Uluru

We went to Uluru in the autumn of 2019, a last minute decision to replace a European holiday, and before it was closed for climbing.

We flew to Ayers Rock via Alice Springs and were amazed by the sheer size and also solitude of the big rock surrounded by the flat plains.

The guys at the rental car company warned us not to sit or stand on the roof – we later understood why!

Ayers Rock resort (Yulara) is quite small, with the hotels based around the “town square” which hosts a few souvenir shops, an IGA, a few cafes and some Aboriginal residents with their paintings for sale.

The Cultural Centre have some quite interesting displays and explanations about various Aboriginal beliefs and traditions, including the story of creation of Uluru from the fight of two serpents, the female python and the male poisonous snake. There were quite a few other things about bush medicine, local plants and animals.

Watching the sun setting across the road from Uluru is something that should be on the to do list as it brings up amazing colours onto the rock and also surrounding landscape (and clouds).

We went to watch it at sunrise as well (and it was not just us, there were lots of tourists brought in by the busload). It is just spectacular at any time of the day.

We dedicated one day to walking. We started at Kuniya carpark, the first stop being a cave with some Aboriginal rock art. Mutitjulu waterhole was next – not very impreesive on a sunny day (as the one when we went there), but by the black marks on the rock it must look quite spectacular when it rains and probably water cascades down. We then went to Mala carpark, but the climb was closed due to strong winds at summit, so we did the base walk – easy and smooth on pretty much flat ground.

There were plenty of flies following us around.

Luckily the wind settled in the afternoon, so we were able to climb the rock after lunch. Parts of the uphill section were quite steep and had to do some climbing on all fours. Once on top, the views were quite amazing – not only towards the surrounding flat area, but the rock itself, bare and unreal, looking similar to what I think a lunar landscape looks like. The descent was not as bad as I thought it would be.

While we were there the Field of Lights exhibition by Bruce Munro was on as well. The exhibition was quite spectacular, with 30,000 of glass spheres and fibreoptic cable running to each of them – looking like what the internet or a network of neurons I imagine would look like…. or the communicating forests described not that long ago.

The Olgas / Kata Tjuta are not far from Uluru and offer some spectacular views as well. We did the Valley of the Winds and Walpa Gorge walks. It was not hard to notice that bushfires affected the area not that long ago.

We admired one more sunset over Uluru and Kata Tjuta before heading back home.