Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, is an impressive rock in the center of Australia. It not only attracts large crowds of tourists but has religious sigfnificance for the native peoples. Uluru exhibits changing colors at sunrise and sunset. We observed sunset but didn’t get up in time to see a sunrise there. Similar rock formations, Kata Tjuta, are located nearby. Kata Tjuta, being a series of rocks is not as imposing as the single Uluru and affords extensive hiking possibilities.
Both Uluru and Kat Tjuta are some distance from the lodging facilities. We rented a car here rather than rely on the tour coaches.
We went to an event “Sounds of Silence” dinner. This was a fun evening dining out under the very dark sky with stars shining brightly. The constellations in the southern hemisphere are quite different from what we are used to seeing. At the dinner we struck up a conversation with a couple from Oregon who were also Rick Steves fans. After returning to our respective hotels, we parted company. Little did we expect that we would run into each other two weeks later at a tiny winery in New Zealand!
