The day 15 of the #powerTrip360 definitely was one of the most memorable ones as we reached Uluru, which is the most iconic landmark of Australia. Uluru is a huge sandstone formation rising up in the middle of nowhere in a relatively flat land in Northern Territory. It is also known as ‘Ayers Rock’ and is sacred to the aboriginal people living there for thousands of years.
It is around 348 meters high and has a total circumference of 9.4 kms. It is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Then there is another majestic sandstone formation roughly 45 kms from Uluru, which is known as Kata Tjuta or Olgas. Both Uluru and Kata Tjuta form what is known as Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.
Hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world visit here every year to watch these magnificent features changing colors through the day as sunrays from different angles fall over them, especially during the sunrise and sunset. Uluru is also considered to be the center of Australia, though the physical center of Australia lies somewhere around Alice Springs which is roughly 450 kms from Uluru.
There are quite a few staying options here, starting from budget lodge to luxury 5-star hotels and also campgrounds that you can go for. Also you can plan a bunch of activities including an aerial tour of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Also, you can rent a motorcycle here to visit the national park. But nothing would beat the fun of riding 20,000 kms on some of the world’s fastest machines to visit here and unfurl the tricolor 🙂
We also met a fellow motorcyclist, Jay. Jay is originally from India and now has been working and staying in Uluru for the last 8 years. He became our guide and host here and rode with us on a Royal Enfield Bullet 500.
We also visited the Uluru Camel Tours Center the next morning before leaving for Alice Spring to shoot some pictures with the camels and it turned out that most of the camels present in Australia currently are the descendants of the Indian camels that were brought here in late 1800s by the explorers who wanted to explore the vast arid inlands of Australia and needed something that could go on for days without eating or drinking anything. And obviously they couldn’t find anything better than the Indian camels.
It was time to return to retrace our steps back to Alice Springs from where we will be attempting our longest day ever on this roadtrip when we ride to Darwin, covering approximately 1600 kms on these mean machines.
