A Desert Awakening at Uluru
Discover the spiritual heart of Australia in style with a short break combining luxury and adventure.
Above: Uluru — the heart of the 'Red Centre'. Image © Natalie Bannister
Sitting high up on a raised viewing platform, munching on hot damper fresh from the fire and smothered with gooey, delicious maple syrup, I’m feeling a part of a picture-perfect Australian scene. It’s the first morning of my short-break stay in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, and the majestic Uluru looms in the distance, ancient and breathtakingly beautiful, especially now at the ‘golden hour’ of sunrise. This is when the magic happens here in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, as the colours of the desert come to life, shifting quickly as the sun soars. The Desert Awakenings tour, booked through my accommodation, Sails in the Desert (part of Ayers Rock Resort), is timed to perfection.
I could happily sit and gaze at this incredible landscape for hours, but the sun is rapidly rising, and with it, the heat. Time to hit the road and make tracks to the base to explore this spiritual rock star more closely.
Heading off in the resort’s luxurious ATV (all-terrain vehicle) with our guide, we bump along the corrugated red dirt roads to reach the sealed road that will take us to the base of the rock. Uluru changes on approach – from a distance, its surface appears smooth as silk, but as we draw closer I begin to notice the deep ridges and gashes, jagged crests and small canyons and caves carved out over millennia. And before I know it, I’m standing in its shadows, looking up in awe.
Soaring from the scrub and spinifex plains, standing proud against the stark, cloudless blue sky with its vivid orange-red hue, Uluru takes your breath away
Above: All Images © Natalie Bannister
All of the tours of Uluru arranged through Ayers Rock Resort emphasise the site’s connection with the traditional landowners, the Anangu people, and its role in the Tjukurpa – the ancestral stories of the period when the world was formed.
The Desert Awakenings dawn tour is one of the best ways to journey deep into the cultural heart of this land. The few hours we spend on tour takes us around the full circumference of Uluru, covering some of the most important sites, including Mutitjulu waterhole, a powerful and spiritual place for Anangu and visitors alike (the Dalai Lama reportedly requested an hour of peace and privacy to meditate by the waterhole, and the seat on which he rested remains on site today).
Above: All Images © Natalie Bannister
It’s best to time your walk around Uluru in the early or late hours of the day to avoid the intense midday heat. But there’s no shortage of adventures to occupy you in between, with everything from motorcycle and segway tours, cultural activities and helicopter flights to wildlife experiences offered through Ayers Rock Resort. We make a stop at Uluru Camel Tours to lumber through this red dune country just as the early pioneers did, high up on those magnificent ships of the desert, with Uluru and Kata Tjuta ever-present as the stunning backdrop.
Above: All Images © Natalie Bannister
As spectacular as Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is by day, it turns up a notch as sunset approaches, and there’s no better way to savour the experience than to head back out into the wild. Dressed in cocktail attire teamed with dusty red desert boots (as you do!), we gather for a star-studded dinner in the dunes – there are no celebrities on the guest list, but there are a million shining stars in attendance.
The Tali Wiru dining experience is an open-air restaurant that operates seasonally from late March through to late October, combining bush tucker-inspired fine dining in the desert with magnificent views of Uluru and the distant domes of Kata Tjuta. It’s the pinnacle of the outdoor dining experiences offered at Ayers Rock Resort.
The movement of the sun seems to be dictating this short break in the Red Centre, as we arrive to our private dune just as Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is bathed in gold once again. We watch, awestruck, as the sky shifts from the brightest of oranges to fuchsia pink to a fiery crimson as the sun melts into the horizon, merging with the red desert floor.
It’s a worthy setting for the impressive gastronomic adventure that awaits, with a four-course dinner showcasing the unique flavours of Kakadu plum, sandalwood, lemon myrtle, quandong (a desert peach-like fruit), dogwood (a type of wattleseed), fresh greens including pigface and salt bush, and even honey ants – all devoured under a canopy of stars.
Flying back into Brisbane a day later, I can’t help but smile as my luggage makes its way around the arrivals carousel, streaked with red dust to match my red dirt-caked boots. I’ve brought the desert home with me, a lingering reminder of my adventure in Australia’s sacred heart.
“Dressed in cocktail attire teamed with dusty red desert boots (as you do!), we gather for a star-studded dinner in the dunes”
Above: All Images © Natalie Bannister
Where to stay
The writer travelled as a guest of Voyages Ayers Rock Resort. Ayers Rock Resort lies 20 kilometres away from Uluru and offers a variety of accommodation options for all budgets, tastes and desires, from luxury hotels to serviced apartments and a campground. There is also an array of tours and experiences available to all guests. The writer stayed at the resort’s beautiful five-star hotel, Sails in the Desert. ayersrockresort.com.au
Getting there
Jetstar flies directly to Uluru from Brisbane three times a week (subject to change), and has exclusive deals to help sort out your accommodation, insurance, car hire and holiday package needs, too. Book at jetstar.com
Don’t miss
The Field of Light installation by artist Bruce Munro. Walking across the desert floor in darkness among a carpet of 50,000 frosted-glass lights, which pulse rhythmically in a rainbow of stunning colours, is an ethereal and astoundingly beautiful experience.
This story was featured in the Spring/Summer 2018/19 issue of Queensland Homes magazine.
You can view the full article in my portfolio of published work.