Day 16: Back to the Red Centre

Just 12 hours after my arrival into Melbourne, I was already leaving to head to Uluru. Thankfully it wasn’t as early of a morning as the day before, but by 07:00, I was packed up and making my way back to Southern Cross Station. Here I would pick up the Skybus to the airport.

Upon entering the coach terminal, I noticed a bus bound for Adelaide, and my driver from the day before, Larry. He was getting ready to make the long trip back to Adelaide and asked me if I was joining him again. I mentioned I was heading to the airport and he pointed me towards my bus.

I already had my ticket ready to go on my phone, so I was welcomed aboard, and the driver helped with my bag. As much as I try to be independent, people in Australia have always been going out of their way to help me out, even when I say I don’t need it. I think there’s a bit of pride involved, but I secretly do appreciate it.

Melbourne doesn’t have a direct rail link to the airport, but I found the Skybus to be a pretty good alternative. Services run every ten minutes most of the day, and it takes about 25 to 30 minutes to get to the airport. A return ticket cost me $36, which I found quite reasonable.

They use a fleet of double-decker buses, and I tried to sit right at the front on top, but people had already beaten me to it. I settled for a seat a bit further back and watched as we made our way onto the CityLink tollway. The free wifi onboard allowed me to catch up with friends and family along the way.

We pulled into terminal 3 about 20 minutes later, ahead of schedule. I was confronted with a bit of a chaotic scene when I entered the building and saw hordes of people waiting to check in. Luckily for me, this was the line for Virgin Australia. Formerly one of Australia’s top airlines, they’ve had quite the fall from grace in recent years and were placed into administration in 2020.

I was flying with Jetstar, which used terminal 4. It was a bit of a maze to get there but I eventually found my way, and it was a lot calmer over there. Like in Sydney, it was all self-service, which made things quick, but I was a bit worried my luggage tag would fall off and my suitcase wouldn’t arrive with me.

Security in Australian airports is less strict than back home and there’s no restrictions on liquids, which makes travelling with just a carry-on so much easier. I really do wish we would loosen things, but we typically follow the US’s lead, so that’s quite unlikely.

Once inside, I found myself in the T3/T4 food court. Terminals 3 and 4 use a call to gate system, which means you stay in the food court area until your gate is assigned, shortly before boarding. Although I’m not one of the people that needs to check for the existence of my gate before grabbing food, I don’t like this system as it crowds the food court and makes for a bit of a mad dash when boarding is called. Not great for people with mobility issues.

Despite all the choices available to me, I headed for the Macca’s (McDonald’s) as I just wanted to grab a quick bite. Of course I ordered from the machine that didn’t have any paper, so my number didn’t print out. A group of us who used the same machine gathered together to try and find our numbers, but the staff didn’t seem interested in refilling the paper. It’s kinda hard to blame them since it was so busy, but it made for a bit of an irritating start.

I felt better after having some caffeine and food and decided to do some writing while waiting for my gate to be called. Soon after, I heard the announcement and made the walk to gate 49, when I realized I had misplaced my boarding pass. They were able to print me a new one at the gate.

Jetstar doesn’t use boarding groups and instead everyone is called to line up at the same time. I kinda prefer this since it speeds up the boarding process, although there was a bit of a wait for it to get started which required standing in line.

We were boarding by stairs, which is always a treat, especially at a major airport. Since this allows both doors to be used, it again speeds things up. Of course, not the most ideal for people with mobility issues, but they do have a way using a lift.

We were ready ahead of schedule, and before long had pushed back and taxied to the runway. There was a bit of a queue with a few planes landing and taking off in front of us, but it wasn’t a long wait.

About 20 minutes in, the flight attendants came by to start the service. Everything onboard is extra, so I wasn’t planning on getting anything, but I was told I had a $15 credit to use up. I guess I didn’t need Macca’s after all!

I decided to get a drink and some snacks for later. After watching an episode of TV, I dozed off and woke up just as we were beginning our descent into Uluru. I was treated to some fantastic views from the left side of the plane on the way in.

I was absolutely blown away. Photos just don’t do it justice; the landscape was far more incredible than I had imagined. Uluru seems to rise out of nothing and is so imposing over its surroundings.

It wasn’t a long wait to get my bag, but there was a lineup for the coaches to the resort. Ayers Rock Resort runs all the hotels and restaurants in the area, and provides coaches to meet every plane when it comes in. Since my hotel was one of the first stops, they wanted to get our bags on last.

The journey into town wasn’t too long, and we got familiarized with the area along the way. When I checked in, my room wasn’t ready, so I prepared a backpack and made my way into town to see if I could find something to do for the next day.

I only had two things planned for my short stay in Uluru, but I wanted to see if I could fill up the following morning or afternoon. A sunrise tour of Kata Tjuṯa was available, but involved a walk described as challenging, so I decided to pass on it and booked a helicopter ride instead.

My room was ready, so I went to go check it out and get ready for my afternoon tour. At 14:20 I made my way to the neighbouring hotel to get picked up.

Our first stop was the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre, which detailed some of the Tjukurpa (creation) stories associated with the area, as well as some of the modern history. Uluru is a sacred place for the Anangu people, and it was sobering to hear how the area was treated for a large part of the 20th century.

I’m not a spiritual person myself, so I was more compelled by its geology, but after learning more about the cultural significance, it changed my point of view. Not only can be it an impressive geological structure, but a cultural landmark as well.

After spending about an hour in the centre, we made our way around Uluru, learning some of the Tjukurpa stories along the way. I don’t remember them all, but it’s interesting to see how the Anangu associate these stories with the physical landscape.

Climbing was allowed until as recently as 2019. We were shown the former track, and learned that the over 30 recorded deaths prompted the local community to plead to have it closed. In addition, you can also see the scars left behind by people throwing waste. It’s really disappointing to see how people treat the natural environment, but it’s certainly not surprising.

We got off the coach to begin our walk to the Mutitjulu waterhole. Our walk started with a brief geology lesson on how Uluru and Kata Tjuta were formed. Some of my EAS 100 lessons came back to me, and it was interesting to note the near vertical strata.

The Mutitjulu waterhole is the most reliable source of water in the area of Uluru. It’s a very calm place and a popular spot for Anangu. We met some locals while there, and were asked to treat the place with respect.

After our lovely afternoon walk, it was time to head back on the coach and make our way to the sunset viewing area. There we were welcomed with drinks and I grabbed a beer and chatted with some of the others on the tour.

After sunset, it was time to head back on the bus to the hotel. I got off at the town centre as I had a craving for some Asian takeaway (from the cleverly named Ayers Wok).

After that, I settled into bed and reflected on the incredible day I had. My visit to Uluru had been planned out of obligation: it would have been a shame for me to go all the way to the Red Centre just to miss out on Australia’s most iconic landmark. But as I spent time there, I really connected with the landscape and was absolutely impressed by its cultural significance and geological uniqueness.

Today by the numbers

Steps taken: 11,692

Distance travelled: 1,185 miles (1,907 km)