Ayres Rock

Ayres Rock, or Uluru if we’re being aboriginal, has to be one of the most surreal places we’ve visited so far. We flew in through a sea of cloud and haze due to a combination of forest fires and the heat to land in a red, dusty plain with the only building in site being the small, single storey airport. So you can get some sort of idea of the size of the airport, it only has one baggage carousel, which is immediately in front of you as you walk in through the doors from the runway. The other side of the baggage carousel are the exit doors! After leaving the airport, which took around 15 minutes from plane door to hire car door, we drove to Yulara; the only accommodation within over 400km of Ayres Rock. Consequently, our two nights here were not the cheapest night’s sleep we’ve had so far...or the nicest, with the cheapest option being a four bed cell!

After checking into our hovel, we drove to a viewing point about 10 minutes away from the rock itself to watch the sunset. Although we’ve seen pictures and knew what to expect, our first sighting of the rock was quite amazing. It just appears to rise from the otherwise completely flat ground around it, a great big dome on the otherwise uninterrupted horizon. Watching the sunset made the sight even better; the sunsets behind you, lighting the rock in various shades of red and orange.

The following day we headed out to the rock again, this time venturing to the actual base to do the base walk. The walk is just over 10km, and takes you past aboriginal carvings, gorges and water holes. You can also see all the different shapes and formations of the rock up close. Interestingly, you can also see lots of dark grey and black lines down the rock face – like the imprint of a waterfall on the orange surface. Apparently, these marks are exactly that, with rainfall pouring off the top of the rock in these places, causing algae to grow in their tracks, leaving the trails. It was difficult to imagine great waterfalls pouring off the sides of the rock in 30 degree heat, doesn’t quite fit with the rest of the landscape!

On our last day at Ayres Rock we travelled to Kata Tjuta, a second rock formation in the desert. These rocks have gorges between them, meaning you can walk through them. The name translates to Valley of the Winds as the wind blows through the narrow gorge, meaning it is very windy here all the time - it was a little odd wearing a jumper and coat in the middle of the desert!