10 phenomenal Uluru experiences
The Red Centre offers awe-inspiring nature, as well as a wealth of cultural, astronomical and gastronomical experiences.
1. Ride around the Rock
In pictures, it appears monolithic, but get up close and you can see that Uluru is far from smooth. Its many surfaces are actually corrugated and scarred, studded with caves and cracks and ridges. The best way to take in its different faces is to circumnavigate it, and the best way to do that is on two wheels. You can hire a bike from Outback Cycling inside the national park. Alternatively, the less energetic can take the passenger perch on a Harley Davidson ride around the rock.
2. Dine in the desert
Dinner under a canopy of stars is an experience you will never forget, and this dinner-with-a-difference comes in two versions, depending on your budget. The Sounds of Silence al fresco experience starts with sunset canapes on a sand dune before moving to a bush tucker-inspired buffet including crocodile, kangaroo and barramundi. For those who prefer something more exclusive, the Tali Wiru table d'hote dinner is limited to 20 guests at a time. French champagne by the campfire gets you in the mood for a fine-dining experience that may include dishes such as smoked duck roulade with quandong poached baby pear and organic stilton mousse, or wattle seed-rubbed kangaroo carpaccio with sour cherry jelly.
3. Pick up a painting
If you are into indigenous art, the Red Centre is a terrific place to buy an art work and maybe even meet the artist. Maruku Arts, inside the Cultural Centre in the national park, has a wide variety of indigenous arts and crafts available for purchase, from traditional punu (wooden) artefacts to paintings and even jewellery. There are often artists working on site. Maruku Arts also runs an art market in the Town Square at Ayers Rock Resort. The resort has a number of other galleries, including Mulgara Gallery at Sails in the Desert, which has a superb selection of paintings, glassware, textiles and pottery from right across Central Australia.
4. Join the dots
If you prefer making art to looking at it, Ayers Rock Resort also hosts regular painting workshops, led by artists from Maruku Arts. After learning about the different symbols used to depict Dreamtime stories, or Tjurkupa, participants have the opportunity to create their own artwork.
5. Watch the sunrise
Watching dawn break is one of the must-do Uluru experiences. There are a number of tours to choose from, such as Ayers Rock Resorts' Desert Awakenings tour that includes an al fresco breakfast featuring bacon and egg rolls. Alternatively, if you have your own wheels, take a quick drive to the Talinguru Nyakunytjaku viewing area, which offers a 360-degree view of Uluru and Kata Tjuta.
6. Dance up a storm
With free performances at Ayers Rocks Resort every afternoon, the Wakagetti Dance Troupe is a great family-friendly introduction to Anungu culture. Accompanied by traditional instruments and song, the performers demonstrate dances that accurately mimic the emu, the goanna, the kangaroo and the echidna. Then the guests get to have a go.
7. Try some bush medicine
Both Sails in the Desert and Desert Gardens Hotel offer free, guided walks through their gardens. Learn about the many ways the Anungu people used plants for medicine and bush tucker. The Anungu were experts at making the most of what they had. Just one plant, the mulga tree, provided apples, biscuits, honey, firewood, weapons and shelter. Hunters would toss toxic plants into waterholes to stun the wildlife that drank there; locals also learned how to create their own energy drink by dipping grevillea blossoms in a bowl of water to capture the sweet-tasting nectar.
8. Take a helicopter flight
The most spectacular views of Uluru and Kata Tjuta come from above. PHS uses helicopters with special bubble windows, which improve the view. The roster of flights ranges from a 13-minute express option to a 55-minute trip that takes in not only Uluru and Kata Tjuta, but also nearby Lake Amadeus.
9. Meet the Anungu
The local Anungu people found ways to flourish in this harsh desert environment, living according to traditional law and handing down a rich trove of stories and beliefs. The Cultural Centre, a startling building shaped like two winding snakes, is located in the national park and has extensive displays and documentaries offering insights into the culture and the local flora and fauna.
10. Ride on a camel
With their ability to survive long periods without water, camels are perfectly suited to desert conditions. Burke and Wills and Ernest Giles used them to explore the outback; now you can too. Uluru Camel Tours offers a relaxed way to see the desert, with wonderful views along the way.
Have you tried any of these iconic Uluru experiences? When’s the last time you visited Australia’s great rock? Let us know in the comments below.
Written by Ute Junker. First appeared on Stuff.co.nz.
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