Life
Uluṟu Unlike Ever Before
The Red Centre is calling.
If you surveyed any handful of Australians, you will no doubt learn that a trip to Uluṟu is on the bucket list for many. The iconic inselberg rising from the red soil of the Central Western Desert is something anyone could conjure the image of in their mind – but being in the presence of the landmark in person is something completely other, something far more poignant and sacred, and an experience that is more than worth organising.
A three-and-a-half-hour flight from Sydney to Uluṟu (tip: book a seat on the left-hand side of the plane to get a view of Uluṟu when flying in), we arrive and are seamlessly transported to our accommodation at Ayers Rock Resort via a free shuttle bus along the red-flanked road. We arrive at the Desert Gardens Hotel, one of six accommodation options available at Ayers Rock Resort ranging from a 5-star hotel to a campground (depending on how you like to travel), along with numerous dining options, pools, a spa, an art gallery and even a town centre. We wind through the stunning native gardens set against the iconic blazing copper soil to our guestroom to unwind before taking the shuttle out to our first experience, Wintjiri Wiṟu.
Drone and light show - (image courtesy of Voyages Ayers Rock Resort)
Wintjiri Wiṟu, meaning “beautiful view out to the horizon” in the local Pitjantjatjara language, is a spectacular drone and light show set against the expanse before Uluṟu, and is a telling of the Mala story, an ancient creation tale passed from generation to generation of An̲angu, the Indigenous people of the Central Western desert. Uluṟu’s silhouette melts into the black night as the sun sets, while canapes and cocktails using native ingredients are served.
As you head down to the sustainably built open-air theatre, dinner is served as a generous picnic hamper including smoked emu with saltbush chilli crust, lemon aspen and dill chicken, cheeses and relishes, and a selection of sweets for dessert. You can book either the sunset picnic dinner experience before the show, or come after twilight to enjoy light canapes right before it begins.The shuttle takes us back to the resort, and we’re straight to bed to recharge for tomorrow’s early start.
Our next morning starts at 6am with a trip into the Uluṟu-Kata Tjut̲a National Park to witness the sunrise over Uluṟu. A tea and coffee station is mercifully set up at our arrival area (even in the desert, morning temperatures can be sub-zero),and we head up to the vantage point. A hush comes over the group, all sharing in the same sacred experience of seeing Uluṟu awaken. Its ridges slowly illuminate as the sun paints with light across the surface, the colours of the northern face shifting miraculously. We meditate here until the rock is bathed in light, then head back to the shuttle to venture further into the park, to the base of Uluṟu to start the Mala Walk – a ranger-guided walking tour delving deeper into the Mala story – and experience the sites that hold such cultural signficance.
Our afternoon activity is a gorgeous Australian Native High Tea, one of two new experiences available at Ayers Rock Resort. Held at the resort’s 5-star Sails in the Desert hotel, we’re served hibiscus and Prosecco bellinis upon arriving, then sit down to enjoy a beautiful selection of petit fours using the unique flavours of native ingredients sourced from Central Australia and around the country. Barramundi, lemon aspen and saffron tarts, and Uluṟu Saltbush Caramel Tim Tams are just a selection of the treats crafted by award-winning pastry chefs, served alongside gourmet teas from Blak Brews (recent winners of Australian Food Stars with Gordon Ramsay), barista-made coffee and Australian sparkling wine.
Australian Native High Tea, petit fours using the unique flavours of native ingredients sourced from Central Australia and around the country
Tali Wiṟu (“beautiful dune”) restaurant set atop a dune with uninterrupted desert between you and Uluṟu
In the evening, we venture out to the extraordinary Tali Wiṟu (“beautiful dune”), an award-winning outdoor dining experience, the restaurant set atop a dune with uninterrupted desert between you and Uluṟu. Limited to only 20 guests, we’re greeted with a didgeridoo performance and canapes such as duck breast with black garlic aioli, pickled onion and samphire, as we marvel at Uluṟu and the distant domes of Kata Tjut̲a, before heading up to the purpose-built and fully sustainable platform in complete open-air.
Our progressive four-course dinner consists of wild Moreton Bay bugs with native finger lime caviar and lemon myrtle beurre blanc, and Darling Downs Wagyu beef tenderloin with grilled asparagus spears, caramelised beetroot chutney and a Davidson plum-Coonawarra Cabernet jus, all expertly matched with Penfolds wines. Just before dessert (we’re having the desert honey and Kakadu plum mousse), the smouldering lights are dimmed, and a local storyteller arrives to captivate us with creation stories luminously written in the stars, which you have never seen with such clarity. Our perfect evening ends around the firepit with hot chocolate and cognac.
On our final morning at Ayers Rock Resort, we rise at 5:30am to head out once more to the open-air theatre, to experience Sunrise Journeys. Transforming the desert landscape into a spectacular living canvas, Sunrise Journeys is a state-of-the-art visual narrative told through the medium of lasers, projections, video and sound, bringing to life a bespoke painting created by three female An̲angu artists – Selina Kulitja, Denise Brady and Valerie Brumby. Titled Ngura Nganampa Wiru Mulapa – translating to “our Country is truly beautiful” from the Pitjantjatjara language – the painting is a modern telling of the three artist’s shared connection to the land.
An original musical score by Jeremy Whiskey accompanies the immersive show while the sun rises and bathes Uluṟu in a glowing red. A generous breakfast follows, featuring smoked kangaroo, vintage cheddar and bush tomato croissants, quondong chia and coconut puddings as well as hot drinks like Australian Chai tea, while we contemplate the beauty of the ancient land stretching out before us, and take in our last spectacular view of Uluṟu before preparing to set off back to Sydney that afternoon.
Its surrounds being so otherwise featureless and flat, Uluṟu seems to follow you, wherever you go, to gently remind you why you’re truly here – to see, feel and experience its incredible significance to the peoples to whom it belongs, forever.
*Corrections to print version
In every instance of the words Ulur̲u, Kata Tjut̲a, An̲angu, Wintjiri Wir̲u and Tali Wir̲u, the appropriate r̲, t̲ and n̲ characters should be used.
“Natives High Tea” should be “Australian Native High Tea”.
Any instance of “Yulara” should be “Ulur̲u”.