West2East Challenge Day 6: Uluru Photo Shoot – No Driving!

Just because we’re not driving today, doesn’t mean we can have a lie in! No, no, no! In fact, everyone came round to mine and Gina’s ‘van this morning for a spot of brekkie, so to set everything up and have the teas and coffees ready to go, we’re up at 4:15 instead of the usual 5:15! But we’re at Uluru, so who cares!?

Today is going to be an awesome day and everyone’s buzzing! We met with Tom from Ayers Rock Helicopters last night and ran through a plan of what the Bailey Australia team want out of the photoshoot and happily he really gets what they’re trying to achieve so today is going to rock! (Sorry, pun intended!)

We drove to the photoshoot site and did a little practice run with Nathan (photographer) and Josh (videographer) and ‘vans in tow to work out which of the two Rangefinders are going to go first, which speeds kick up the right amount of dust, which speeds are best for side by side shots and who was going to drive, before making our way to Ayres Rock Airport to meet back up with our pilot Tom. Nathan and Josh are just about ready to go up and all of a sudden the atmosphere changes and things become a little more apprehensive. We’ve got 2 hours and no other opportunity to get these shots right! Understandably, the 2 lads are a little nervous, but particularly Josh as he’s going to be harnessed to the helicopter so that he can hang out of the side of it – the door has been removed especially for him!

Wishing them luck we left them with Tom for their safety briefing. Communication between the helicopter and the Toyota Landcruisers is going to be essential so we need to bear this in mind when we get back to the rigs. We’ve got Chris Fincham from Caravan and Camping Sales and Michael Browning from Caravan World, MD of Bailey Australia Adrian Van Geelen, Bailey Australia’s Marketing Manager Gina Stanwell, Bailey of Bristol’s Marketing Director Simon Howard and me in the two tow cars today, so we’re going to get a brilliant view of the helicopter from the ground! Chris wants to get some photos and videos for his write up so he jumped out into the wild with a radio to get another perspective on the photoshoot. And we’re ready to go! We’ve picked a particular strip of dirt road for the photoshoot which is best for the sunlight and aerial shots – but it’s not what you might think – Nathan and Josh are particularly keen not to capture Uluru in the background of their shots! For advertising purposes, companies aren’t permitted to use Uluru to sell their product, so we just stick to the red dust just off Lasseter Highway! The helicopter approaches and Simon and Michael are going to be driving with Adrian at the helm for comms and Gina and I capturing back-stage photos and videos. Here goes!

The photoshoot doesn’t take too long – about an hour in total. What a pilot Tom is! He really kept us informed in what we needed to do from the air, what kinds of distances we needed to keep between the ‘vans for the best shots, last minute adjustments to his hovering distances from the ground and flying speeds. We drove up and down the same stretch of road countless times in different formations – ‘chucking a u-ie’ each time we got to the end leaving a whirlwind of red dust in our wake! Michael and Simon did a sterling job of driving, well done guys! Nathan and Josh seem pretty made up with the shots too – Nathan only took 700! It’s going to be hard picking the best from that bunch! I had a sneaky look and, boy! Bailey Australia are in for a treat! And guess what – there’s just enough time left for us to go up and have a flight over Uluru and Kata Tjuta! 

It may be sunny today, but it’s pretty cold! The wind has really picked up this morning which means the walking tour up Uluru is closed, but I get the feeling we’re going to get a once in a lifetime view in a few minutes! We’re just waiting for Tom to put the door back on, thankfully! Holly Day and Andy Venture are going to be riding shot-gun with Simon with Adrian, Gina and I in the back. We got up to over 3,000 feet in the air and as we approached Uluru, I started to understand its magnitude and historical importance. Strutting nearly 1,200 feet into the air, it’s hard to believe that most of this magnificent landmark is underground and not only that, it actually stretches further underground than it does into the air! Practically in the exact centre of Australia, Uluru and neighbouring Kata Tjuta are the remnants of sediment which formed hundreds of millions of years ago. Surrounded by endless desert, unbelievably this area was an ancient seabed until 300 million years ago, give or take! The whole region was lifted up above sea level and now stands at nearly 3,000 feet above it.

This visible tip of a huge underground rock slab has a circumference of 9.5 kilometres and from the air, this really is one of the most stunning sights I’ve seen! It’s dramatic, vivid, awe-inspiring, bracing and thought-provoking all at the same time, and its magnificence enhanced by the sheer nothingness which surrounds it, it’s a magical sight.

16km to the east of Uluru is Kata Tjuta which is a collection of 36 domes of sedimentary rock made up of a mixture of materials like granite and basalt and held together with sandstone. The highest dome is a full 650ft higher than Uluru and covers a much larger area on the ground. We flew around Kata Tjuta before returning to the airport and just as we’re about to leave, there’s a dip in the ‘many heads’ and the most spectacular sight for me was seeing Uluru through the gap in the Kata Tjuta rocks – just wow! This is bucket-list territory! We’re all buzzing when we land, what an experience! And one I will not be forgetting in a hurry! But now we’re on terraferma it’s back to reality and time to get these ‘vans spick and span again after today’s shoot! And of course, it wouldn’t be a photoshoot without the obligatory ‘sunset shot’! And one which Simon and I end up featuring in – watch out for that one, coming to a magazine near you!

Dinner is a little bit different from anything we’ve had in the last couple of weeks since arriving in Australia! It’s the last night we’re going to be all together as a group as Nathan, Josh and Chris are leaving us tomorrow so the team are treated to a slap-up meal in the beautiful Ilkari Restaurant. This place is amazing, it has cutlery and a chocolate fountain, I’m sold!

We’ve had so much fun over the last week or so, everyone’s got on like a house on fire – there’s been a lot of laughing and joking but also lots of really great work going on. The guys from Bauer Media and Bailey Australia have worked together before so understand each other’s needs perfectly, which gives way to a lot of frivolity but also a lot of camaraderie. Nathan and Josh are a great duo and work together brilliantly, bouncing off one another’s ideas – with the odd movie quote or two thrown in for good measure! It’s been an absolute pleasure to be a tiny part of this amazing experience so far so thank you guys for being wonderful, funny, creative ‘flamin’ drongos’ – the trip just wouldn’t have been the same without you!

A slightly longer drive tomorrow to Gemtree via Alice Springs and we’re past the halfway point of our trip!

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