ULURU
In July Mandy and her husband travelled to the centre of Australia and visited the big red rock, Uluru. Accommodation was arranged through Ayers Rock Resort, which is like a small town that has a selection of accommodation from camping and backpackers hostel through to apartments and a 4 star hotel. Mandy stayed in the hotel Sails in the Desert and had a 3 night package, which included a dinner out in the desert, tour on the Field of Lights installation, sunset helicopter flight and dinner at the hotels buffet restaurant.
Arriving by plane into Ayers Rock airport is incredible as you bank around to the runway you get a clear view of the red rock and for those on the other side of the plane Uluru can be seen as you are slowing along the runway. As soon as you arrive you realise that seeing Uluru in person is breathtaking. No photo gives you the feeling you get when you see the immense flat expanse of red, dusty landscape to the horizon and Uluru just sitting there.
Getting to the rock from the resort can be by bus or you can rent your own car, which Mandy recommends. Once you get to the entrance of the National Park you'll be surprised by the bumper to bumper vehicles entering. You must stop and pay $AUD25.00 per person for a 3 day pass. Then driving on to the main information centre and Aboriginal history centre you can stop and take a look at the old photos, paintings and find out about the history of the rock and surrounding area. The significance of Uluru to the indiginous people of Australia is something Mandy felt should be read by everyone. With "Don't Climb the Rock" signs everywhere it was disappointing to see so many walking up the rock.
You can walk, bike or drive around Uluru and on the way round there is a couple of places to stop. One of these is a waterhole, otherwise there really is just a large sandstone rock in the middle of very flat land.
The night in the desert with dinner under the stars begins with drinks and canapes at a lookout over Uluru as the sunsets. The colours that Uluru changes during this process are amazing. Then it's onto the outdoor dining area, where a 3 course dinner is cooked and served. During dinner an Astrologist comes and talks about the incredible vew of the Milkyway that you get from the light pollution free desert. Realising you can also vew another galaxy as well shows how incredibly clear the air is.
After dinner it was time to view and walk through the beautiful light installation by English artist, Bruce Munro , 'Field of Light'.
"The exhibition, aptly named Tili Wiru Tjuta Nyakutjaku or ‘looking at lots of beautiful lights’ in local Pitjantjatjara is Munro’s largest work to date.Overwhelming in size, covering more than seven football fields, it invites immersion in its fantasy garden of 50,000 spindles of light, the stems breathing and swaying through a sympathetic desert spectrum of ochre, deep violet, blue and gentle white."
Booking early for this is a must as the weekend was fully booked, so for those trying to book when they arrived missed out on the fabulous exhibit.
Mandy mentioned that renting a car was helpful so they could drive the 50km to another group of rocks that can be seen, Kata Tjuta (The Olgas). Like Uluru, Kata Tjuta is part of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, but unlike the one big rock of Uluru it consists of 36 red-rock domes. There are trails to hike through these rocks and like the rest of the area it is very important summer and winter to keep your fluids up, recommendation is 1 litre per hour. This region is the driest part of Australia and on arrival you will feel the effects of hydration loss.
Taking a sunset helicopter flight over and around the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is a must. The view is amazing, also giving you a view of the fault line that threw up Uluru. Prior to sunset the helicopters line up so you get the most incredible experience, viewing the colour changes and shadows that happen to Uluru.
The small town of Ayers Rock Resort has a few restaurants and cafes to try. Each place gives you the opportunity to try Crocodile, Kangaroo and Emu if you are that way inclined.
You can also visit the Reptile show, and it was refreshing to know that during the day it's far to hot for the reptiles in the National Park.
An Uluru experience is something Mandy thinks should be on our go to or bucket lists. Two or Three days for a good visit is plenty of time, although there are quite a few hiking trails that can be walked, again you would need a car of your own to do most of these.
There is a 5 star luxury lodge with private pavillions under canvas that can be stayed in not far from Uluru, the exclusive Longitude 131.
The flight to Ayers Rock Airport from Sydney takes approx 3 hours 30 minutes.
Contact us for more information about visiting Uluru, flights, accommodation and bookings.
