I am trying to think of other ways to describe the scenery we are seeing on this trip as I am definitely over-using the words – amazing, fantastic,  incredible and awesome. But it truly is ……remarkable!  So how can I possibly describe Uluru?

As we drove towards Ayers Rock Resort where we intended to camp, we first saw Mount Connor. For a moment I thought it must be Uluru as it was this amazing incredible awesome stunning mesa rising up from the desert. But it was the wrong shape so I realised it wasn’t. However, I’ve since read that Mount Connor is 700 million years old yet I have never even heard of it! Before long we did see the unmistakable red icon that is Uluru. It looked large and red and smooth, just like all the pictures I have seen. But was I in for a surprise.

We were keen to get out to look at the rock up close and so set up camp quickly. We found the Visitors’ Centre in the Ayers Rock Resort and tried to book a segway tour for early the next morning. Because John finds it hard to walk far, we thought this would be an excellent way to see Uluru. Unfortunately the girl talked us out of it explaining that John was outside their age limit and, if he fell off he could really injure himself. Instead, we drove out there. We were more and more surprised the closer we got. The rock isn’t all smooth; it has holes and caves and ridges and even a few green bushes sprouting from it. These make it far more interesting, they kind of give it texture and character.

We drove around Uluru, getting out to walk sometimes. We found Aboriginal Rock Art in a cave which apparently was like a little classroom where the elders taught the young about hunting and gathering. The wall inside the cave was used as a sort of white board. The rock was fascinating,  we could not keep our eyes off it. I’m so pleased we are no longer allowed to climb it, it is a very spiritual place.

We also spent a couple of hours in the Cultural Centre which was great. Lots of information, art and a cafe where we enjoyed a coffee.

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We dragged ourselves away and returned to camp for dinner. However,  there was a viewing platform at the campground and we walked up to see Uluru at sunset.

The next day we drove out to look at Kata Tjuta which is about 40kms from Uluru. It is just as beautiful both in daylight and at sunset.

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Since we couldn’t do the segway tour, we booked in for the Sounds of Silence Dinner, held in the desert between Uluru and Kata Tjuta. It took a while to locate a small bag of good clothes we had brought with us but had no reason to open. It was at the very back of the boot. We laid the clothes out on the bed to try to get rid of the creases. When we were ready to go, we made our way along to the pick up point near reception. A bus took us to the drop off point where we were met with champagne and canapes, and a superb view of both Uluru and Kata Tjuta. It was a perfect evening, warm with no wind or clouds.

We chatted to some other guests. Everyone was friendly.  I had read there could be three bus loads attending Sounds of Silence but there were only about 40 of us. The people we chatted to were travelling from all over the country including some from Tasmania. They were all very friendly and also interesting.

When the sun had set, we made our way to the dining area close by. The tables had white linen tablecloths, silver cutlery and wine glasses already being filled by the waiters. A man was serenading us with a didgeridoo.  As we got to know the other dinner guests at our table, we were served the first course – a bush tomato soup with roll and butter. It was delicious. This was followed by a help yourself buffet consisting of several main dishes,  vegetables and salads, all with a desert theme. I had tried the crocodile and kangaroo canapes and I also had the crocodile main course which was lovely. There was also chicken and lamb so plenty of choice.

The waiters cleared the tables then turned off the lights. The sky was awash with stars. We took a few minutes to enjoy them before a man called Luke began to tell us all about them, using a laser to point to various stars and galaxies. It was very interesting.  When he finished his talk he answered questions then invited us to look through his telescope after dessert. Once again there was a wonderful choice of desserts continuing the desert theme. The evening ended with port and coffee.

It certainly was a memorable evening with terrific food, amazing scenery and lovely people to share it with.