Outback Australia: The Colour of Red Inspiring Journey

Your inspiring Outback journey begins this afternoon when you meet your Driver Guide and take the short drive to Uluru – Kata Tjuta National Park. The Park is the setting for the majestic sandstone monolith of Uluru (Ayers Rock) and the 36 red-rock domes of the Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) formation. The Traditional Owners of this land, the Anangu, have lived in the region for tens of thousands of years and have a deep connection with the land. You’ll learn about Tjukurpa: the history, knowledge, religion, morality and law of the local Aboriginal people and their ancestors.

First stop is Kata Tjuta, where you’ll walk amidst the sheer rock-walls of Walpa Gorge, following the natural creek bed between two of the largest domes. This evening return to Uluru to see the sun set over the western horizon and witness the remarkable light that floods the monolith, changing it from red to vibrant orange and finally deep purple. Later, get to know your travelling companions over a relaxed meal at Ilkari Restaurant.

Hotel: Sails in the Desert Hotel, Ayers Rock Resort

Included Meals: Dinner with wine

Your day begins with an iconic sunrise over Uluru and Kata Tjuta at the Kata Tjuta dune viewing area. Move closer to Uluru this morning and explore the base of the rock. Aboriginal cultureSeveral rock shelters house Anangu paintings dating back thousands of years. Your guide will explain their significance and relate timeless stories of the land. Visit beautiful Mutitjulu Waterhole, once a vital water source for the local inhabitants, before travelling on to remote Curtin Springs Station.

Tour the property’s boutique paper-making facility, and discover the processes involved in its production. Chat with one of the locals over a barbecue lunch, and learn about life on the million-acre cattle property that’s been home to the Severin family since 1956. After lunch, follow the Luritja Road towards Kings Canyon and view Atila (Mt. Conner), the ‘forgotten wonder’ of Central Australia. Pause briefly at Kings Creek Station, established in 1982 by Lyn and Ian Conway and now Australia’s largest exporter of wild camels. Continue to nearby King’s Canyon Resort, where you can relax and unwind before enjoying a unique evening dining experience, Under a Desert Moon, set in the silent wilderness under a canopy of the southern night sky (weather permitting). Enjoy canapés and a glass of sparkling wine followed by a delicious four-course meal incorporating fresh produce and unique ingredients native to the Australian Outback.

Hotel: Kings Canyon Resort

Included Meals: Breakfast, lunch and highlight dinner

You wake up early in morning to explore the spectacular Canyon at sunrise. The Kings Canyon is a deep, narrow valley cut into the Earth over millennia by running water. Its ancient red rock walls soar 100 metres above Kings Creek to a plateau of rocky domes. There would be best time for observing the changing colours of the landscape. The 6-kilometre Canyon Rim Walk is considered one of the best and most varied walks in central Australia, begins with a strenuous climb but soon evens out once you reach the rim. As you follow the path, you’ll find yourself among the weathered sandstone domes known as The Lost City.

There’s also an opportunity to descend into The Garden of Eden, a lush, sheltered valley with a permanent waterhole. A shorter, more relaxed walk takes you along the sandy creek bed and leads to a lookout point affording excellent views of the towering canyon walls. Travel off the beaten track later today to the Henbury Meteorites Conservation Reserve. Here, nearly 5,000 years ago, a dozen fascinating craters were formed when a meteor struck the Earth’s surface with immense force. Explore the craters,

There’s also an opportunity to descend into The Garden of Eden, a lush, sheltered valley with a permanent waterhole. A shorter, more relaxed walk takes you along the sandy creek bed and leads to a lookout point affording excellent views of the towering canyon walls. On the walk you would be off the beaten track and go see the Henbury Meteorites Conservation Reserve. Here, nearly 5,000 years ago, a dozen fascinating craters were formed when a meteor struck the Earth’s surface with immense force. Explore the craters, the largest of which measures 15 metres in depth, before driving on to Alice Springs, where you’ll enjoy dinner at your hotel.

Hotel: Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Lasseters

Included Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner with wine

After breakfast in the morning you would travel the short distance to the West MacDonnell Ranges, an ideal location to experience the geology, flora and fauna of this unique region. You would visit Simpsons Gap and dramatic Angkerle (Standley Chasm). This formation was created over millions of years, the deep red sandstone walls of the Chasm contrasting dramatically with the carpet of lush green ferns and towering gum trees on the valley floor. Before you leave, you will  be able to take a cooling swim in Ellery Creek Big Hole.

On return to Alice Springs, you’ll visit the Royal Flying Doctor Service to see how this iconic facility has provided emergency medical assistance to those living in remote outback Australia since 1928.  In the evening you will have a dining experience in a natural bush setting, you can enjoy a drink, explore your surroundings and watch the sun set while your host cooks a delicious 3-course meal in a bush oven. You would be dinning under the Milky Way as they shares there knowledge of traditional Indigenous bush foods and stories of the land.

In the morning, you would visit School of the Air this is where you learn how children living in an area extending over 1.3 million square kilometres receive education via radio and internet. You’ll also visit the Overland Telegraph Station. One of the great engineering feats of 19th-century Australia, it allowed communication between the Outback and the rest of the world. Then you say farewell to your fellow travellers when your journey comes to an end later that morning.