelled.

Climate

Yulara has an arid climate (BWh), with long, hot summers and short, cool winters, and scant rainfall year-round. Frost may occur on some winter mornings.

See also

  • National Indigenous Training Academy

References

  • Satellite image from Google Maps
  • Nyangatjatjara College, Yulara