Uluru. Ayer's Rock. The highlight of our journey to Australia.  If you ever get the chance to visit Australia, and choose to visit the Red Center, chances are you are going to visit Uluru.  And if you visit, and are not moved by the amazement of this lonely, massive red rock, then you are simply not human.  

Our trip to Uluru was a three-day journey sandwiched between two 24-hour train travels on The Ghan, from Adelaide to Alice Springs, and vice versa.  The temperature reached 45 deg C (113 deg F) every day, and we were attacked by hundreds of pestering black flies every step of the way.  Gas was $1.75/L ($6.75/g), and the car rental was overpriced.  But it was worth every minute and every penny, to be able to experience the wonder of Uluru.


The 4.5 hour car journey from Alice Springs to Uluru was highlighted by our first driving adventure of the trip (my first time driving on the wrong side of the road), an immediate wrong turn that took us 20km out of the way (which is REALLY hard to do when there isn't more than 2 roads in the outback), a FULL rendition of '99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall', along with unforgettable Karaoke to fill in where we had no radio.


When we first saw Uluru in the distance, we were immediately in awe.  The sun was right overhead, which left the color of the rock a light-red.  When you see it in person, you kind of chuckle to yourself, because every picture that there is just doesn't do it justice.  The size (1200 ft high), the color, the small details and the amazing textures of the rock--its quite obvious why so many people make their way to see it every day.  


Before exploring Uluru up close, we visited the other rock formation in the Park, Kata Tjuta (aka The Olgas).  If I were to describe these rocks without using a picture, I would make the following comparison: if Uluru is George Clooney, then Kata Tjuta is Sloth from The Goonies.  It just didn't weather over time the same way that Uluru did, and was left as several domed rocks instead of one justifiably strong land mass.  We did our best to explore them, but my god the BUGS!  The instant you leave the car, its just pandemonium.  They go kamikaze on your face and have no intentions of letting up.  You swat, you duck, but they're unstoppable.  Needless to say, we got our photos, but spent no more than 45 minutes with Sloth.

The country that is Australia is just over 100 years old, with Europeans settling the area in 1770.  For thousands of years prior, it was inhabited solely by the Aboriginal people.  The tribes which lay claim to the land around Uluru are known as the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara people.  They still settle this land and help to run the park which houses the two landmarks.  We spent a while roaming the cultural center, learned of their ways, and why Uluru is sacred to their culture.  They tell stories, much like the Native Americans, of how the rock was formed, and where its features came from.  It was nice to get a cultural feel of the trip, and we were quite happy to discover our only lifeline to running water while we were out there--we slept in the car overnight on the side of the road!

Finally, we toured the rock.  At this time, it was around 6pm, and the rock was starting to darken.  It was stunning.  Around every turn, it was a different sculpture.  We were both mesmerized by the beauty, and just smiled as we explored it with our eyes.  The driving loop around the rock is about 7 km, and as you drive it, you notice why the Aboriginal people see the rock as sacred.  


The final stop of the day was to the viewing area for sunset.  This is the time when the color change of the rock is most significant, as it glows a deep, dark red.  Again, stunning.  We took pictures to show everyone at home what we saw, but like I said, no photo does justice to the real experience.  We sat there for over an hour, again battling the kamikaze flies, and took in the beautiful sunset, watching the rock and the sky change color.

We left that night knowing that nothing else in Australia would come close to the experience of that day.  We slept overnight in the car, sweating with the windows closed to avoid the bats, and woke up to make our way back for the sunrise.  The drive back to Alice Springs was much more tranquil, as Casey slept and I drove, constantly zoning out through the never-ending dirt and trees that is the Outback.  It was an amazing trip, one that we will both remember, and a can't-miss highlight to our world journey!