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Uluru Base Walk, Northern Territory.

  • Location: Uluru-Kata Yjuta National Park, Northern Territory.
  • Distance: 10.6 kilometres.
  • Time: 3.5 hours.
  • Terrain: Rock / Gravel / Boardwalk.
  • Traditional Custodians: Anangu Country.
Moderate

Circling the base of the great desert icon grants an entirely new appreciation of this enduring landscape, its sacred history and our place within it.

The trail skims the west side of Uluru.

As a crisp autumn’s day breaks in the centre of the continent, the sky erupts into a kaleidoscope of colour over Australia’s iconic rock: a true visual feast rewarding the early start. Travelling in the outback, I’ve adapted to a different daily pattern, rising early to escape the midday heat. It’s a twenty minute drive from Yulara to Uluru, the sole service-oriented town in proximity to this famous destination. Alice Springs is a further four and a half hours’ drive away, meaning the best way to access Uluru and its surrounds is to stay a few days in Yulara and explore the region’s offerings, including nearby Kata Tjuta (Mount Olga) and the lesser-known but equally spectacular Kings Canyon (Watarrka National Park) further afield.

The official trailhead for the Uluru base walk begins at Mala car park, however for those arriving later in the day or short on time, the trail can also be done on bicycles hired from outside the Cultural Centre on the road in. Starting in the cooler morning hours, it is best to follow the trail clockwise, attempting the more exposed north-east section of the track before the day warms up.

Approaching the base of Uluru I crane my neck to peer up. No postcard photograph prepares me for the sheer scale as viewed from its base. In the shade of the eastern sun, its colour is less fiery than I’d imagined and is instead a subtle shade of purply brown, rendering the rock a dusty relic unearthed many millions of years ago (550 million, to be precise). In the foreground, lime green grasses and eucalypts in shades of mint add to the softness of this initial impression. I am filled with awe and a sense of longing to be within arm’s reach of the rock face.

Up-close with the monolith morphs, dissolving into a myriad of forms.
Kantju gorge offers a tranquil place to marvel at the iridescent rockface, stained from seasonal water flows.
Native grasses shroud the base of the rock.

As if anticipating my wants, the trail heads directly toward the monolith, passing by cave sites where the first inhabitants of Uluru camped and prepared meals. The teachings of Elders to their young are well preserved in the paintings that line these cave walls, making for a truly sacred sight. Equally exceptional up close, the solid mass of the rock dissipates into a texture of iridescent scales, each glimmering shades of orange, grey and pink. A flock of like-coloured budgerigars darts overhead, signaling the nearby waterhole.

Passing underneath the dappled light of a welcome eucalypt canopy, the track emerges at Kantju Gorge. Stained grey from seasonal water flows, the sheer bluff is cast with dancing shadows of the trees above. I listen intently to their hushed rustle as though hearing a whispered tale. In fact, the creation stories of Uluru and histories of its people are told here daily on a free, ranger-guided tour, keeping the local Tjukurpa tradition rooted in this landscape.

From the gorge, the trail slowly rounds the northern side of the rock, opening up to red earth and expansive views of the wind-eroded crag from afar.

Uluru glows shades of purple, pink and orange in the late afternoon sun, as viewed from afar.

The noon rays bear down on the rippled rock face crevices revealing yet another dimension to Uluru. While the formation of these features remain somewhat of a mystery, it is no wonder that they hold special significance to the Anangu people.

The trail moves south and eventually west back to the starting point, with woodlands and further waterholes nestled within the folds of the rock providing respite from the growing heat. While never straying far from the base of the rock, each detour reveals further richness and diversity in the landscape, reminding me that even the most ordinary of perspectives has the power to offer an exceptional vantage.

A metal-grated boardwalk section meanders beneath the eucalypt canopy.
The ochre-tinged earth shimmers in the afternoon sun.

Acknowledgement of Country

Wherever and whenever we walk, we acknowledge and pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Custodians and Owners of the land.