Uluru (Ayers Rock)

Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock, is in the middle of nowhere. It is 450 kilometers from the nearest town, Alice Springs, and 250 kilometers west of the Stuart Highway. It is an adventure to get there, believe you me.

The rock is of great significance to the Aboriginal culture, a sacred site. The rock stands out on the horizon -- solitary. The rock itself is more than 3.5km long and rises 350 meters from the surrounding scrubland. At least two-thirds of the rock lies beneath the surface. The landscape changes dramatically as the light changes, sometimes brown and sometimes red or orange, shadows and then bright sunlight. We were fortunate to be able to view both a sunset and a sunrise in our less than 24 hours at Uluru.

We did the base walk, which is a 10km walk around the entire perimeter. It allows you to see the rock from so many different vantage points. While it was unbelievably hot, nearly 40 degrees C, and filled with the nasty black flies of the Outback, it was well worth the walk. (Yes, one of the photos shows us with our flynets on, at Uluru.)

Enjoy the photos.