Although watching the sunset at Uluru is an amazing experience, I was up at 5:30 the next morning to watch the sunrise. This time we didn't return to the park, but watched it from a viewing platform at our hotel. After a very warm day yesterday, it was very cool in the morning, as we walked up to the viewing area. Last night we were too early to see the Southern Cross and this morning, we were about 15 minutes too late, since it was already getting light.

Perhaps it was the more remote viewing site, or just the cloudless sunrise, but it wasn't as impressive as sunset . However there was a low haze draping the tops of both Ulrulu and Kata Tjuta, that our guide said he had never seen before.

After breakfast it was back on the bus and back to the Park to walk around the base of Ulrulu. Although it is a single rock that seems rather homogenous from a distance, up close it is a series of changing aspects. Some parts of the rock are considered sacred to the aboriginal people and photos and videos tag prohibited. Also there are traditional dreamtime stories associated with features of the rock, some of them are secret men stories, others are secret women stories, and a few have been shared with the public. One of the major stories involves Kuniya, the woman python woman and Liru the poisonous snake man and how their battles helped create Uluru. At other parts of the rock, I used my imagination to name the features that I saw on the rock.

Because we walked in the morning, it was not as hot as it would have been later in the day, and there was a good breeze. In fact there was enough wind that the climb to the top of the rock was closed, but since I had to planned on doing it, there was no disappointment.

After the Rock we stopped at the Anangu Cultural Centre. The Anangu are the Aboriginal people who traditionally lived here. The Centre is an introduction to the local cultur and tradition, and an opportunity to see demonstrations of some of the traditional crafts. Sadly, no photos were permitted and so many of their traditions are still considered secret, so it is difficult to really understand the culture.

Our final stop was at the shopping area in Yulara, the resort area adjacent to the park, and then it was on to the airport for our flight to Cairns.