The best part of Uluru by far was our "Sounds of Silence" evening meal on the last night. We were taken by coach into the desert to a place where both Uluru and Kata Tjuka were in view, and there were laid out a dozen tables and chairs with waiters and waitresses. It was a little surreal. Plied with champagne and to the sound of a man playing the digeridoo (well, they had to, didn’t they?), we watched a most beautiful sunset.

Then, in the twilight, we had a three-course meal, including barramundi and kangaroo, with wines to match. After the meal, the skies were dark, but the stars were the most brilliant I have ever seen, with the Milky Way a band across the heavens. An astronomer gave a talk, pointing out the Southern constellations. He had two telescopes, one trained on Jupiter, where you could see the bands and two moons; and Saturn, where the rings were clearly visible. A glass of Port, then we were taken home. A magical evening.

Our last view of Uluru as we flew to Sydney