Kathleen
Uluru, Australia – April 1 – April 4, 2016
The red center, this is what Australians call this part of the country, and that is what it is, miles and miles and miles of red dirt and not much else. We took a three-hour flight from Sydney, having long dispensed with some aspirations to drive out to the site.
Uluru, which used to be called “Ayer’s Rock,” so named by the Brit who “discovered” it is truly a sight to behold. It is actually a very sacred spot for the Aboriginal people and in recent years a great effort has been made to restore the land to its holy status. Tourists are asked to refrain from taking pictures in certain areas and not to climb the rock, although there is still a pathway up the side of the rock and many folks still choose to pull themselves up monolith using the metal posts and chains.
Our first view of the rock was from the airplane as the pilot seemed to swoop one way and then the next to give all the passengers a view. It is truly stunning to see this gigantic red rock in the middle of the flat flat desert sand. We were lucky, I believe, because it had rained recently when we arrived and in addition to the red rock and sand, there was a fine layer of new green everywhere which was particularly stunning.
There are two rock formations, Uluru, which is one giant rock and Kata-Tjuta, which is an even larger mass of a number of large rocks.
There is a national park and a little “city” of about four hotels, a gas station, and a campground…and that is pretty much it. This is a quintessential Australian destination and it feels like no visit to the continent is quite complete without it. We had three nights here, but probably could have done it easily in two. They do put a production on of making the experience unforgettable and we had a lovely dinner as we watched the sun set over the rocks one evening. We met some wonderful folks from south of Sydney over a scrumptious Aussie meal and then walked through the “Field of Lights,” an art installation with thousands of bulbs out in the middle of the desert. It was truly magical.
It was about 5 kilometers to walk around the base of Uluru and we did that the next day. It was awe-inspiring to get so many unique views of the massif, however, it was very hot and also fly season. We learned the first day that the only way to manage the annoying fly population that buzzed everywhere during the day (they all disappear after sunset, which is nice) was to wear a head net, which was a little annoying but it is amazing how easily you get used to it when it is preventing the flies from landing on your face.
This was a very unique travel destination and the pictures speak for themselves at how stunning the natural scenery is. These pictures have not been altered in any way…these are actually the colors you see when you are there…..amazing!!