Ayers Rock and The Olgas

Uluru and Kata Tjuta in the Aboriginal terminology, and that has become the more common way to refer to them. We had a good glimpse of it on the way into the airport:


Once we got on the ground and into the hotel bus, the view got better:

Our first outing was an excursion out to Kata Tjuta to do a little hiking and view the sunset:


The next morning, we went to the sunrise viewing area at Uluru:


Breathtaking doesn't really begin to describe the experience.

The entire stay at Ayers Rock was quite good. For one thing, I can no longer complain about the rain, because there was none. The temperatures were quite mild in the afternoon, rising to the low 70's, and the evenings cooled down very quickly with overnight lows dropping to near freezing... not at all unusual for a desert.

The hotel was very nice and comfortable and was a part of the overall resort complex consisting of several lodging facilities, restaurants and shops. I can easily recommend a stay here, but I will add that two nights are exactly enough to see all there is to see here.

In addition to the sunrise/sunset viewings and the associated excursions, we also had what was was called the Sounds of Silence dinner. It was held in a position that both rock formations were visible for the sunset and included hors d'oeuvres and champagne. The dinner consisted of "bush tucker" as well as normal food and both were quite good.

The program, in addition to the meal, included a period of silence to listen to the sounds of the outback, a didgeridoo player and a talk about the night sky. The stars were incredible to view and there were telescopes available also. There was a very concise explanation of how to use the Southern Cross along with Alpha and Beta Centauri to locate the south celestial pole. I'll stick with taking the bus.

Melbourne is the next destination...