Pictures: Tourism NT/Lola and Jira/Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.
I spent a few days exploring Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in 2022 and fell in love with everything about the wonderful centre of Australia. This year, I wanted to take my mum to experience this very special place. But would it be OK for an 80-year-old? The answer is yes. It’s actually the perfect place to travel with family of all ages. Here’s why…
Easy & accessible
Getting around is super-simple. As soon as you arrive at Ayers Rock Airport, there’s a bus waiting to whisk you away to the wonderful Ayers Rock Resort. The bus drops you right outside the hotel, so there’s no need to walk too far or struggle with luggage.
The resort also has a range of accommodation to suit all needs. We opted for rooms at the Desert Gardens Hotel, where the ground-floor rooms were easily accessible, comfortable and had outdoor areas. Plus, the resort shuttle runs every 20 minutes and means that you never have to walk too far. Hop on for a brief trip to the town square, where you can buy souvenirs and artworks, plus any other must-haves in the handy convenience store.
Connection to Country
Seeing Uluru up close is such an amazing and moving experience. We headed to the Cultural Centre to learn some of the history of the area, as well as a little about Tjukurpa, the local laws, and creation stories of Anangu, who are the traditional owners of the land.
Next, we did the short Kuniya Walk to Mutitjulu Waterhole – a lush and shady area with a lot of cultural significance to Anangu. At this breath-taking spot, we were shown fascinating rock art and heard about Kuniya, the python woman. Both Mum and I loved hearing these incredible stories, and felt privileged to have been welcomed there.
So Much to See and Do!
One of the highlights of the trip was the Wintjiri Wiru drone show over Uluru.
As night approached, we hopped on a bus from our hotel for the short drive to the Wintjiri Wiru site. Cocktails and canapés were waiting as we made the stroll along a well-lit, easy-to-navigate boardwalk.
Then as dusk settled, we moved down to bleacher-style seating with our own gourmet picnic hamper filled with delicious food, which had native flavours at the fore. As it got colder, Mum was able to wrap up and stay warm with the complimentary blankets – and we sat in awe as the drone show began, telling the Mala story of Anangu in lights, lasers, music and video. It was truly amazing storytelling, spine-tinglingly emotional and well worth the money.
The next day, we enjoyed some of the free activities at the resort, starting with an easy garden walk. Our guide highlighted some of the local flora, bush foods and more on a short but fascinating stroll around the grounds. Another free activity was the Gallery of Central Australia tour. Here, we learned about the paintings, as well as what each symbol meant in the indigenous artworks on display.
Sky’s the Limit
Dinner on our second night was at Ilkari Restaurant at Sails in the Desert. This buffet-style food fest is great if you want a taste of everything. Mum and I loaded up on Indian dishes and delicious seafood before we headed to our next destination – the Field of Light.
This major work by Aussie artist Bruce Munro covers more than seven football fields and has 50,000 spindles of light in different colours. It’s also accessible to most, though be aware you do have to walk in darkness some of the time. General admission tickets are $54 each and, again, we hopped on the bus to take us there.
We walked around in awe, while also looking up at the sky, where we could see stars that stretched on forever – the effect of both is stunning. Mum loved the night sky here – we spotted the Milky Way and several constellations as we gazed across this astonishing night-time installation.
Something for everyone
Uluru really is somewhere everyone should try to experience – regardless of their age! The great thing is, you can be as active or relaxed as you like. You can take the bus like we did or you can hike, bike, ride camels and more. The bottom line is that Anangu really want you to get the most of your visit and to connect to their culture. This is something anyone can do, from eight to 80 and beyond!
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