F
romtheplane,I spytheshimmering
waterofLakeEyrebelow,a mind-
blowing,vastbasinthatissolarge,it
spansacrosstheborderofthreestates.
Thisbeautifuloutbacklakeisdry
mostofthetimebutapproximatelyevery
eightto 10 yearsit receivesa significant
amountofwaterandI’minluck.
Beforelong,wecrossoverspansoforange
dirtandtheenormous,magnificentsiteof
Uluruappears.It’sa sightfromabovethat’s
difficulttoquantifyinwords.
Thesandstonemonolithintheheartof
Australia’sNorthernTerritoryisthoughtto
haveformedaround 550 millionyearsago
andthereit stands,surroundedbyflatland
thatstretchesmiles.
Asmallairstripappearsbeforeusandwe
landsmoothlyatthetinyAyersRockAirport.
Inthedistance,wecanseeanotherrock
formationthatI’lllaterlearnisKataTjuta,
alsoknownasTheOlgas.
Beforelong,I’mintransfer,enroutetothe
SailsintheDeserthotel,locatedinsideAyers
RockResort,20kmfromtheairport.
Theresortoffersa varietyof
accommodationincludingcampingandapartmentsforlarger families or groups. As we
arrive,largewhitesails soar out to meet us.
It’swinterandI’m more than comfortable in
a lightjacketandjeans. There’s not a cloud in
theskyandthesunshines brightly above us.
Inthefoyer,a gift shop on the right has
colourfulindigenous art by the local Anangu
peopleforsale.
Beyondthegiftshop, guests relax in the
WalpaLobbyBarwith wine or coffee.
Wecheckinandthen sit down to enjoy
lunchattheIlkarirestaurant that offers an
a lacartemenubyday and an impressive
buffetbynight.
Notgameenough to try the kangaroo,
I enjoya freshquinoa salad.
Thehoteloffersa number of free activities
togettoknowtheway of life of the local
Anangupeopleandplenty of optional paid
activities,someofwhich I’ll experience
duringmytimeinthe desert.
Afterlunch,I head to my room where
I findtwooversizedking beds and a welcome
bottleofwine.
Theroomisbasic but comfortable and
anafternoonnapbeckons but I fight the urge.
Frommybalcony,I can see the pool area andpoolside canteen serving those guests eager
to take a dip despite the cooler weather.
Just before sunset, I’m collected for a
Voyages signature outdoor experience called
Tali Wiru, meaning beautiful dune.
Our small bus heads over the orange
sands until we arrive at the bottom of a
dune where staff welcome us.
As we ascend, the view before us is striking.
A didgeridoo is played, the sun is setting and
staff hold out chilled glasses of Champagne.
Uluru is in full sight to our left and to the
right, Kata Tjuta is visible.
We all stand in awe for minutes as the
sunset throws shades of red, purple and
orange across the imposing structures in
the stillness of the desert.
The very existence of the formations in
such a stark environment boggles the mind.
It’s easy to understand why these beautiful
landmarks have such inherent spiritual value
to the traditional landowners.
After staff introduce us to some local food
sourced from the environment we stand in,
we’re escorted upward again to a dining area.
Through dinner we’re taken on a mouth-
watering journey of native ingredientsKeshneewatches
thesunseto
deser tatthe
SoundsofSilence
dinner.
KESHNEEKEMP
HeadofVideo,PacificMagazinesThe flies (and the
crowds) come out with
the sun so if you’re going
to Uluru and Kata Tjuta,
be sure to go early!TIP
erthe
Perched up a rock formation
on the Kata Tjuta AAT Kings
Valley of the Winds tour.70 l Who