A red monolith in the desert that changes colour with the light – the Red Centre is Australia's spiritual heart.
Photo: Ondrej Machart (Unsplash)
Full disclosure: I only know Uluru from pictures – and from friends who say pictures aren't enough. The rock is 350 metres high, nine kilometres around, and changes colour with the sun from brown through orange to violet. The ritual: evenings at the sunset car park with a glass of bubbly, back there again the next morning before sunrise.
Then there's Kata Tjuta (the Olgas), 36 rock domes with the walk through the Valley of the Winds, and three hours away Kings Canyon with its Rim Walk above the red gorge. All of it is in the middle of nowhere: Alice Springs is 450 kilometres away; the nearest airport, Ayers Rock, is right by the resort.
Climbing Uluru has been banned since 2019 – it's sacred to the Anangu. Instead there's the Base Walk around the rock (10 km, early morning), guided tours with Aboriginal guides and the «Field of Light» art installation. Everything is expensive, but most people say: three days you'll never forget.
Ayers Rock Resort (Yulara) – every price bracket from camping to luxury lodge, the only place to stay at the rock.
I almost always compare hotels, apartments and guesthouses on Booking.com – with genuine reviews and usually free cancellation.
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