Uluru is one of the most photographed landmarks in Australia, and it's easy to see why. But the park has plenty of photo opportunities beyond Uluru: sweeping landscapes, breathtaking geological formations, delicate wildflowers and the Milky Way twinkling in the night sky.
Uluru in particular is one of the best stargazing spots in the world with flat plains and red sand — a perfect location for looking up at the stars.
The Milky Way galaxy sparkles brightly in all its celestial wonder when you're stargazing in the iconic Warrumbungle National Park, Australia's first Dark Sky Park near Coonabarabran. Here, the stars are your destination - the pristine night sky above the volcanic landscape is unimpeded by artificial light.
Marvel at the Milky Way
Where: 15 minutes outside of Alice Springs in Australia's Red Centre. The Milky Way contains billions of stars and when you gaze into the desert skies above Central Australia you'll feel like they are all blazing down on you.
In particular there are views that are seen as "culturally important information and should only be viewed in their original location and by specific people." The entire of the North face of Uluru is considered culturally sensitive – with photography and filming banned by law.
Removing rocks and sand from the landscape is not only disrespectful to Anangu culture, it is also illegal. Under Australian law, visitors can be fined up to $5000 for removing rocks, sand or soil from the park. The rocks and sand returned to the park poses a particular challenge for park managers.
Warrumbungle National Park, near Coonabarabran in central western NSW, is Australia's first Dark Sky Park and the first in the southern hemisphere.
From Earth, it can be seen as a hazy form of stars in the night sky that the naked eye can barely notice. You can see the Milky Way all year, no matter where you are in the world. It's visible as long as the sky is clear and there's minimal light pollution.
Generally, the best time of day to see the Milky Way is between 00:00 and 5:00 on nights with a new moon during the Milky Way season.
Coonabarabran is known as the astronomy capital of Australia: the launching pad for Siding Spring, Australia's premier optical and infrared observatory, Milroy Observatory and the Warrumbungle National Park.
View the sky clearer than ever in Warrumbungle National Park
You're going to want your camping gear for this one – and a torch. Australia's first and only dark sky park has banned all light pollution in the area to preserve the beauty of the constellations and the animal populations that roam this outback NSW region.
It surrounds us because we're inside the disc. Although you can see the Milky Way in both hemispheres, the brightest and busiest sections are deep in southern skies.
While Tasmania and New Zealand are the most obvious locations, Margaret notes that the Southern Lights have been seen as far north as Jervis Bay on the NSW south coast and even Uluru at the peak of a solar maximus. So rig up your tripod, open your lens, and let the dancing lights commence.
You can visit Uluru at almost any time of the day, however, it is often described to be at its best during the sunrise and the sunset!
With so much to see and do in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, you might be wondering how many days you should actually spend experiencing its jaw-dropping scenery. Well, we advise that three days is the perfect amount of time to take in everything this hallowed ground has to offer, and let's find out why!
Astronomers at The University of Pittsburgh have been working to find an accurate answer as to the colour of the Milky Way Galaxy, finding it to be “a very pure white, almost mirroring a fresh spring snowfall”.
If you are in a particularly dark location and if the moonlight is not too bright, you may also see a faint band of light that stretches from horizon to horizon. This pale, white glow has been called the Milky Way for centuries. The word “Galaxy” actually means Milky Way.
We, in our humble Solar System, are roughly 28,000 light years away from it. In short, this region is simply too far for us to see with the naked eye.
The Outback is a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. The Outback is more remote than the bush.
New Zealand is home to some of the darkest skies on Earth. The Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve is especially great for star gazing.
Located in the Namib Desert in southern Africa, the Namibrand Nature Reserve is one of the darkest places on the planet.
These magnificent rock formations are actually a lot bigger than they appear – like icebergs, most of their mass is below the surface. Uluru and Kata Tjuta are only the tips of huge rock slabs that continue underground for up to 6 km!
There are some sacred spots along the rock that the Anangu people wish for you not to touch or photograph, and these can be learned more about upon your visit to the amazing Uluru!
According to Aboriginal legends, Uluru is at a crossroads between all of the sacred paths known as ivara that run through Central Australia. The paths hold the memories of demigods and diving beings that experienced journeys and adventures. According to Anangu beliefs, their souls occupy the surrounding nature.