We flew from Sydney to Ayers Rock Resort in the Northern
Territories. This resort has been built solely to serve traffic to Uluru
(Ayers Rock) and Kata_Tjuta (The Olgas).
Uluru at sunset (top), desert sunrise (bottom). This spiritual place has been occupied for 20,000 years by local tribespeople (now the Anangu tribe). The sediments that make up this and the related Kata Tjuta structures were laid down about 500-600 million years ago and then tilted almost vertically by earth movements. Uluru is 1,142 feet tall and Kata Tjuta rises 1,791 feet but their foundations go far deeper.
Did we climb the rock like so many visitors? No, the Aboriginies request that people respect the sacred nature of the site and not clamber all over it. Instead, we walked around the base, a distance of 9.1km. This was a real experience, and one we hope that all the students will repeat.