• Arrive at Ayers Rock Airport
• Drive into the National Park and around Uluru
• Stop to photograph Uluru up close
• Visit the Uluru Cultural Centre to begin your personalised Cultural Tour with experienced indigenous guide
• Walk along the Liru track with your guide who will explain animal tracks, bush tucker, traditional tools, sand drawing and ancestral stories of the blue tongue lizard an ancient visitor to Uluru
• View and photograph Uluru from the sunset viewing area
• Overnight camp at Ayers Rock Camp Ground

**School must apply for National Park entry fee exemption** please contact Austour for assistance

Uluru/Kata Tjuta National Park This is Anangu land and you are welcome. Come share our story. See Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park through Anangu eyes. Watch as the sunsets over our Red Centre landscape, hear the echo of the beginning of time, Tjukurpa (law) whispering the story of creation to you. Come, learn from our land and from us, the oldest living culture on earth.

Uluru Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre The Cultural Centre offers information about activities and the park as well as an introduction into Anangu culture. Because of the deep spiritual nature of the area and what is contained within the Cultural Centre, visitors are asked not to photograph or video inside the building or precinct. This is to respect the wishes of the traditional owners, and protect Anangu’s cultural and intellectual property. Kanyangatja mulapa wali nganampa – Anangu marutju takum, Anangu uwankaraku | This building truly represents us Anangu people, it is for all people to visit.

Meals:

Lunch, and Dinner

Accommodation:

Ayers Rock Camp Ground – tents

Uluru Kata Tjuta to Cave HillDay2

• View Uluru at sunrise from the National Park viewing platform
• Morning exploring Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park
• Afternoon travel to Cave Hill located in South Australia via Curtin Springs Station for an Indigenous cultural experience
• Aboriginal elders will discuss Tjukurpa and the Songlines. Learn their relevance to Anangu life in the desert.
• View magnificent cave paintings – possibly the most significant art site in Central Australia.
• Traditional food gathering and the preparation of desert bush tucker delights.
• Sleep out under the stars – swags provided

Mala Walk to Kantju Gorge:This is where the Mala people camped when they first arrived at Uluru back in the beginning. There are many fine examples of Anangu rock art along this walk, marvel at the sheer vertical walls and profound peacefulness of Kantju Gorge.

Liru Walk This walk will take you between the Cultural Centre and the base of the rock. The track winds through stands of wanari (mulga) and after rain, often displays of colourful flowers.

Walpa Gorge Walk Walpa (windy) Gorge is a desert refuge for plants and animals. The rocky track winds gently to an ephemeral stream, passing rare plants and reaching a grove of spearwood. Walk within the sheer walls to experience the vast landscape.

Kuniya walk From the Kuniya car park, walk the short track to Mutitjulu waterhole, home of a wanampi, an ancestral watersnake. In the special times of rain, experience the magical waterfalls, while in the warmer months watch for noisy finches and Australian hobbies rocketing through the serene landscape to catch small birds. For the keen bird watcher, you may spot nesting black-breasted buzzards or tawny frogmouths. Following the signs, learn more about the Tjukurpa of Kuniya in this area.

Cave Hill Travel deep into the remote and rarely visited Pitjantjatjara Aboriginal Lands of Central Australia for an unparalleled cultural experience. Cave Hill tells the story of the Seven Sisters Dreaming and is also described as one of the most spectacular art sites in Central Australia. Here, you will meet the traditional Yankunytjatjara custodians of Cave Hill, who still have incredibly strong ties to their culture and are very connected to the land. The caves containing rock art were used in the past by Anangu still alive today.

Meals:

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Accommodation:

Cave Hill – sleep out under the stars in swags

Cave Hill to King’s Creek StationDay3

• Say farewell to your Indigenous colleagues at Cave Hill
• Call in to Curtin Springs Cattle Station Property which is 1.6 million acres and maybe meet one of the owners of the property – the Severin Family from the 1940s.
• Stop at the lookout to view Atilla (Mt Connor) and climb the sand dune to see Lake Amadeus. Travel towards Kings Canyon and Watarrka National Park our destination tonight is King’s Creek Station an indigenous owned cattle & camel station property.
• Today you will meet an indigenous colleague of Austour who will spend time with your group for more learning experience.
• Evening camp fire and camp oven meal prepared by students.

Mt Connor is a huge mesa formation, commonly mistaken for Uluru at a distance. Situated in picturesque salt pan, dune, and Spinifex country. Like many large rock formations viewed from a distance, the climbing at Mt Conner looks awesome.

King’s Creek Station: Ian and Lyn Conway established Kings Creek Station in 1981. The station lies 36 kilometres from the magnificent Kings Canyon (Watarrka) and is set amongst majestic desert oaks. Kings Creek Station is a working cattle/camel station with facilities for camping over night. The station is the largest exporter of wild camels in Australia and sells camels for live export, live domestic sales and meat.

Meals:

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Accommodation:

Kings Creek Station: tents twin share

Kings Creek Station and Watarrka NP – Kings CanyonDay4

• Say farewell to our Indigenous Colleague who you will meet again in Alice Springs.
• After breakfast a visit to Kings Canyon Resort Complex before heading to the canyon itself for a 3 hour self-guided rim walk
• Mid afternoon return to King’s Creek Station to walk and explore the property meet the locals and relax
• Tonight we will listen to a story about this property and view a DVD on the Conway Kids an education program by the station for indigenous students enjoy a sit around the campfire.

Watarrka National Park (Kings Canyon) contains the western end of the George Gill Range. This scenic landscape of rugged ranges, rock holes and gorges acts as a refuge for many plants and animals, making the Park an important conservation area and major attraction of central Australia. Kings Canyon features ancient sandstone walls, sculptured by the elements, rising up 100m to a plateau of rocky dome

Meals:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:

Kings Creek Station: tents twin share

Kings Creek Station to Alice Springs and Desert Park VisitDay5

• Depart King’s Creek Station for morning journey to Alice Springs
• Morning stop at Camels Australia, Stuarts Well, enjoy a camel ride and see the Llamas, Kangaroos, Emu and Zari the Dingo.
• Picnic lunch en route or at Alice Springs
• An afternoon visit to the Alice Springs Desert Park (a multi million-dollar nature park) with an Indigenous Guide to provide assistance.
• Arrive at Earth Sanctuary, set up camp and meet the Falzon family for an informative talk and be involved with making damper by the campfire
• Astronomy Tour to explore the Southern night sky

Alice Springs Called Mparntwe by the traditional owners, the Arrente people, and situated just 200km north of the geographic centre of Australia, framed by the MacDonnell Ranges and an intense desert landscape, the township of Alice Springs is Australia’s most famous outback town. The stories of Australian history and heritage overflow in Alice Springs, with a rich cast of characters, Afghan cameleers, flying doctors and outback explorers.

Earth Sanctuary has embedded sustainability principles and practices into its business by focusing on the 6 core areas of sustainability identified by the Falzon family as crucial to the practice of sustainable living. These core areas are: (1) energy, (2) water, (3) shelter (4) food, (5) utilities and (6) wellbeing.  Earth Sanctuary is one of the only known carbon neutral tourism businesses in the Northern Territory to incorporate sustainability education into its tour formats in a unique, engaging and memorable way.

Meals:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:

Earth Sanctuary sleep out under the stars in swags

YipirinyaDay6

• Early morning departure from Earth Sanctuary for transfer to Yipirinya
• Have breakfast and settle into accommodation
• Orientation tour of Yipirinya School

Special note – it is important that staff negotiate direct with Yipirinya in relation to the preparation of the Immersion Program. Austour is only coordinating the accommodation and meals set out below.

Yipirinya is an Indigenous School in Alice Springs, Northern Territory with an enrolment of approximately 200 students and caters for children from pre-school to middle school (Year 10). Yipirinya School offers a two-way (bilingual and bicultural) education helping to keep Indigenous culture alive. It teaches literacy and numeracy and western skills following the Northern Territory/National Curriculum framework, and also teaches Indigenous languages and culture.

Meals:

Yipirinya meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation:

Yipirinya School – bunk rooms multi share. Staff – twin share

Arrive YipirinyaDay7

• Early morning departure from Earth Sanctuary and travel to Yipirinya
• Orientation tour of Yipirinya School
• Settle into accommodation
• Dinner at Yipirinya

Highlights:

• Yipirinya is an Indigenous School in Alice Springs, Northern Territory with an enrolment of approximately 200 students and caters for children from pre-school to middle school (Year 10). Yipirinya School offers a two-way (bilingual and bicultural) education helping to keep Indigenous culture alive. It teaches literacy and numeracy and western skills following the Northern Territory/National Curriculum framework, and also teaches Indigenous languages and culture.

Meals:

Yipirinya meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation:

Yipirinya School

YipirinyaDay8

• Introduction to classrooms
• Classroom support and service

Meals:

Yipirinya meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:

Yipirinya School

YipirinyaDay9

• Bus run with students from town camps, classroom support, service work

Meals:

Yipirinya meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:

Yipirinya School

YipirinyaDay10

• Bus run with students from town camps, classroom support, service work

Meals:

Yipirinya meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:

Yipirinya School

Alice Springs Airport and HomeDay11

• Travel to Simpsons Gap in the West MacDonnell Ranges and see the rock wallabies, spectacular ranges, gorges and waterhole.
• Lunch by own arrangement
• Transfer to Alice Springs Resort Airport for your return flight home

West MacDonnell National Park: This vast and spectacular section of the MacDonnell Ranges, located west of Alice Springs, is an outstanding example of an ancient landscape sculptured over time by climatic elements. Cool scenic gorges are important refuges for a collection of plants and animals, many of which are found only here and some are relicts of a bygone era of tropical forests. There are many opportunities for visitors to explore and appreciate the scenic beauty and history of the area. Features of the landscape are significant in the stories of Western Arrernte Aboriginal culture, and have existed for many thousands of years.

Meals:

Yipirinya Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

Nil