Sittingonstilts,eachelevatedvillahasitsown
privateterrace,completewitha largedaybed.Only
thebrave(orstupid)wouldactuallyventureoutduring
theday– butcomenightfall,it offerstheperfectspot
tosoakupthenightsky.Guestsaregiventheoption
tospendthenightunderthestars,withanauthentic
outbackswagprovided,alongwitha lessauthentic
gasfireplaceandselectionofnightcaps.
Atthispoint,youwillmostlikelyfindyourself
conflictedasthesirencallofsleepbeckonsbutthe
magicofthenightskykeepsyoubright-eyed.Again,
preparetobetired.Acceptit andmoveon.
Ofcourse,thetruestaroftheshowis Uluru and
it is onlybyvisitingthemonoliththatyoucanreally
understanditssignificanceandstory.Inkeepingwith
thebeliefsofthetraditionalcustodiansoftheland,the
Anangu,theyarenotmystoriestoshare.ButI would
encourageanyonelivinginAustraliatomakethe
journeyandlearnmoreabouttheseimportant
chaptersofFirstNations’history.
Whichbringsustotheuncomfortablepointinany
triptothisarea:thecontroversyanddisharmonythat
comesfromsightseeingina sacredandculturally
sensitivearea.Whileoneofthemostpainfulchapters
inUluru’shistoryendedlastyear,whenclimbingthe
rockwasofficiallybannedinOctober2019,thescar
remains.Bothliterally– a whitelinemarkstherock
wherethousandsoffeethavecarveda scar– and
figuratively.Noteveryoneis happyaboutthehordes
ofvisitorsthatdescendonthistreasuredplace.
Soit is importanttobesensitiveandculturally
aware.Comepreparedtolistenandlearn.Everyguide
workingintheUluru-KataTjuta NationalParkis
requiredtocompletea six-monthcoursethrough
CharlesDarwinUniversitybeforetheycantaketours
intothepark.Thecourseis approvedbythepark’s
managementboard,whichcompriseseightAboriginal
members,nominatedbyAnangu,alongsidea further
fourmembers.
Anothersourceofdiscomfort,forsome,is British
artistBruceMunro’sinstallation,Fieldof Light. Beloved
by Instagrammers, the multi-coloured artwork, which
The truestaroftheshowisUluru anditisonly
byvisiting themonoliththat youcan really
understand its significance and story.PHOTOGRAPHY KONRAD KASISKE.