Here’s a travel story that has haunted me for more than 30 years.
Back in 1991 I was a smelly English backpacker travelling around Australia and arrived at Uluru to see the famous landmark.
I took lots of great photos with a cheap wind-on camera that I’d bought at Heathrow Airport. I flew back to the UK via China (taking pics of the Great Wall and Forbidden City) and arrived home full of expectation at the images I’d captured.
A couple of days later I went to collect my developed photos (remember when we did that?!?), only to be told that the camera had malfunctioned and not a single shot had been taken…
Fast forward 33 years and I returned to Uluru armed with a modern I-phone and a digital camera. There would be no equipment malfunctions this time around!
My arrival in the Red Centre was a special occasion, given it was the inaugural Short Breaks tour with AAT Kings. The company has launched two, three- and four-day tours for travellers who want to see all the sights in one hit.
“The big point behind them is that they’re filling the sweet spot between longer guided tours and shorter day trips,” said Michael Woods, Partnerships & Industry Marketing Manager for AAT Kings, who was hosting our debut group.
“This means for time poor people, if they want to get a good look around and experience some of the amazing cultural experiences in the area, these are the sorts of tours to do it.”
We were road testing the four-day ‘Kings Canyon, Uluru and Kata Tjuta’ tour and our adventure began with a five-hour drive from Alice Springs to Yulara and our accommodation at the Outback Hotel & Lodge.
Now normally that might stretch the patience but in a luxury vehicle that still had that “new coach” smell and with the jovial and knowledgeable commentary of Jim our driver/guide, the time passed in a flash.
Jim regaled us with absorbing stories about the history of the region and how some of the cattle stations in these parts are larger than Belgium…although not all of his tales were quite so believable. He had us all searching for the “Central Australian rubber tree” and caught many out with a first sighting of “Foolaru” (Mount Conner, pictured above).
After lunch we headed out to Uluru and arrived mid-afternoon just as the winter sunlight was dappling the famous rock. The ends were dark brown but the middle was a glorious orange – like a giant sandstone chameleon.
To my eyes it hadn’t changed much in three decades but was still a remarkable sight to behold. According to Jim, it was probably formed some 500million years ago and is in fact an inland iceberg – geologists have no idea how deep it actually goes.
We de-coached for a guided walk and what hits you immediately is the silence and spirituality of the place. There’s a reverential atmosphere around Uluru that makes you talk in whispers: it’s easy to see why the Indigenous Anangu who live here believe it to be sacred.
Jim led us on the Kuniya walk to the Mutitjulu Waterhole, one of the few permanent water sources around Uluru. We were treading in the footsteps of some very famous tourists: the Dalai Lama and King Charles just two of the many VIPs to come here.
This particular walk also passes the site of one of Uluru’s most dramatic creation stories – the deadly battle between Kuniya (the woma python woman) and Liru (the poisonous brown snake man).
Jim showed us the cave where the Anangu have sheltered for generations, passing down such stories in both word and on the walls through their paintings. As a living history museum, it doesn’t get much better.
There’s really only one way to round off a day at Uluru and AAT Kings have got you covered. A sunset viewing with a glass of bubbly and delicious snacks was the perfect end to a long but thoroughly absorbing day.
While Uluru is the main attraction, for me Kata Tjuta is a fabulous support act. The shapes and colours are just incredible, like a group of giant brown eggs poking partly through the surface.
From here we headed off to Walpa Gorge for a two-kilometre walk between two of the tallest domes of Kata Tjuta. Looking up at the towering walls above you could see where giant pieces of the rock face had come loose, crashing into the valley below.
Our final stop on the Short Breaks tour was to Kings Canyon and the drive was another feast for the eyes, with camels, cattle and wild horses all making an appearance.
The Watarrkanya Karru Walk (Kings Creek Walk) is a joint project between the traditional owners of the Watarrka National Park and the NT government. The 2km trail is an easy stroll alongside Kings Creek and offers a path through the canyon to a viewing platform.
Unlike Walpa Gorge, the vegetation here flourishes and you’ll find yourself taking bucket loads of images of native flora and fauna.
Tired but exhilarated, we arrived at the excellent Kings Canyon Resort and following a huge, delightful dinner repaired to bed in order to tackle the challenging and somewhat daunting Kings Canyon rim walk in the morning.
Sadly, dear reader, this is where my courage deserted me. I had every intention of braving the freezing temperatures to tackle the 500-step climb (the walls of Kings Canyon are more than 100m high) but I’m afraid my dodgy hamstrings (and warm bed) won the day.
What I can tell you from those that did make it to the top was that the views were as spectacular as they had been promised. They also made it to the green oasis known as the ‘Garden of Eden’ and reported that it was well worth the effort needed to get there. Maybe next time…
Coming out of the pandemic, it seems more and more Australians are keen to learn about the cultural roots of the country in which they live.
These new Short Break tours from AAT Kings give you a detailed introduction to a place that every Australian should visit. What you do with that new knowledge is entirely up to you.
Now to check those photos…
Next month: Dot painting, light shows and a sky full of stars.
