After a wonderful 3-hour flight from Sydney on Virgin Australia that crossed over the great expanse of the Outback, I arrived in Uluru. I checked into my hotel, Sails in the Desert, at the Ayers Rock Resort. An hour before sunset, about 40 of us were picked up and taken to a secluded location for an evening of dining under the outback sky.
It is called the Sounds of Silence and begins with canapes and chilled sparkling wine that is served on a viewing platform overlooking Uluru. We had a great view. As the sun set, we were entertained by a didgeridoo and then experienced a bush tucker inspired buffet that incorporated native bush ingredients like kangaroo.
After dinner, our resident star talker decoded the southern night sky for us. We saw the Southern Cross, the signs of the zodiac, the Milky Way, as well as planets and galaxies. All were incredibly visible because of the exceptional clarity of the sky.