Known today as one of the furthest land on Earth, Australia was once much closer to the rest of the continents than it is today.
As an European, I used to know very little about this big country that also almost represents a continent, but life gave me the opportunity to start working in an Australia travel company, so that I could discover with my own eyes many things that I totally ignored before, and I can now share them with you.
At the beginning of the times, when the Big Bang exploded and the history of our planet started, all the lands emerged above the sea level were united, creating one supercontinent mass called Pangea.
We are talking about circa 100 million years ago, during a process that slowly by slowly, thanks to the movement of the plaques of the layers of the World, moved and consequently some parts of it detached from the others, creating the geography that we have today.
It was during these timings that the first beings appeared on Earth and evolution brought to the transformation and beginning of existence of Humans.
The Aboriginal People of Australia populated this big mass of land 55 million of years ago and, when the lands detached, this cut completely their interactions with the rest of the world until the arrival of the first fleets of European, mostly the English, who colonised the land and gave it the name of Terra Nullis.
Terra Nullis in Latin means "no-one land"
In the meantime, Nature was doing its course, and one massive rock was shaping and eroding in the middle of the desert of Australia. These complex, comprehending also the block of Kata Tjuta, are 370 meters high of pure rock, and are connecting each other with 7km deep and 27km long under the surface.
Sunrise at Uluru
Being Uluru a place of mostly desert, Uluru rock that existed since the beginning of times for the Ananu people, the local Aboriginal tribe, was a sacred place and they created around it many stories and religious cults about the origins of the World.
Their stories and traditions turn around the different nuances of colours that the Rock gets over the times of the day: the best ones to see it being Sunset and Sunrise.
Its real color is supposed to be grey, but the erosion of the years made it become something between orange and red, sometimes it brown and other is kind of yellow.
The tour companies in Ayers Rock organise many tours around sunrise. Depending in which season of the year you are visiting this place. In summer (from November to March - opposite to the European and USA summer), being sunrise at around 5:30, the pick ups from the tours to the hotels would be at 4:15.
If you visit in winter (April to October), the sunrise at 7:30, the pick up would be around 6:15.
I visited in the month of June, and the weather was perfect. This is the most recommended time of the year, but you can visit in anytime, and it would be an amazing experience.
Kata Tjuta
The second most important place to visit in the region of Ayers Rock is the group of Kata Tjuta Rocks. This range of mountain is 27Km away from Uluru, but the craziest thing is that under land they are all connected, as they are like the points of an iceberg, that are even bigger underground.
Kata Tjuta (the Aboriginal name) is looking very nice from far away, called by the English The Olgas after Queen Olga of Wurttemberg, a russian pricess that married the King of Prussia by Enrest Giles, trying to bring European influence to the new lands discovered.
Despite of that, the Ananu population, is still present and live in the National Park of Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Their belief is to be the direct descendant of the Ancestral Beings, that populated those lands at the beginning of times.
In the case of Kata Tjuta, the rocks were home of The Great Snake King called Wanambi, who lived on top of the biggest rock. Its role was to come down during the dry season (April to October) and use its breath that turned into a hurricane to punish those who committed villain actions.
Understanding the way in which the first Aboriginal people live, made me realise that the spirituality is something that has always been present in the human being, from every part of the planet, and that majorly existed to explain the weather activities and expressions of Mather Nature.
The Ananu population is still active in this area and the Australian government has given them back the National Park, creating a residence area specifically for them.
If you stay in the village of Yulara, you will see aboriginal people in town. The recommendation is not to stare directly at them, and do not take picture of them, as they would consider it irrespecutful. You can interact with them in case you are interested in purchasing their pieces of Art or some products in the shops.
Where To Stay
Being Ayers Rock still a quite remote area in the middle of the Outback of Australia, there is only one town where you can be accommodated and it's called Yulara.
Built expressively around tourism, the town of Yulara only has 1,000 inhabitants.
There are only five hotels that welcome every day all the tourists of the region.
Desert Gardens: the most booked my Italian clients, it has many small houses of 1-2 floors, where the rooms are located. They have the option to choose between Standard and Rock View room, which has the view directly on Uluru from its balcony.
Emu Walk Apartments: it's a very good option if you do not want to spend your money in the expensive restaurants of the town. Every apartment is equipped with a kitchen and a living room . The town has a little market calledI IGA, where you will be able to do your groceries.
The Lost Camel: a three-stars hotels, very close to the centre of the town. It has its own swimming pool, at more affordable rates, but the rooms have no open windows.
Sails in the Desert: This hotel is the most luxurious of the five. It has a big space for relaxing, and the restaurant where to get breakfast in the morning.
Outback Lodge: more like a hostel type, it's for people with the lowest budget. The rooms here are dormitories of four to six people, that you share with other travellers. The bathrooms are outside in a Camping style. They have a bar on site so night life there is more active, compared to the rest of the places.
As I started working in an Australian travel agency recently, this was my first work trip. I learned so much about this country, and I am very open to share my knowledge with you.
Let me know if you have any questions in the comment section below!
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