Australia’s biggest icon Two hundred fifty kilometers down a
lonely stretch of road, an isolated hunk of sandstone looms in
stark contrast to the vast and featureless plains of central
Australia. The remote but world-renowned Uluru is one of the
most recognizable and iconic images of Australia. We’ve all seen
photos of it a million times, and just about everyone can equate
“that big red rock” with Australia. It’s the sort of thing you
go see almost more out of obligation than desire: it just
doesn’t seem right to travel to Australia and not see The Rock.
Thus, we turned off the Stuart Highway along with countless
trundling caravans full of traveling retirees for the 500 km out
and back detour. As it turns out, it’s awesome. And big. From
the moment it looms on the horizon through the walk up to its
base, you find yourself gaping upward and frequently muttering
things like, “now that’s a big rock.” Uluru rises 348 meters
(1,148 feet) into the air — more of a mountain than a rock — and
you can’t help but wonder