Over the Red Centre : Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Australia

Aerial view of Uluru under the strut of a small plane, Yulara NT Australia

Uluru under the Strut
Glowing red in the afternoon light, that magic sandstone monolith at the heart of Australia rises up 348 m (1142 ft) out of the surrounding plains – and extends even further underground.

In these days of rolling lockdowns and seriously curtailed travel, flying feels like a thing of the past.

But, last year in October, I managed to get on not one, but two different airplanes in the space of a few days.

Like most travellers with international itineraries, I was flattened in 2020 when Covid-19 pulled the rug out from under all my plans, and left me – and everyone else in Australia – self-distancing at home. Now, eighteen months later, international borders are still effectively closed and interstate travel within the country is severely restricted.

But, there have been small windows of opportunity, and I managed to squeeze a package deal to the Ayers Rock Resort in the red heart of Australia into one of these openings (see: Weekly Wanders Yulara).

It’s a three-hour and twenty-minute flight from Sydney to Ayers Rock/Connellan Airport in Yulara, Northern Territory: it is easy to forget how big Australia actually is! It felt strange walking around the unusually quiet Kingsford Smith Airport, mindfully keeping my mask on and skirting around others at a respectful ‘social’ distance. Of course, once on the airplane, we were packed in like sardines, as per normal on a low-cost airline! Deplaning took forever, as everyone had to ‘prove’, via bank statements, etc, that they hadn’t been in any declared areas of concern.

This part of the Red Centre – the vast, red, sandy plain in central Australia – is formally recognised by UNESCO World Heritage for both its natural and cultural values. It has been home to the Indigenous Anangu people since Dreamtime, and features in countless ancient stories they have handed down explaining the origins and nature of the “spectacular geological formations” that are found here. For, rising out of a red landscape that is flat and empty out to the horizons in all directions, are two incredible ancient rock formations: Uluru, the 348 m (1,142 ft) high sandstone monolith, and Kata Tjuta, the 36 domes of conglomerated sand, pebbles, and cobbles.

Both these timeless and magnificent formations are contained within the Uluru-Kata Tjuta (formerly the Uluru (Ayers Rock – Mount Olga)) National Park, which is jointly managed by the Anangu people – the traditional owners – and Parks Australia.

It was just after lengthy lockdowns and the resort was quiet without the usual international visitors. The Anangu Cultural Centre was off-limits to us ‘outsiders’ to protect the small Indigenous community from possible infection. So, I booked everything else I could get my hands on. I didn’t have to think twice about taking advantage of the scenic flights available over the area! After all, it had taken me a long time to get there – it might be a long time before I was back.

On the day of my arrival, I wandered through the Field of Lights. The next day, I explored the resort, taking in a talk on bush tucker and other activities (Watch this space!), and went for a sunset camel ride. I watched the sunrise and walked into the Walpa Gorge in Kata Tjuta, and I planned to walked around the base of Uluru the day after my sunset flight. (Watch this space!)

It is amazing how different these magnificent rock formations are in every light and from every angle! Join me in the air:

Young pilot standing outside a brightly decorated Ayers Rock Scenic Flight airplane, NT Australia

Pilot Chris
Chris welcomes us to the brightly decorated, Australian-manufactured, Gippsland Aeronautics G8.

Young pilot at the door of an Ayers Rock Scenic Flight airplane, NT Australia

Safety Briefing
Before we board, Chris shows us how to operate the doors in an emergency.

Ayers Rock Scenic Flights
I was originally booked on the little Cessna sitting on the Ayers Rock (Uluru) Airport tarmac.

Helicopters at the Airport
It’s that time of day: all the scenic flights are out. After we clear the runway, two helicopters take off below us.

Uluru
The 500+ million year-old sandstone monolith, known variously as Uluru and Ayers Rock, rises dramatically out of the vast red desert plain.

Kata Tjuta
Chris wants to make the most of the last available light, so we make our way to Kata Tjuta – 25 km (16 mi) east of Uluru – first. (iPhone6)

Kata Tjuṯa Domes
In Pitjantjatjara, one of the two principle Aboriginal languages in this region, Kata Tjuṯa means ‘many heads’.

Kata Tjuta and Uluru
The 36 conglomerate domes that make up what is also called the Olgas were formed roughly 600 million years ago and stretch across almost 22 square kilometres (8.37 sq mi). Uluru looks small in the distance.

Kata Tjuṯa / Mount Olga
I had enjoyed sunrise over these domed rock formations and walked in amongst them that very morning (see: Walpa Gorge); they look very different from the air.

Kata Tjuta under the Wing
The local Aboriginal Anangu people have lived in this area for more than 22,000 years, and since 1995 Kata Tjuta is being used again for cultural ceremonies. There are many Dreamtime legends (creation stories) told here, but because this is a place of sacred ‘men’s business’, most of them are not disclosed to outsiders – particularly women.

Shadows on Kata Tjuta
The light drops quickly, and the shapes of the boulders soften as we move away.

Golden Light
When we turn back towards Uluru, the lowering sun sets fire to the wings of our plane, …

Uluru in Colour
… and turns the red plain purple.

The Red Centre
Between 500 and 400 million years ago, this whole area was covered by a sea. It is easy to imagine, as we look at the waves of arid sand and rock below.

Uluru in the Afternoon Sun
All of Uluru is sacred to the local Pitjantjatjara, but some parts are more secret than others: out of respect, pilots do not overfly certain parts of the rock.

Uluru in the Last Light
As we fly closer to the darkening rock, we can see the closed Aboriginal community of Mutitjulu behind it.