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Unique chance to fly direct from Albany to Uluru for long weekend with travel editor Stephen Scourfield

Headshot of Liam Croy
Liam CroyAlbany Advertiser
Dawn on Uluru.
Camera IconDawn on Uluru. Credit: Stephen Scourfield/The West Australian

The chap standing next to me is surprised.

“There’s actually more to it than I thought.”

We’re looking at Uluru, here in the heart of Australia, and his point is well made.

We all know the image of the big, red rock, but to walk up to it and learn its stories, cultural and environmental, brings it to new life.

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A new, massive, historic, spiritual life.

That storytelling goes even further at the Cultural Centre here in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.

Art is painted here, as it is today by a woman sitting outside, under shade, placing perfect dots on a canvas.

The story is taken further by guides who are Red Centre specialists.

And that is even before we consider the story of Yulara, the resort village a 25km drive from Uluru, with its hotels and town square, with didgeridoo and dot-painting workshops and locals selling their artworks direct, Geckos Cafe and Ayers Wok noodle shop.

It was far-sighted of the Northern Territory Government to build this in the early 1980s, to move accommodation away from Uluru and literally give it some breathing space.

And that’s before we visit Field of Light, the 50,000 spindles of ochre, violet, blue and white light placed by artist Bruce Munro.

Yeah, there’s more to visiting Uluru than you might think.

TICK IT OFF YOUR WISHLIST (AND DO IT DIRECT)

Of all the wishlist items, anywhere in the world, seeing Uluru will be at the top of many.

And here’s a unique chance to do it very easily in June, with a direct charter flight from Albany to Uluru.

We’ve partnered to create this so that we can share something special with our southern readers.

There’s border surety and no quarantine.

Stephen Scourfield will be joining the flight and be with our guests all the way through.

The direct exclusive air charter organised by NT Now means we will fly from Albany airport direct to Yulara.

From there, it’s just a short, included, coach ride to our accommodation to start our adventure.

We will stay for two nights at Sails in the Desert at Ayers Rock Resort, including daily breakfast.

We’ll go sightseeing around Uluru and visit Uluru Cultural Centre tour.

The trip includes the Field of Light — the 50,000 lights installed by Bruce Munro, who did the smaller Field of Light in Albany in 2018.

Travellers can also opt for the Sounds of Silence dinner.

The price is from $2659 per person twin share.

Full details at westtravelclub.com.au/tours/albany-to-uluru or phone 1800 854 897.

DIRECT EXCLUSIVE AIR CHARTER

It means you don’t have to drive to Perth. It means you will be joining an exclusive and well-managed flight. And it means that the holiday really begins at the airport, because the captain and his crew will be with us all weekend (they stay at Uluru, then fly us back to Albany), and make the flight informative and fun. This is not a usual scheduled flight, because you will get a good look at Uluru from the air before we land.

BOOST FOR SOUTHERN TRAVELLERS

It’s obviously ideal for travellers from Albany. But for anyone living on the south coast, or lower Wheatbelt, it’s a great chance to join a remarkable long weekend without driving to Perth.

HOW TO JOIN US

  • The three-day, two-night trip departs Albany Airport on June 17.
  • Return private charter flights from Albany to Ayers Rock Airport (Uluru) with a scenic flight over Uluru and Kata Tjuta.
  • Return transfers from the airport and hotel.
  • Drover’s lunch at Sails in the Desert.
  • Two-night stay in Uluru at Sails in the Desert at Ayers Rock Resort including daily breakfast.
  • $75 Red Centre Experience Voucher.
  • Uluru sightseeing tour.
  • Uluru Cultural Centre tour.
  • Field of Light star pass.
  • Two-course lunch with didgeridoo performance.
  • Optional Sounds of Silence dinner (additional cost).
  • The price is from $2659 per person twin share, including everything listed here. It is $2989 for single and solo travellers.
  • With the Sounds of Silence dinner, the price is $2889 per person twin share, and $3289 for single and solo travellers.
  • Full day-by-day itinerary at westtravelclub.com.au/tours.
  • To book, phone 1800 854 897 or book at ntnow.com.au.

WHY ULURU IS RED

There’s a blue-grey line up Uluru, eroded by footfall, where once there was a chain and people used to climb the rock. That stopped in October 2019, out of respect for Anangu law and culture.

But today, this thin line still hints at the base colour of Uluru.

For fresh arkose is a grey colour. The red of the rock is caused by the rusting of the iron in that arkose.

The rock’s colour changes, from dawn to high sun to dusk, a result of the effects of the Earth’s atmosphere on the incoming sunrays.

Dust particles and water vapour filter out blue light more at some angles, allowing the redder light through.

In the morning and evening, when the sun is low, its rays travel through more of the Earth’s atmosphere and the light reaching the rock surface is mainly from the red end of the spectrum. Its reflection from the rock adds to the colour seen.

When the sun is overhead at midday, rays pass through a smaller thickness of atmosphere, minimising the filtering effect.

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