we turned west off the highway onto the 250km stretch to Yulara , the resort town 20km from Uluru .
We arrived at Yulara . The achievement of another day ’ s travel . The roof tops appearing out of the desert welcomed travellers .
This is a community based on tourism . A change from the dust , with bars and restaurants , and welcoming staff . The people who live out here really know about the isolation of this desert environment .
I walked into the entrance area and the sparkling lights of an upmarket hotel . I was watched from the bar as I walked towards the reception desk . Heads turned from the groups at the tables of people drinking at the bar .
I wasn ’ t carrying my helmet . I was wearing my dusty hiking boots , oil skin jacket subtly tinted with red dust and white silk scarf loosely tied around my neck . Did they think I was a cowboy who had ridden out of the desert ? We did appreciate the comfort of the “ Sails in the Desert ” hotel after out hot dusty travels .
There had been uncertainty as to if we would be able to visit Uluru . The Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park had not opened from the COVID shutdown until 1 August 2020 . This had been to protect the Aboriginal Communities from COVID . Two days after reopening the park closed again after a jet arrived at Yulara from an area that had been declared a COVID hotspot .
The local Mutitjulu Aboriginal community were worried about the potential spread of COVID from the visitors , so they blockaded the entrance to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park . Their concerns were addressed and then the park reopened three days later .
Two weeks prior to our arrival , we were grateful that Uluru had indeed been reopened . One of the benefits
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