Sunday 28th January 2007. Alice Springs to Ayers Rock Resort. Northern Territory.

Up and off on George our bus. Here on the Stuart Highway is where the Canonball Run used to be held because until last month the Northern Territory had no speed limit.

This morning our first stop is Noel Fullerton's Camel Station where I got the chance to ride a camel.

The first camel imported into Australia actually came from the Canary Islands in 1840 with the next importation being in 1860 when 24 camels were shipped from Karachi along with camel handlers for the Burke and Wills expedition. An estimated 12,000 camels were subsequently imported between 1860 and 1907 coming mainly from India and Pakistan. These animals were used as draft and riding animals by the pioneers of the interior.

The first camel stud on the continent was established by one Sir Thomas Elder in 1866 at Beltana Station in South Australia.

Back on the bus and our next stop is to be Mount Ebenezer Station for a meat pie and some Dim Sim. Dim Sim are actually an Australian take on Dim Sum and were introduced to the Aussie culture by the Chinese who came here in the 1800's as miners and prospectors.

This is the most inhospitable terrain I have ever visited here in the scorching heat of the Red Centre in the heart of the outback that for thousands of years has nurtured the culture and beliefs of the aboriginal nations and more recently the pioneer spirit of British Colonialism.

We pass by Mount Connor which lies on the Curtin Springs Cattle Station (named after Australia's wartime Prime Minister). Many people think that they have arrived at Ayers Rock when they catch their first sight of this 700 million year old sand and rock table top mountain.

Our destination is finally here after a long drive through the desert and we are at Yulara (Ayers Rock Resort).

Checked in and its off to the Kata Tjuta Dune Viewing Area in the Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park. That is after a quick swim to cool off...the path was so hot and I had no thongs so Rob had the task of carrying me to and from the pool.

However the main purpose of this visit is to hike the Valley of the Winds and trust me once you experience this heat you can see why dehydration is the greatest killer out here.

Uluru (Ayers Rock) is the largest monolith in the world at 3.6km long and it rises some 348m above the sandy scrubland. Discovered by William Christie Goss it was named after Sir Henry Ayers the Premier of South Australia.

The rock changes colour throughout the day and as the sun sets it goes from ochre-brown to a burnishing orange to deeper deeper reds before finally appearing charcoal.

For the local Anangu people the path that takes you up the side of the Rock was the route taken by the Mala men on the arrival at Uluru and as such it is spiritually very significant. The numbers of deaths and injuries on the rock each year are a cause of great distress to the Anangu and for these reasons they don't climb the rock and they ask visitors not to either. Some idiot visitors still make the climb...but ask yourself this...would you mount the altar at St Paul's?

Just as the church bell rings to call the living to Church and summon all to the grave with a ringing that reminds us of our mortality and the love of God for all in the glorious hope that he has given us all through the resurrection of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ; Uluru holds the same spiritual significance for Australia's indigenous peoples.

Tonight I had the joy of watching the sun set on this magnificent wonder of nature...with a glass or two of fine Australian wine!