We depart Alice for Uluru and our hotel, the 5★ Voyages Sails in the Desert hotel, sympathetically built into the landscape yet lacking no modern comfort. Following check-in, we head out to experience a true icon of Australia - and indeed world travel - Uluru. Standing an already impressive 348m high, it is believed that two-thirds of the rock is buried beneath the sand, containing a whole network of caves and eroded gullies. A glass of wine in hand, we watch as the setting sun changes the colours of the rock surface, culminating in a series of deeper and darker reds. Even today, this sight is enjoyed by only a privileged few.