Uluru

Tag Archives for Uluru.

Alice Springs Surrounds- a Central Australia Journey

Entering the Centre of Australia is like entering a whole new world. The landscapes are alien, the animal unusual, the flies relentless, the stars stunning and the visitors surprisingly few. When people think of the centre of Australia, they often only think of Uluru, regarded as the spiritual heart of the continent. I have had the privilege of visiting “The Rock” five times in my life. It is a is mind blowingly wonderful place. The town of Alice Springs, 500 kilometers from Uluru, is home to a number of impressive sights which I am exploring…

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Yes, Quokka made it as a Qantas aeroplane name!

I love the fact that Qantas names their planes. It is a custom that dates back to the very first small planes that bore the Qantas name back in the 1920s.  For their new 787 Dreamliners, Qantas invited the public to participate. A risky move after the UK got names for polar research ship vessel of Boaty Mcboatface. 60,000 suggestions were sent to Qantas and then 45,000 votes were cast to choose the eight names which are here in alphabetical order: Boomerang- an aboriginal hunting weapon Dreamtime- the Aboriginal understanding of creation Great Barrier Reef Great Southern Land…

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Exploring the Red Centre of Australia

  Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) has a deeply special significance for me and thousands of others. Along with The Sydney Opera house and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, it would have to be the three instantly recognisable symbols, of Australia: If coming to visit, I recommend at least three days in the Centre.  Many of the 300,00 annual visitors come in and out for one single day as part of a “whistle stop” Australian tour. One day at Uluru is not enough time to experience this magical place. This last visit was my fifth and I could come back another fifty.…

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Journey to the Centre of Australia with Jetstar

We recently spent a few days  at Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock). To get to the spiritual heart of Australia means flying to its remote airport (code:AYQ) at an outrageous cost. Fares from Sydney can range from $450 to $1000 for the round trip.  I could fly round trip to Singapore for $450 to $750 in the same period. Yet, Ayers Rock is three hours and 40 mins from Sydney and Singapore is just over eight hours! We chose to fly with Jetstar, which cost us around $490 round trip. I have never been a huge…

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Avoiding damaging the sights/sites

On a visit to Australia‘s Gloucester Tree, two tourists jumped as I barked at them. 350 plus years old and standing at 72 metres tall, this Karris is the second tallest fire lookout tree in the world. Over one million tourists have climbed the tree in Pemberton, Western Australia since 1947. These two tourists had decided that the tree needed their names carved into the tree and were engrossed in the task with a knife when chewed out by me . Furious at this intrusion into one of my favourite spots, I was determined to make…

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