Uluru and the Red Centre
Australia’s ‘Red Centre’ is the heart of the outback, a remote landscape of arid desert, rocky gorges and ancient Aboriginal sites. The must-see here is, of course, Uluru – formerly known as Ayers Rock – a vast sandstone formation that is thought to have begun forming 550 million years ago.
The site is sacred to the local indigenous people so it’s disrespectful to climb the rock (and will be banned from October 2019). Instead, take a tour around the base with an Aboriginal guide and learn how the indigenous people survived in this remote and inhospitable landscape, long before it was discovered by tourists. Full-day tours usually end with a classic Red Centre experience: watching the sun set over the rock. Less wellknown (and less crowded with tourists), but definitely worth seeing, is Kata Tjuta, a group of huge rock domes that are also considered sacred. If you like a hike, follow the Valley of the Winds walk, which takes you
through the domes, revealing breathtaking views.
If you have time, spend a day or two in the Outback town of Alice Springs, exploring the galleries of Aboriginal art and visiting the Royal Flying Doctor Service to get an insight into the practical realities of life in such a remote and sparsely populated region.
And if you watched the BBC’s Kangaroo Dundee series, you can meet its stars, Chris Barnes and his orphaned joeys, at
The Kangaroo Sanctuary just outside the town.