Australia: Uluru

We flew to Ayers Rock Resort via Sydney.  Flying over the "red center," we could certainly tell how it got its name.  There was just nothing to see for the majority of the flight, except red dirt and a few very long straight roads.  Then in the middle of miles and miles of flat land, there was Uluru.  We were really lucky to be on the side of the plane with a view of Uluru as we flew in.

Uluru from above

Ayers Rock Resort Airport

It was a massive change to go from the high humidity of Vietnam and rainy Melbourne weather to the hot, very dry climate of Uluru.  The days hit the upper 80s and low 90s.  The nights, however cooled to the upper 40s.  Aside from the dry air sucking every bit of moisture out of my skin, I thought the weather was perfect.  In summer, it is so unbearably hot that visitors are warned about dehydration and cautioned to finish any outdoor activities (i.e., walks around Uluru) by 11:00 am.

Ayers Rock Resort encompasses about five different hotels, a police station, a fire department, and a "town center," consisting of a few souvenir shops, a small grocery store, a bank, and two restaurants.  We stayed at the Outback Pioneer Lodge.  The Resort area is too far from Uluru to walk so it's necessary to book a tour or a return (expensive) bus ticket to get there.  We decided to spend one day exploring Uluru up close.  We boarded the bus to be there for sunrise and then walked the entire base of Uluru - about 6.5 miles.  It is possible to climb to the top, but Uluru is sacred to the local Aboriginal people and they request that visitors do not climb.  We thought we should respect their wishes, but I was suprised how many people didn't feel the same way.

Uluru at sunrise

The longest train of caterpillars I have ever seen

The kitchen cave 

Simon and I taking a rest during the base walk

Simon and I in front of Uluru

In addition to the magic of Uluru itself, another highlight of our visit to the area was that I finally got to ride a camel.  It was only a short ride in a circle around an arena (reminding me of pony rides for kids at a carnival or petting zoo) but I loved every minute.  The camel I rode was named "Bumble."  After the ride, we hung around the "camel farm" for a while and visited other friendly camels.  We were struck by how much healthier and well cared for they looked than the camels we saw in Egypt.

The rest of the week we entertained ourselves by watching various demonstrations, learning about Aboriginal art (and creating our own), and watching the Uluru sunset from the lodge "lookout." We also spent a lot of time by the pool, where we were treated to the same five or six songs again and again and again.  I still get them stuck in my head from time to time.

 

Uluru at sunset (view from the lodge "lookout")

My masterpiece

Aboriginal Dance Demonstration