Australia part four
Yulara and an introduction to Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park, Australia.
I fly to Yulara from Cairns, where I’ve spent the past two nights in order to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef.
On my first day in town, I walked to the wharf, deciding to leave my camera at home. Cruise ships lined the terminal, there were none the day after. I walked along Chinaman Creek towards the pier from which the tourist boats leave, and to the Tip of Cairns before turning back towards town. I skirt the public pools that make up the Esplanade Lagoon and dine at an Italian seafood restaurant up the street.
The seas are rough for our trip to the outer reef, and the currents are strong. The water is a bit murky, the sites a bit crowded with people from the boat. Storms threaten and it rains as we head from our first site to our better second site.
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It’s an early morning flight to Ayers Rock Airport; Cairns is still asleep when I lift my bag and exit the hotel to the street. I’ve ordered a cab in advance and I see it turn the corner as the hour approaches.
The plane takes off over the ocean before turning and heading back inland. We’re offered fantastic views of the town and the harbor as we cross back over Cairns headed west.
The landscape reminds me of Namibia, the red earth under unbroken blue skies, and I search to see if I might see animals, not knowing what survives in the desert plains and canyons below.
I am seated on the right of the plane. From the left there’s a sudden sense of excitement. We’re approaching Yulara and they can see Uluru from their windows. I cran my neck and bob in my seat in hopes of being able to see something from across the aisle, without luck.
On the other hand, I do have views of Kata Tjuṯa, though it’s something that has been unknown to me until now. I won’t really know about it for another day.
The plane banks and it feels as if we’re flying around the airport. On approach, I get my first glimpse of Uluru, just as we’re about to land.
We file out of the plane and to the airport. The bags come quickly and outside there are buses that will take us to the resort and our hotels. I had booked a room in one of the less pricey accommodations but was sent an email a few days before.
The three-star hotel I’ve booked will be temporarily closed during my stay and so I’ve been upgraded to a room with a garden view in a four-star hotel on the grounds. I’m ecstatic. The room I had originally booked had no windows, which I hadn’t realized until later.
The room isn’t ready for check-in. I leave my bags in the lobby and have lunch in the restaurant before taking a walk to a small town center that offers some practical amenities as well as a few restaurants. I look for postcards and buy stamps at the post office.
She sees me admiring the stamps and I ask if there are any with Uluru on them. There are. She asks me if I collect stamps and pulls out a book to show me a stamp with a picture of the rock and Australia embossed in gold on the bottom. It’s $20. She collects stamps and has yet to buy one. It’s too much for a postcard, but I offer to buy her one. She laughs and declines, thanking me for the offer.
A path leads from town to the center of the resort where a small hill offers views over the surroundings. It’s hot and I haven’t really prepared to be out in the sun, but I gamely make my way over and up to catch another glimpse of Uluru.
I haven’t done much planning and head back to suss out my options. I book a sunset trip to Uluru and a sunrise Segway tour around its base. There are dinners under the stars and drone shows on offer, but I hold off. I see a van pull up offering small group tours of the area, but when I search the name of the company online find that their tours are fully booked.
As the hour for the tour approaches I head to the lobby to wait. Bus after bus pulls up, each heading to a different event and destination. Attendants answer questions and check bookings to make sure people get on the right bus.
Ours seems to be one of the last to arrive. After boarding we drive around the resort picking up passengers from the various hotels and lodges. The driver asks if any of us are heading to dinner under the stars after the sunset tour. Those who are returning to the resort after sunset will be with him on this bus; another bus will take diners to the dinner location.
It’s about a fifteen minute drive south to the viewing area. Buses are lined up in the parking lot and tables are lined up along the sidewalk, each with the same snacks and drinks. The driver tells us which table is ours and asks us not to take from others. I’m handed a glass of champagne and I take some cheese and crackers and stand by a wooden fence to enjoy the show.
I notice a path leading off to the west away from the parking lot and the masses of people who have gathered for the sunset. I wander off in that direction and find follow it to a quieter viewing area. Few people have wandered this far and I take the opportunity to post up with a better view and less congestion.
I turn around to watch the sun hover on the horizon, watch as the colors shift across the plains.
In the distance, I can see Kata Tjuṯa, its many boulders formed like the back of a prehistoric animal slumbering under dramatic skies.
The sun sets. The light burns the rocks and then fades, the skies deepen.
a group of children had wandered towards us, asking for money and then ignoring us after being denied. They play amongst themselves for a while before walking back towards the parking lot and the buses of people gathered there.
It’s nearly time to go. I check the time and turn back towards the parking lot along with the others who have ventured this far afield.
People are packing up for the night. I grab a few cubes of cheese and some crackers as the children I had seen before grab the rest to take home.
We climb ito our respective buses for our next destinations. I’m headed back to the lodge. From the windows of the bus I’m offered a fantastic view of Uluru as we depart.
For dinner I head into town and pick up pad Thai from Ayers Wok. It’s a huge portion, enough to last for two days, but I have no way of reheating it in my hotel room. I wonder how the BBQ is.
Before going to bed I download photos from my memory card to my computer and rifle through them to see what my camera has captured. My favorite shots are among the last, taken through the window of a tour bus as it drove us away from the rock, the foreground a blur, the reflections of ourselves a memory etched in glass. 🇦🇺
24 February 2025
