Outback Adventures: Uluru

The majesty of this rock is something you can't put i to words. For most of us we learned about it at school, and we know its there as a remarkable natural structure. But when you finally get up close it is overwhelming!

And when I did the base walk all the way around - that's right, 10.6 klm starting at 6.30 in the morning to avoid the heat of the day - you also discover the diversity of the fauna and rock structure.

So I will let the photos do the talking........

There she is! So to refresh your memory of geology lessons. Uluru is unique because it is just one rock - a monolith. Which is why it is not a mountain, which is conglomerate. It is made from sandstone. Here are some facts I stole from the Internet .......

Uluru is probably Australia’s best-known natural landmark. The ancient monolith is pretty impressive close up and boasts intriguing statistics. Here are some facts on Uluru:

FACT: Uluru is better known as Ayers Rock; it named by William Gosse in 1873 after Sir Henry Ayers. Uluru is the Aboriginal and official name.

FACT: The rock was created over some 600 million years, and the Aborigines have been in the area for the last10,000 years. It originally sat at the bottom of a sea, but today stands 348m above ground. One of the most startling Uluru facts however, is that some 2.5kms of its bulk is underground.

FACT: Uluru lies west of the Simpson Desert, not far from the ‘Red Centre’ of Australia, about 335kms southwest of Alice Springs (as the crow flies) and 463kms by road. Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t the biggest monolith in the world; Mount Augustus in Western Australia holds that title

FACT: Other facts on Uluru: the rock is about 3.6kms long and 1.9kms wide, with a circumference of 9.4kms. The climb to the top is 1.6kms, much of which is at a steep angle, while the summit is generally flat. The surface is made up of valleys, ridges, caves and weird shapes that were created through erosion over millions of years. Surface oxidation of its iron content gives the would-be grey Uluru a striking orange-red hue.

FACT: The nearby Kata Tjuta (or Olgas) are said to originate from a similar time. They are thought to have originally been one massive monolith, as opposed to the 36 separate domes they are today – one of the lesser known Uluru facts. They are a part of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, which was founded in 1950 as ‘Ayers Rock-Mount Olga National Park’, changing to its current title in 1995. The Aboriginals own the land, although the Australian government currently holds a 99-year lease.

How Big Is Uluru?

Uluru is…

348 metres (1141 feet) high
3.6 km long (2.2 miles)
1.9 km wide (1.2 miles)
9.4 km or 5.8 miles around the base
covers 3.33 km² (1.29 miles²)
extends about several km/miles into the ground (no-one knows exactly how far)
862.5 metres above sea level

So there you go.........

All set for some serenity time! Solo walk around the rock.

Walking...walking....walking...

Not only is Uluru stunning, but there is so much beautiful flora. One side is very sparse, and the other very vegetated. The scenery keeps changing as you walk around.

Paper daisies. One of my all time favourites.

Incredible how such delicate flowers grow in such a harsh environment.

...and lots of butterflies!

Second day Dezzi came with me for two of the short walks. So here's more.

Soaking up the serenity. These benches are carved from whole trees. They're beautiful. You will notice our very attractive headwear! Very popular here at this time of year. You are just not "in" without one! Plus you would go stark raving mad....the flies are taking over the world!

No swimming at this spot. It is a sacred site. Plus..............

Bit dry ha ha! Could do a spot of sunbaking though???

I think this looks like a human head dissection showing the brain :)

There are signs up asking not to climb Uluru, and the gate is closed, but the tourists do it anyway, despite 35 not surviving the challenge!

As if all this walking around wasn't amazing enough, we decided to see it from a chopper at sunset. Including Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) WOW!

Kata Tjuta

There she is in all her glory.

Kata Tjuta

and the sun sets on another amazing day!

Michael. Another vey lovely helicopter pilot.

All those dials! You travel at about 210klm / hr, but feel like you are just drifting along at a leisurely pace.

My turn in the front seat - yessssssss :). (Nice new shoes from the Mindil Markets in Darwin)

But wait - there's more. The final bit of fun is to have dinner in the desert under the stars. Sounds of Silence Dinner. This was such a fun night.

The lovey air conditioned coach picks you up at 5.30pm and takes you out to one of the three sites set up for the evening. They only do one coach per site, so there is no more than 45 guests.

You are greeted by a lovely young man, who escorts you up a small track, through the "dining room", to the sunset viewing area. Champagne and very yummy canapés to get into the party spirit, and mingle with the other guests.

Beautiful!

The view one way of Uluru, and the other way......

...of the sun setting behind Kata Tjuta.

About an hour of pre-dinner drinks and soaking it all up. The view that is!

Happy Days - and Happy Birthday to Bevy.

Time then to go down to dinner. Random mixed tables. Ours was a hoot. The combination sounds like the start of a joke....there was these two Canadians, two New Zealanders, two English, one gorgeous young Chinese girl and two Auzzies! The whole night was very rowdy and jovial. Anan, the Chinese girl, kept us entertained with her lack of English and constant laughter. Relayiing all our travel stories and where we are from made for lively conversation.

The dinner was buffet, and was, well, buffet. Tasty and well cooked, but nothing to rave about. I was very happy to see a BIG bowl of hot chocolate sauce to drown my desert in ha h ha! Drinks were included and just a bit of very tasty Australian wine was consumed.

That's not all, though. To set the atmosphere of this amazing night was Aboriginal dancers, a brilliant didgeridoo player, and to top it off, all the lights were turned off and we were given a fantastic insight into the night sky. The guy even had a telescope set up so we could see the stars up close.

There were even "facilities".

A truly magical night.

Yalara Resort is like a mini town. Very spread out with the different types of accommodation, pub, restaurants, campground and town square, where the shops and supermarket and cafes are. There is also different types of entertainment going on, like...

Aboriginal dancing.....

Learn to play a didgeridoo. But only for the boys. Women are not permitted to play the didgeridoo.

There is also a market that sells Aboriginal art, and the locals are there painting as you watch.

The one downfall of this amazing place? Man it's HOT! Any walking needs to be finished by around 10.00 am, or you will just melt into a puddle.

Not only 41 degrees, but a hot wind and no humidity. It's like being in a furnace. We found the best way to keep cool was either the pool (really cold water), or siting in front of the fan spraying each other with water! Plus that was fun :)