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Uluṟu Walks
Text and photosJohn Walker
Approaching some welcome shade on the eastern side of Uluru
To celebrate a major birthday last July, my wife asked me what I wanted to do.
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I’m pretty much the polar opposite of a party animal, so I said that I’d always wanted to visit the Red Centre and Uluṟu. Up until then, we had been to every state and territory except the NT. We had planned a top end trip several years earlier, but Covid put an end to that and we haven’t yet rescheduled it. So we agreed to fly to Ayers Rock airport for a five night stay at the resort/town of Yulara near Uluṟu, as a base from where we could do some exploring. My wife is not a bushwalker or camper so we opted for a basic but comfortable hotel.
Our first glimpse of both Uluṟu and Kata Tjuṯa from the aircraft was inspiring, fuelling my enthusiasm for our visit. We picked up our rental car at the airport, ready for several days of adventure. I had not fully appreciated how cold it can get out there at that time of year, depending on the time of day. Fortunately I’d done some research beforehand, so down jackets and other warm gear had been packed along with lighter options.
I had researched walks in the lead up to the trip and identified a couple of easier ones that we could both do, and something more
challenging for me as a solo outing. As it turned out, I ended up visiting both Uluṟu and Kata Tjuṯa twice, but the challenging solo aspect of the plan went awry. More about that in a future article. For something different we had booked a morning camel safari on one of the days, and I was also looking forward to that.
One of the first things that you notice is the talcum powder consistency red dust that makes up much of the landscape and gets into everything. Don’t even bother trying to completely clean it off shoes and clothing until back home. Even then you may have trouble removing it. Just enjoy the novelty and wear clothing that makes it less obvious. And don’t wear anything white!
It is good to note that many of the walks around Uluṟu are wheelchair accessible (gradient less than 1:10), including the 10.6km Base Walk, in ideal conditions. It would be wise to contact the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park office for current conditions and access before setting out. Rain may cause large, deep and muddy puddles in some places.
Open plain vegetation
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Many of the side trips do have steps or narrow access points. There are regular seating areas, with 4 sheltered seating areas 2km apart on average (the largest gap is 3.6km). Although there are no toilets along the main base walk, there is a toilet at Mala Carpak and the Uluru Visitors Centre.
Uluṟu - Base Walk
My first challenge was to convince my wife to complete the 10km base walk around Uluṟu with me the day after we arrived. I was aware that it’s pretty much dead flat and should be achievable for her if we took a relaxed pace. I was also still recovering from a total knee replacement, although mostly back to functioning normally. In fact the level of difficulty of the terrain was possibly the easiest I have ever done, anywhere.
As is often the case there, it was a bright sunny day and things warmed up fairly quickly after the early morning chill. The 20 something minutes drive from Yulara for the first time is a spectacular sight. Uluṟu dominates the horizon as you approach, becoming ever larger and
Tough survivors
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Singing Honeyeater (Gavicalis virescens)
Wandering along the trail
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more impressive with every kilometre. After parking at the Mala car park we took the preferred clockwise route around the rock. I noted the now-closed climbing route as we walked past. We decided to skip the Kantju Gorge side trip, as a very large tour group was about to enter, cancelling any appeal it had at that moment. However we did return and visit there another day, with only a handful of people about. Continuing on we eventually left the crowds and only occasionally encountered other walkers or cyclists for most of the walk.
At this point I would like to acknowledge the Aṉangu people as the traditional owners of the locations we visited. We met many of them, either working at Yulara or in the national park, or giving talks on aspects of traditional Aboriginal life and culture. There are many sacred sites around Uluṟu, and signage asking not to take photographs in those
designated places, mainly around the north east face. All photos that I took were taken outside of restricted zones. Both at Uluṟu and at Kata Tjuṯa, you do need to remain vigilant
A lone sentinel
A welcome shady stroll
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Brachyscome Ciliaris
More than just a rock
when taking photos to ensure that you are within a designated area where photography is allowed. Sometimes you can shoot a feature from one angle but not another, or you may need to be some distance away. Anyway just be aware of the signage before you hit the shutter release, and if you do photograph something in error please delete it so as not to cause any offence.
For a very flat landscape that can look barren and desolate from a distance, up close it’s full of life. I spent much of the morning photographing wildflowers and birdlife as we circumnavigated the rock. Well, attempting to photograph birdlife at least. Their fleeting visits to nearby branches don’t provide much time to compose a shot.
Stops were enjoyed for morning tea and lunch at the small shelter sites on the trail. The weather became quite warm as we progressed and any shade was welcome. Thankfully, traversing the eastern side gave us that during the warmest part of the walk.
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For a very flat landscape that can look barren and desolate from a distance, up close it’s full of life.
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I could not imagine being here during the summer months, and can appreciate the warning signs about dehydration etc.
At one point the sight of a Segway tour group left me scratching my head, and approaching the Kuniya side trip to Muṯitjulu Waterhole, the cacophony of noise from yet another tour bus group already there was so incredibly loud that we very quickly opted to continue on and come back at some other time. That is not my idea of an enjoyable experience. We pressed on back to the Mala car park in now very warm conditions and little shade, but had both really enjoyed the walk.
Uluru - Muṯitjulu Waterhole and Kantju GorgeToday my original plan had been to visit Kata Tjuta and walk the Valley of the Winds full circuit while my wife attended a bush tucker walk back at Yulara. However the weather conspired against me, and we had unexpected and quite heavy rainfall in the morning. Once the weather cleared a bit we decided to head back to Uluru and visit both Muṯitjulu Waterhole and Kantju Gorge, which we had skipped early in the week due to the crowds and associated noise. Thankfully this time there were few people about, probably
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due to the weather. We had passed both locations on the Base Walk. They are a fair distance apart so we had to drive to each separately.
Starting with Muṯitjulu Waterhole it was still raining when we arrived, so umbrellas were carried on the short walk in. On arrival at the waterhole the waterfalls running off Uluru were spectacular and something I had not been expecting to see. It probably also gave the waterhole a very different appearance to what I think it would be when dry.
Moist dark clouds still remained overhead and my photos of Uluru at that time much different from typical postcard shots.
After a short drive we arrived at the Mala car park and retraced our Base Walk steps to the Kantju Gorge turnoff. This pleasant stroll is along a well vegetated track into a narrowing slot along a watercourse. The shade here is a bit more expansive than elsewhere around the rock. We appreciated it as the rain had now stopped and the temperature rose quickly after the sun appeared.
There is a lot of interpretive signage around both Uluṟu and Kata Tjuṯa, which explain the legends and stories applicable to the various spots that you visit. I won’t try and replicate any of that information here, but I read almost all of them and it does help you appreciate the history and reasons for the particular use of a site, or why it may be sacred.
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Arriving at Kantju Gorge endpoint
Dromedary train
The main face of Kantju Gorge
Camel Safari
OK, I acknowledge that this is not actually bushwalking. I’ve included it as it was a trip through the desert environment that traversed terrain most people probably would not normally walk through out here. And it was something different, and a bit of fun. I have to note that camels are feral animals in Australia, and problematic for the environment, but have existed in the red centre for so long that they have become part of the landscape. The history surrounding them is interesting and I was fortunate to have a friendly one that behaved well.
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