Sunset at Uluru (Ayers Rock)

Jun3

Watching the sun set over Uluru is on everyone who visits must do list. It’s even more spectacular than watching the sun rise. This was the last stop of our very long day that began with watching the sun rise. We were pretty tired by this time and the glass of wine that is included in this experience was very welcome.

Watching the sun set is magical. I’d heard about the colours changing from orange to a purple-ish colour to brown before getting darker and darker as the sun sets on the rock, but that doesn’t prepare you for how spectacular it really is.

Kata Tjuta

Jun2

Kata Tjuta (formerly known as The Olgas) is about 25kms from Uluru but you can just see it in the distance. It is thought it was created the same way Uluru was. That is, all of it was underground but a massive earth movement hundreds of millions of years ago pushed it up out of the ground. The earth surrounding it eroded to leave the thirty-six domes of Kata Tjuta.

After watching the sun rise and doing part of the base walk around Uluru, we got on the bus to Kata Tjuta, to walk through Walpa Gorge. There are many gorges between the domes but only two are open for walks. They are Valley of the Winds and Walpa Gorge. Walpa Gorge is the main one that people walk through. It is shorter but gives a great representation of the area.

The photo above really shows how tall the domes are; they dwarf the people walking towards them.

This chair is one of a few in the area made from local timber.

The million dollar toilet block. Apparently the cost of building this block was so high because of the cost of the materials and getting them to the site. For all that, they are still an ‘open’ toilet meaning there is no plumbing so all waste goes into huge holes in the ground.

Uluru: Aboriginal rock art

Jun1

Sunrise over Uluru

May27

Uluru: The Sounds of Silence Dinner

May26

The Sounds of Silence dinner is all about eating under the stars while watching the sun set on Uluru.

For one thing it’s a chance to dress up in more fancy clothes than your normal travelling clothes. On arrival we were served canapes and sparkling wine while we listened to a didgeridoo player. He was excellent. We were given time to mingle and watch the sun setting over Uluru before sitting down to eat. Although it was starting to get very dark (being several kilometres from any artificial light) we went up to the buffet to choose what we would like to eat. On offer were kangaroo, crocodile and emu. I’m not sure if there were any other meats but they were what I chose to eat. There was also pumpkin soup with lemon myrtle. Lemon Myrtle is a very strong-tasting native plant associated with native bush tucker. It has a very strong flavour so is used sparingly. The reason I’m telling you this is that I really hate pumpkin. However I do like lemon myrtle so I decided to try the soup. There is no way I would have known it was pumpkin because of the other flavours. It was really nice. I even texted one of my friends back in Melbourne and said “Guess what I’m eating”. It has now become an inside joke between us.

It was the first time I’d eaten kangaroo, crocodile and emu meat and I enjoyed them all. They were served with a variety of salads. We also ate dessert but I don’t remember what that was. The best part was being able to eat native foods. I hadn’t had much exposure to them at that stage.

After the sun sets we were treated to a talk by a star tracker. He pointed out different constellations. It was really interesting. You can see so much in the desert with no artificial light.

Below are a few photos showing how the colours change as the sun sets on Uluru.

This photo gives you an idea of what it was like eating dinner under the stars.

If you would like more information here is the website for the dinner. I’d recommend it for anyone visiting Uluru. http://www.ayersrockresort.com.au/sounds-of-silence/

Uluru from Imalung Lookout

May23

Imalung Lookout is in the centre of Ayers Rock Resort and from there you get this fantastic view of the Uluru.

Desert sunrise at Uluru

May16

Uluru from the air

May13

When we were flying to Uluru I wasn’t sure if I would see them and recognise them from the air. We were flying in to Ayers Rock Airport so descending as we neared Uluru. It soon became very obvious that we would see Uluru. Even today we still have a laugh about it.

Ayers Rock Resort where nearly everyone stays. There are different levels of accommodation so it has something for everyone. You can see how remote it is because there is just nothing around. Although Uluru is close by you need to drive there.