Locating the old Inland Motel Ayers Rock...Late update

would be very interested to read this Glenn if you're publishing it

Glenn,
I first travelled through the area in 1977. The other significant person I admire was Jack Cotterill who I think drew me a mudmap at Wallara Ranch to tell me how to get to Kings Canyon and Reedys Rockhole - trips I did in 1977 and again in 1979.

I couldn't find any protos of the motel because we stayed at the campground, but here's a photo as you entered the National Park:

Phil...
A great experience for you to get chatting with Jack Cotterill, who no doubt you know was one of the Centre tourism pioneers, having with his wife Elsie and Daisy Underdown set up the first permanent tourist accommodation structure at the Rock in 1958. It was a corrugated iron shed affair that Jack relocated aboard a truck from the rear of Daisy's Alice Springs Hotel to a site to be known as the Alice Springs Tours Chalet, as identified on Jeff Carter's map.
The very first accommodation was established by Len Tuit, at the location on Jeff's map of the Ansett Pioneer Lodge, which was very rudimentary comprising ex-military canvas tents and marquees. It was taken over and further developed by Reg Ansett's Pioneer Tours in 1959, and eventually was also re-named as the Red Sands Motel.
Rex Law's Redline operated the first ever camping round tour to Ayers Rock and The Olgas by full size coach from any of the coastal cities, departing on a 3 week journey from Brisbane in May 1957.
I hope you'll agree that all this history, and lots more of it as I'm very honored to identify in my book, should be formally proclaimed in a tastefully accessible manner somewhere near the Rock for posterity.
I totally cringed when I came across the post here last year by the family who wanted to visit the tragic Inland Motel site, and they had to endure the frustration of dealing with trying to find a site of significant meaning to them, which had been summarily destroyed and hidden by an out-of-touch bunch of politicians and bureaucrats.
Cheers,
Glenn

Here's a Redline Safari Tour coach at the Park archway circa 1965. This rather iconic structure was built by Lofty Zanker, widely considered at the time the "Mayor of Ayers Rock"

Heres the section from Jeff Carters book that also includes the Motel - I think without the Redline Sign!

A group of us travelled down from Rockhampton Downs, to the Alice, then to Ayers Rock in August, 1974.

Seem to recall a pretty good night at the bar in Redline Motel on the second night! It rained later and we made tracks back to the Alice.

Will be interested to read the book, Glenn.

Bob