There is no Australian landmark more iconic than Uluru
and there is nothing like seeing it for yourself.
As we boarded the bus out of Ayers Rock Airport headed for our resort I got
my first look at Uluru. And what a view it was. Although I’ve seen a million
pictures none do it justice. The colours are so vibrant and the sheer immensity
is overwhelming. I spent the 20-minute bus ride goggling out the window while
listening to the thousands of camera clicks of snap happy tourists.
Our accommodation for the trip was Ayers Rock Resort which caters for all
budgets. We stayed at Sails in the Desert which is its five-star flagship, but it
offers everything right down to camping. The resort’s shaded by great big gum
trees with a natural colour palette throughout complemented with Aboriginal
artwork. Very pretty and very relaxing.
The great thing about Ayers Rock Resort is it has everything on offer.
Restaurants, bars, spas, galleries and all the services you could want.
Best of all it takes the hassle out of organising your holiday as you can
book any activity you want directly through them.
The first morning we boarded a bus right outside our hotel headed for Uluru.
Watching the sun’s rays strike the rock from the viewing area made getting up
at the crack of dawn worth it. Even my cynical hard ass felt as if I was
undergoing a spiritual awakening.
We then did a self-guided walk around the area as climbing Uluru is highly
discouraged as the traditional Aboriginal owners place a great spiritual
significance on the climb. Tourists trampling all over it, taking selfies and
dropping rubbish is considered highly disrespectful. Never mind the climb is
physically demanding and there have been 36 fatalities over the years.
Legally there’s nothing stopping you if you want to do it, but it’s a wanker
move.
Instead we opted for a scenic helicopter flight of Uluru and Kata Tjuta. You
won’t get a better perspective of just how magnificent the region is. Our pilot
was informative and funny and in my view relaxing in the comfort of the
helicopter as we soared high above was way better then sweating it out on
the ground battling flies and annoying tourists.
Another must do was the Outback Sky Journeys Family Astro Tour. The
Australian Outback is considered one of the best places in the world to
explore the night sky and the kids loved discovering all the strs using
ipads, telescopes and binoculars.
We also got to know plenty of camels on our trip, the kids had a great time at
Uluru Camel Farm with all the animals. We took a camel sunset tour to Uluru,
the camels were surprisingly comfortable and it was great to listen to our
guides talking about the history the area.
There was plenty of Aboriginal culture to enjoy, we laughed at our poor efforts
in a dot painting workshop, laughed even harder at our attempts at playing the
digeridoo and when it comes to traditional aboriginal dancing, well let’s just
say I’m not sharing the footage of that on Facebook.
It’s taken me a long time to take a holiday to Uluru and my only regret is I
didn’t do it sooner. It is an unforgettable holiday experience.
