As a surprise for my husband’s birthday I took our little family to Uluru so that we could experience the light installation called Field of Lights in all its beautiful glory.
Due to the popularity of this event we were lucky enough to find space for the 3 of us on the Sun-day night so that gave us the opportunity to explore our magnificent ‘Red Centre’ for a couple of days prior and explore we did.
Flying in to Ayers Rock airport via Sydney we were greeting by the enormous Uluru on landing. Photos don’t really do it justice. This rock is amazing and we are so lucky to have it here in Austral-ia.
That night after checking in the Sails in the Desert resort we went to explore Ayers Rock resort to see what else was around to see. Its great setup with different accommodation levels & even a campground all within the area. Definitely something for every budget.
Next morning I had arranged a helicopter flight over Uluru & the Olgas at sunset. After a small hic-cup & change of helicopters we were off. Seeing this magnificent rock from above gives you a better idea of its sheer size. Breathtaking with the sunrise also casting beautiful colours on Uluru & the Olgas.
After a day looking at the local camel farm & having a gentle ride on one & hiking back to the resort we had a little rest before heading off with AAT Kings to watch the sunset over Uluru & enjoy a BBQ dinner under the stars. Enjoying a glass of wine or beer while watching the colours change for approximately 30 minutes was peaceful & so relaxing. After a delicious dinner, it was back to the resort to enjoy a good night’s sleep ready for the next day.
Not one to rest too much we decided to take our 9-year-old on a cycling adventure around Uluru. Easily done by taking the shuttle to the Uluru Centre & hiring the fat tyred bikes, a couple of bottles of water each and head off on our 13km cycle. It’s not too hard as there is a track right around the Uluru with many information points to stop read & explore. This helps break up the ride & lets you know the meaning of many locations around the rock. There are many people that like to walk around but had decided that our 9yo won’t like it so cycling was our option. You can still climb Ulu-ru but the opportunities are few & far between these days. Weather conditions have to be perfect & it’s not available every day. Thankfully more & more people are learning the significance of this location to the Aboriginal population and decided not to climb it anymore.
Tonight, was our night to enjoy a delicious dinner & the wonders of the Field of Lights installation. Having read much about it our anticipation was building & thankfully we were not disappointed. On arrival, we enjoyed some wine & beer along with canopies onto top of the hill overlooking the Field of Lights with Uluru in the background, quite spectacular not it wasn’t dark yet so the lights were not very bright. We were then escorted to our table that we shared with 7 other guests from around Australia & the World. So much wonderful food to enjoy & the drinks kept coming all night.
Would you believe we even had a few drops of rain (almost unheard of in these parts) but they weren’t heavy enough to spoil our dinner. After we were all full & the other shorter tours had left we were escorted down the hill to wander through the Field of Lights. Spectacular is just one word to describe this form of artwork. Amazing & creative & such a beautiful addition to our outback. The photos won’t do it justice but it is definitely worth a trip to the Red Centre to see. Fingers crossed it will stay longer than March 17 for everyone to experience.
Our return flight via Sydney was a wet one. We woke to constant rain & the airport tarmac was about an inch under water (again not a normal occurrence in Uluru). Some on our flight even ventured out to Uluru to see the water falling down the sides. It truly was a wonderful birthday experience for all of us to enjoy & remember.