Uluru/Ayers Rock
Saturday, October 21, 2017
Today we left the hotel at 9:00 am and rode to the airport to catch our privately chartered plane to Uluru in the Northern Territory. Tauck has a contract with Alliance to transport us throughout Australia: The plane was super comfortable with 2 seats on each side of the aisle. We had two male flight attendants who were very accommodating. They gave each of us a welcome glass of champagne and later served a snack as we would not be having lunch until much later. Upon leaving we set our watch back 1 1/2 hrs. Normally it would only be 1/2 hour difference but the Northern Territory is not on daylight saving time. We landed around noon and immediately got on a bus that took us to the cultural center in the National Park. We were not allowed to take pictures in the center and the rock itself. In the cultural center we watched a film regarding giving the land back to the aborigines, which happened in 1985. We then viewed all of the amazing art work done by the local tribe. We even watched two very old aborigenese woman doing "dot" painting, which was fascinating. The art was for sale but very expensive!
Uluru (Ayers Rock) is 1,141 ft. high, 2,861 ft. above sea level, and 5.8 miles around its circumference. It is over 2 miles from one end to the other. It was once below sea level but as the ocean receded, the rock appeared. Contrary to what is often written, the rock itself is not sacred. However, many features of Uluru are an integral part of the ancient Aboriginal culture and some are so sacred that only Aboriginal people are permitted to visit them. In 1958 the Ayers Rock-Mount Olga National Park was proclaimed and it is now a World Heritage sight.
After the visit to view Ayers Rock and the Cultural Center, we returned to our hotel, Sails in the Desert, for a buffet lunch and then got the keys to our room. Our room is lovely and has a gorgeous patio with two lounges under an umbrella. All of the patios are surrounded by bougainvillea. We relaxed in our room until 5:30 when we boarded the bus for the park again to see the rock at sunset with its changing hues. We had a reserved viewing area and some employees from the hotel had set up a table with hors d’hoeuvres, champagne and other wines. Watching the hues on the rock change as the sun went down was quite a site to behold. Bob and I took quite a lot of pics!
Tomorrow we have a guided morning walk around Ayers Rock.
Uluru (Ayers Rock) seen from our bus in the
morning
Our lovely patio
Patios in a row
Am Aboriginal dot painting in our room
Ayers Rock at the beginning of sunset
Changing hues at sunset
final sunset picture
Another sunset view of other formations in
the park
Champagne at the rock
The flies were horrible so we were given nets.
Breakfast buffet at Sails in the Desert
O
Our charter plane
Overview of Ayers Rock Resort including the
Sands in the Desert Hotel.
Today we left the hotel at 9:00 am and rode to the airport to catch our privately chartered plane to Uluru in the Northern Territory. Tauck has a contract with Alliance to transport us throughout Australia: The plane was super comfortable with 2 seats on each side of the aisle. We had two male flight attendants who were very accommodating. They gave each of us a welcome glass of champagne and later served a snack as we would not be having lunch until much later. Upon leaving we set our watch back 1 1/2 hrs. Normally it would only be 1/2 hour difference but the Northern Territory is not on daylight saving time. We landed around noon and immediately got on a bus that took us to the cultural center in the National Park. We were not allowed to take pictures in the center and the rock itself. In the cultural center we watched a film regarding giving the land back to the aborigines, which happened in 1985. We then viewed all of the amazing art work done by the local tribe. We even watched two very old aborigenese woman doing "dot" painting, which was fascinating. The art was for sale but very expensive!
Uluru (Ayers Rock) is 1,141 ft. high, 2,861 ft. above sea level, and 5.8 miles around its circumference. It is over 2 miles from one end to the other. It was once below sea level but as the ocean receded, the rock appeared. Contrary to what is often written, the rock itself is not sacred. However, many features of Uluru are an integral part of the ancient Aboriginal culture and some are so sacred that only Aboriginal people are permitted to visit them. In 1958 the Ayers Rock-Mount Olga National Park was proclaimed and it is now a World Heritage sight.
After the visit to view Ayers Rock and the Cultural Center, we returned to our hotel, Sails in the Desert, for a buffet lunch and then got the keys to our room. Our room is lovely and has a gorgeous patio with two lounges under an umbrella. All of the patios are surrounded by bougainvillea. We relaxed in our room until 5:30 when we boarded the bus for the park again to see the rock at sunset with its changing hues. We had a reserved viewing area and some employees from the hotel had set up a table with hors d’hoeuvres, champagne and other wines. Watching the hues on the rock change as the sun went down was quite a site to behold. Bob and I took quite a lot of pics!
Tomorrow we have a guided morning walk around Ayers Rock.
Uluru (Ayers Rock) seen from our bus in the
morning
Our lovely patio
Patios in a row
Am Aboriginal dot painting in our room
Ayers Rock at the beginning of sunset
Changing hues at sunset
final sunset picture
Another sunset view of other formations in
the park
Champagne at the rock
The flies were horrible so we were given nets.
Breakfast buffet at Sails in the Desert
Our charter plane
Sands in the Desert Hotel
Sands in the Desert Pool View
Sands in the Desert Hotel.
Sounds wonderful, Marie!
ReplyDelete