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The week following the Goolwa Mystery Tour - it's a hectic lifestyle here - finds us in Uluru.
On the day before Christmas we start our adventure by catching a plane to Alice Springs and then another to Conellan Airport (Ayers Rock Resort). A short drive on the courtesy coach sees us at the Sails in the Desert Hotel. Room found - without Spa Bath! A short time later we were in our new room, with Balcony & Spa Bath. We then headed on down to the Reception to book some fun activities. At this point we should mention that we had already got the Sounds of Silence Dinner booked for Christmas Day, as this was one of the things we had wanted to do when we first came on holiday to Australia together in 2007 and could not do. Reception booked us our tours to keep us busy for the next few days. Next stop: the bar for cocktails.
So Christmas Eve at 6pm sees us awaiting our coach to take us to our first Uluru Sunset. Once at the viewing area, we have tripod set up with wireless remote control to take all those scenic pictures, a couple of chairs to sit on and enjoy the view, together with a glass (plastic tumbler) of wine each which were constantly refilled by the AAT King drivers.
As an aside, we also shared the viewing area with a group of Brits who were on an organised trip, on which they had already done the Great Barrier Reef, had Christmas Day at Uluru and then were off to Sydney to see in the New Year at the Quayside.
After a beautiful sunset we retuned to our hotel for dinner and a drink.
Christmas Day 4am: Alarm goes off - time to get dressed and join our Uluru Sunrise coach. 4:30am coach picks us up and takes us to the Sunrise viewing area, where tripod is deployed. Now time to relax and enjoy the sunrise with our Tea/Coffe and biscuits. You will all be pleased to know that the sun came up and we had lovely views of the Rock. Back to the Hotel for Breakfast, followed by Presents, Snooze, Swimming in the Pool (with hat and sunglasses!), Sunbathing in the mainly shade, Beer & Cocktail, another snooze, quick walk to the Resort Viewing area, Milkshakes in the "town centre", Spa Bath, Shower and get dressed for...
6:30pm we await the arrival of another coach to take us to our Sounds of Silence Dinner. Here we were blessed with views of the Rock, a beautiful sunset, Didgeridoo playing, Canapes (see menu below) and glasses of bubbly. Following this we walked down the side of the dune to where our tables were all set up in the open air. It is a really peaceful and tranquil setting - well worth it and the service and food were great.
Sounds of Silence: Gourmet Christmas BBQ Buffet Dinner Menu 2011
SUNSET CANAPES
Bush Dukkha-spiced Nori Roll
Paprika-smoked Kangaroo canapé
Crocodile & Macadamia Filoette
Salmon & Baby Spinach Roll
OUTBACK-INSPIRED SALADS
Citrus cous cous salad with roasted spiced nuts, dukkha spices, apricot and apple
Potato & dukkha salad with Spanish onion and roasted spiced nuts
Pumpkin & fetta salad seasoned with mountain pepper and garnished with baby spinach
Mixed baby leaf salad with capsicum, Spanish onion, cherry tomatoes, accompanied by a trio of lemon pepper, macadamia nut & sun dried tomato dressings
Crocodile Caesar salad with baby cos leaves, bacon, citrus & lemon myrtle-infused crocodile, croutons & parmesan
NATIVE SPICED BBQ MENU
Wild Barramundi Fillets infused with wild lime and rosella chutney
Wild Kangaroo Pieces infused with native mint and mango chutney
Lamb Cutlets infused with Lemon Aspen Chutney
Chicken Sausage infused with mountain pepper
Carrots and Fennel with Lemon Myrtle Butter
Jasmine Rice scented with orange blossom
Roasted Baby Potatoes with wild herb salt & fresh rosemary
Honey Glazed Ham
Roast Turkey with apricot seasoning and chestnuts
AFTER DINNER
Chocolate Brownies
Carrot or Banana Cake
Warm Bread & Butter Pudding
Roasted Wattleseed & Apple Crumble
Traditional Christmas Pudding with brandy custard
After the dinner we were treated to a bit of star gazing, with all the lights out you could see the stars (including Jupiter) perfectly - apart from the half hiding behind the clouds.
All in all it was an excellent Christmas Day and Dinner, and then off to bed.
Boxing Day 4am: Alarm goes off - time to get ready for our Desert Awakenings trip. 4:30 we are picked up by our 4WD bus to be taken to a private sand dune to see the sunrise (again). Bacon and Egg rolls were cooked for us as well as some damper bread, together with Tea/Coffee and Fruit juice this was a wonderful experience. The clouds from last night were still with us as was the tranquility. Once the sun had risen we were taken to Uluru where we did a couple of walks at the base - this was a good day for a walk as it was cooler, with some explanations of the drawings found there and the cultural significance to the local Aboriginal tribe. After a visit to the Cultural Centre we headed back to the hotel. 10 minutes late for breakfast. Since we had no other plans for the day we decided to book at trip to Kata Tjuta (Olgas) which included an Uluru sunset (Number 3). After a snooze, we headed off to lunch and then got ready for our 3pm trip. We headed out to Kata Tjuta and the Walpa Gorge Walk. After a pleasant walk and a few photos we then headed to the Uluru Sunset viewing area. This was a nice relaxing evening with a gentle warm drizzle and no sunset. Half the coach party stayed on the coach and a few coaches left before sunset, but we had a lovely time. Back to the hotel for dinner and drinks.
The next day: A lie in - 6:30am Unfortunately it was time to pack, have breakfast, check out and leave Uluru.
I suspect we will be back.
Pictures of the Rock et al are here.
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