Ain't nature marvellous.

We left the hotel in Alice at 7.15 and set off on the drive to Uluru. After 3 hours of driving through red sands and rocks, on the Stuart highway, the sameness of which can make you boggled-eyed, we stopped at a service area. We thought we'd have a coffee, but there were two guys working there, serving petrol, working in the shop and the cafe. We gave up on the wait and got back in the car. Uluru appeared tantalisingly close but it took another hour after first sighting to reach. It is enormous and has an almost ethereal quality, it is a sacred place for the aborigines and as such, most people treat it with the respect it deserves. And it does command respect.

The only thing which distracts you are the amount of flies which make a beeline for your face.


We walked around the base then headed for the Cultural Centre where we learned all about the geology of Uluru and its neighbour, 50kms away, Kings Canyon. After lunching we decided to walk round the dunes, the scent of desert flowers in the heat was intoxicating.




Returning from our walk we headed for a car drive-in to watch the sunset over Uluru. We arrived at 5.30 to watch the whole process. More and more cars and camper vans arrived until the car park resembled an audience waiting for the concert to start. So many people, so many nationalities and yet it was quiet and considered and that word - respect - comes to mind again.

We were simply watching the sun go down, which happens very quickly in Australia, there is no dusk, but the effect was phenomenal, the colours change on the face of the rock as the light decreases, going from orange through to red, then lilac, then, as the shadows creep up it, to brown.















At the risk of sounding new-agey, it was a privilege to be there and an almost spiritual experience.

Now for the boring geology bit - the rock is compressed iron rich sandstone which has been raised from horizontal to vertical through the movement of the earth and the red colour is due to oxidisation. Close to, it looks wet.

Due to the amount of suicidal cattle and kangaroos on the road at night car hire companies don't let you drive in the hours of darkness so we stayed at the Outback Pioneer hotel and had an Aussie carvery, you buy your raw meat and barbecue it yourself.

On our drive to Uluru we had spotted a lone emu to relive the monotony and on the way back we saw a dingo! There were several road trains though, mammoth trucks which are three articulated lorries in one and are 50m long.







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Location:Todd Street,Alice Springs,Australia