By Donna Demaio
Artist Raymond Walters' eye-catching Emu Dreaming is reproduced in every unit at Emu Walk Apartments.
THE PLACE
Emu Walk Apartments, Ayers Rock Resort, Yulara, Northern Territory
THE LOCATION
The apartment living area at Emu Walk Apartments.
Just a three-minute walk from Town Square (and roughly, a 20-minute drive to Uluru), the 40 one-bedroom and 23 two-bedroom apartments have undergone a major refurbishment. Despite freshly painted exteriors they don't impress from the outside but absolutely deliver indoors.
THE SPACE
Indigenous artist Raymond Walters' eye-catching Emu Dreaming is reproduced in every apartment. In my one-bedroom unit the stunning mural stretches across most of the dining and lounge area. There's a decent-sized ensuite for the spacious bedroom with built-in wardrobe and ample drawers. A sliding door leads onto a smallish terracotta-tiled outdoor area to sit and soak up the stillness.
Apartment dining at Emu Walk Apartments.
THE KIT
A hair dryer is found nestled among some of the fluffiest white towels I've encountered. The kitchen, with its neat array of cutlery, crockery, pans, Smeg stove top, kettle and microwave, also has a washing machine and dryer – secreted in a tall cupboard. There's a bar fridge and two televisions in a one-bedroom apartment. Eleven of the two bedroom apartments have a "Murphy" pull-out wall bed accommodating up to eight guests.
FOOD
Sunset at Uluru.Credit: Wolter Peeters
The supermarket in Town Square was brimming with locals and visitors. But, for roughly $8, I could build-my-own piled-high sandwich or focaccia or create a bulging wrap at the nearby Kulata Academy cafe – so I dispensed with the cooking option. Opposite the cafe, which is also a hospitality training centre for indigenous youth, the buzzing Gecko's cafe offers hearty holiday staples such as pasta and pizza. An absolute treat is the excellent buffet at Ilkari restaurant including grilled kangaroo and prawn curry.
STEPPING OUT
Naturally, a visit to Uluru is essential with Uluru Motorcycle Tours providing an exhilarating, wind-swept transport option. And a stone's throw from the apartments are copious free activities: listening to an indigenous elder tell stories at the Circle of Sand, learning how to throw a spear and boomerang, admiring the art of dot painting or attempting to get a decent sound from a didgeridoo. And all are welcome at the mesmerising, educational daily performance of the Wakagetti dancers on the lawn stage.
THE VERDICT
A sleek rejuvenation of a "temporary residence" for those wishing to connect with the land and revere the beauty of the desert and the people that live there.
ESSENTIALS
Emu Walk Apartments, Ayers Rock Resort, Yulara, Northern Territory. A one-bedroom apartment starts at $293 per night for a two-night minimum. Phone 02 8296 8010. See ayersrockresort.com.au
HIGHLIGHT
Rooms fresh with indigenous-inspired decor.
LOWLIGHT
Discovering the pool is unheated, after jumping in rather than first dipping a toe.
The writer was a guest of Voyages Ayers Rock Resort
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