Better known as Ayre's Rock this is now a national park owned by the Aborigines, given back to them by the then prime minister Gough Whitlam. You can climb it on some days - but the wardens find a safety reason most days to stop you climbing. And the track will soon be closed for ever. Very sacred, the rituals are complex. Parts of it cannot even be looked at by women to the extent that the road around it is built in such a way that Aboriginal women will not accidentially see the wrong parts when driving.

Standing with a glass of wine watching the colour changes as the sun goes down is just amazing. It is like it is lit up from the inside. Up again at 0400 to see the same thing from the east side as the sun rises. And then a walk around the base...