basewalk | Exquisite Moments

I got up before sunrise – in the dark, to walk up the hill. I watched the moon set – big and orange – before first light crept over the horizon. It got very cold.

The campground is not how I imagined it, it feels more like a city than at home, lit up as it is all night. To commune with the stars or take photographs, I have to walk away from camp. I’m not used to the light and nightly noises of civilisation, especially out here in the centre. The sunrise brought more people to the lookout – it was my first here and felt special.

An aboriginal classroom 'red'board

After breakfast we drove into the National Park, first to the Cultural Centre (no photographs allowed, out of respect for traditional culture), then we decided to join the Ranger-led Mala walk before continuing on the Base walk, circumnavigating Uluru entirely. The Mala walk was slow but informative and we eventually completed the entire walk by 3pm. The first half was cold and windy, but it got warmer later and a little more sheltered as we walked around the rock – I still managed to get a little too much sun today. We had some biscuits and water for the walk, but were glad to dig into some cheese and salami rolls once we got back to the van and we took advantage of the cafe at the Cultural Centre for a coffee and some icypoles before driving down to the sunset viewing area and spending the evening there, watching Uluru and sketching together.

It was a treat: Under the clear sky the rock slowly changed colour to glow dark red before the full moon rose behind it like a pearl on velvet. I stayed until well after sunset as the sun dropped below the horizon, its light leaving the rock and the sky turned purple. It was a most beautiful sight we had come a long way to experience.