A trip to Australia did not seem complete without a journey into the Outback. Australia’s famous red rock, called Uluru or Ayers Rock, sits in the middle of nowhere in the center of the country far from any major civilization. However, the geology and aboriginal culture makes this site one of the top spots to visit in this vast country despite the 3 hour flight from Sydney.
We spent time during our weekend get-away trekking around the gigantic boulder with stops to peer into caves and crevasses, many of which still display the rock art and stories of the Anangu people from thousands of years ago. We also joined in on a tour that one of the national park rangers gave which laid out the traditional Anangu legend passed down over the generations of creation and how an enormous rock cropped up in an otherwise flat area as well as how the Anangu people have lived and survived in such a desolate place.
The perfect ending to a day in the Outback consisted of watching Ayers Rock’s color change from pink to red to orange and then to rust as the last light of the sun set over the desert horizon. After taking in that spectacular scene, we enjoyed an outdoor dinner including crocodile Caesar salad and grilled kangaroo while listening to the sounds of the ancient Aboriginal didgeridoo instrument.
Wanting to also experience the color changes of sunrise on the rock, we groggily rolled out of bed and headed to the sunrise lookout point. While waiting in the darkness with only stars to light our way, we got to see Jupiter, Venus, Mercury and Mars aligned for a unique celestial show, something that hasn’t happened in 100 years. That in itself made the early morning worthwhile.
Although we never found an “awesome blossom” or Crocodile Dundee, we felt that our experience in the Australian Outback gave us a new appreciation for this immense continent and its untamed beauty.
A trip to Australia did not seem complete without a journey into the Outback. Australia’s famous red rock, called Uluru or Ayers Rock, sits in the middle of nowhere in the center of the country far from any major civilization. However, the geology and aboriginal culture makes this site one of the top spots to visit in this vast country despite the 3 hour flight from Sydney.
We spent time during our weekend get-away trekking around the gigantic boulder with stops to peer into caves and crevasses, many of which still display the rock art and stories of the Anangu people from thousands of years ago. We also joined in on a tour that one of the national park rangers gave which laid out the traditional Anangu legend passed down over the generations of creation and how an enormous rock cropped up in an otherwise flat area as well as how the Anangu people have lived and survived in such a desolate place. 
The perfect ending to a day in the Outback consisted of watching Ayers Rock’s color change from pink to red to orange and then to rust as the last light of the sun set over the desert horizon. After taking in that spectacular scene, we enjoyed an outdoor dinner including crocodile Caesar salad and grilled kangaroo while listening to the sounds of the ancient Aboriginal didgeridoo instrument. 
Wanting to also experience the color changes of sunrise on the rock, we groggily rolled out of bed and headed to the sunrise lookout point. While waiting in the darkness with only stars to light our way, we got to see Jupiter, Venus, Mercury and Mars aligned for a unique celestial show, something that hasn’t happened in 100 years. That in itself made the early morning worthwhile.
Although we never found an “awesome blossom” or Crocodile Dundee, we felt that our experience in the Australian Outback gave us a new appreciation for this immense continent and its untamed beauty.
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