A short, five night but fabulous holiday to the Red Centre of Australia. It’s a shame that it took me till I was in my fifties before getting to Uluru and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) but better late than never.
Fly in to the local airport and then pick up your hire car and head down the road to the one and only accommodation complex – Ayers Rock Resort. Whether you want camping or luxury accommodation this is it! We settled for the Pioneer Lodge which was mid-range accommodation. Obviously with no competition it’s not cheap but it’s the price you pay for the opportunity to visit this magnificent area. It has a few shops, restaurant/cafes etc.
Uluru (formerly known as Ayers Rock)
So firstly I’ll tell you about Uluru. This famous landmark is actually a 350 metres monolith or rock (not a mountain) and was formerly known as Ayers Rock. It is truly one of the wonders of the world. Uluru itself is magnificent and when you see it you can understand why the indigenous people, the Anangu, attach spiritual and cultural significance to it. It really has a profound effect on most people that visit this area. Certainly it did on us.
We went in late April, which was still pretty hot so everyone tends to start their walks at dawn and make sure you are finished your walks by about 11am. The early morning light is really the most visually spectacular time to see Uluru anyway. I think overseas visitors particularly, can really under-estimate the effect of the midday sun in places like this so please be careful. Probably I wouldn’t really advise going in summer.
The Uluru base walk is less than 10km, it will be one of the most magnificent walks you ever do. And it’s all flat around Uluru so pretty easy really. It took us probably a few hours to walk around it as we stopped a lot to take photos, or to stare in awe and also there are a few gullies, waterholes and caves with ancient rock art to explore. You can also do a walk with one of the indigenous guides/rangers and get a more informed walk. We were very happy doing the walk by ourselves though which is what most people seem to do. There is a surprising amount of vegetation around it too. Some quite green areas.
Sunrises and Sunsets – not to be missed!
Sunrises and sunsets in this part of Australia are spectacular. So there is a mass exodus from Yulara before dawn as everyone heads to one of the sunrise lookouts scattered throughout the Uluru – Kata Tjuta National Park. I’m not an early morning person at all, but you will not regret getting up for sunrises in this part of the country. They are almost unbeatable! The same can be said at the sunset lookouts. In fact they seem to have a few more people and a bit more atmosphere. People bring picnic, wine, deck chairs (some placed on top of their 4WD’s!), lots of tripods, possibly a drone or two, and many people lined up ready to take some memorable photos.
Field of Lights
Truly a ‘Once in a Lifetime’ other-worldly experience is a visit to the ‘Field of Lights‘ art exhibition by Bruce Munro with Uluru in the background. You can visit at sunset or evening and it consists of about 50,000 light spindles over a massive area creating a fantasy garden. It had just been extended when we went in 2018 and so we felt lucky that we didn’t miss out. It has been extended to the end of 2020. Get there if you can! I didn’t really get any great photos of this exhibition – quite hard to photograph but just search on Instagram or Google it to get an idea.
Kata Tjuta (formerly known as the Olgas)
Kata Tjuta is the collective name for the 36 red domed rocks a short drive from Uluru. As does Uluru, Kata Tjuta has great cultural and spiritual significance for the indigenous people that have lived in this area for 10’s of thousands of years! This area is quite visually spectacular and I can’t decide which is my favourite – Uluru or Kata Tjuta. Certainly the ‘Valley of the Winds’ walk around Kata Tjuta is breathtaking. Roughly a 3 hour walk make sure you take enough water, hat (and fly-net) and good walking shoes. A little bit of climbing but mostly pretty flat.
Overall this short holiday made a huge impression on us and we absolutely loved our time here. So much so we are soon to visit Central Australia again but in a slightly different area. Stay tuned!
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Thanks Jenny for post. For me it is a walk down memory lane. We visited Uluru in April too, and did everything you did. Uluru is such a special place. For me, it’s hard to describe. But it’s one of my favourite travel destinations in Australia. Yes it is expensive to visit , but so worth it.
Thanks Estelle, glad you enjoyed it and sorry for the delay in replying (on holiday mode). We feel exactly the same! And we are so enjoying our time around the Macdonnell Ranges at the moment. Went out to the East McDonnell ranges today – just loved it! Worn out now in a good way!
Looking forward to seeing more — just signed up for email newsletter 😊
Thanks Christy! Much appreciated. New blog coming soon 🙂