Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

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CHAPTER 7 . THE RED CENTRE
ABORIGINAL TOURS Because Anangu Tours (& 08/8956 2123; www.
anangutours.com.au) is owned and run by the Rock’s Aboriginal owners, its
tours give you firsthand insight into Aboriginal culture. Tours are in the Anangu
language and translated by an interpreter. They are not cheap, but if you are
going to spend money on just one tour, this group is a good choice.
The company does a Kuniya walk, where you visit the Kata Tjuta Cultural
Centre and the Mutitjulu water hole at the base of the Rock, learn about bush
foods, and see rock paintings, before watching the sunset. It departs daily at
2:30pm March through October, 3:30pm November through February. With
hotel pick up it costs A$84 (US$55) for adults and A$58 (US$38) for children.
Self-drive and it costs A$52 (US$34) for adults and A$27 (US$18) for kids.
For an Aboriginal insight into the Rock without paying for a tour, join the
free Mala Walk (see “Walking, Driving, or Busing Around It” below); it discusses
Aboriginal culture and is often led by an Aboriginal park ranger.
DISCOVERING AYERS ROCK
AT SUNRISE & SUNSET Sunset is the peak time to catch the Rock’s beauty,
when oranges, peaches, pinks, reds, and then indigo and deep violet creep across
its face as if it were a giant opal. Some days it’s fiery; other days the colors are
muted. A sunset-viewing parking lot is located on the Rock’s western side.
Plenty of sunset and sunrise tours operate from the resort. A typical sunset tour
is that offered by AAT Kings (& 08/8956 2171), which departs 90 minutes
before sunset, includes a free glass of wine with which to watch the show, and
returns 20 minutes after sundown; the cost is A$29 (US$19) for adults, A$15
(US$9.75) for children 4 to 14.
At sunrise the colors are less dramatic, but many folks enjoy the spectacle of
the Rock unveiled by the dawn to bird song. You’ll need an early start—most
tours leave about 75 minutes before sunup.
CLIMBING IT Aborigines refer to tourists as minga—little ants—because
that’s what we look like crawling up Uluru. Climbing this thing is no picnic—
there’s sometimes a ferociously strong wind that can blow you right off, the walls
are almost vertical in places so you have to hold onto a chain, and it can be freezing
cold or insanely hot. Quite a few people have died from heart attacks, heat
stress, or simply falling off; so if you’re not in good shape, have breathing difficulties,
heart trouble, or high or low blood pressure, or are just plain scared of
heights, don’t do it. The Rock is closed to climbers during bad weather; when
temperatures exceed 97°F (36°C) (which they often do between Nov–Mar); and
when wind speed exceeds 25 knots, so climb in the stillness of early morning.
Warning: Wherever you go at Uluru and Kata Tjuta/the Olgas, bring lots of
drinking water with you from the resort.
If that doesn’t put you off, you’ll be rewarded with views of the plain, Kata
Tjuta/the Olgas, and Mt. Conner. The surface is rutted with ravines about 2.5m
(8 1 ⁄4 ft.) deep, which demand scrambling. The climb takes at least 1 hour up for
the fit, and 1 hour down. The less sure-footed should allow 3 to 4 hours all told.
Note: The Anangu do not like people climbing Uluru, because the climb follows
the trail their ancestral Dreamtime Mala men took when they first came to
Uluru. They allow people to climb but strongly prefer that they don’t.
WALKING, DRIVING, OR BUSING AROUND IT The easy 9.4km (6-
mile) Base Walk circumnavigating Uluru takes about 2 hours, but allow time to
linger around the water holes, caves, folds, and overhangs that make up its walls.