Uluru is one of Australia’s most iconic and culturally significant landmarks. Here, there’s no shortage of memorable experiences to connect with the land and community – think bush food tours, desert awakenings, and more – all taking place around the stunning rock formation. Further enhancing the native storytelling experience, Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia is launching a fully-immersive light and sound show that will illuminate the Central Desert’s night sky, using Uluru as its backdrop.

Come May, more than 1,000 drones will take flight each night to create a state-of-the-art show at Ayers Rock Resort. Called Wintjiri Wiru – meaning ‘beautiful view out to the horizon’ in the local Anangu language – the show will bring to life a chapter of the Mala ancestral story which sits between Kaltukatjara (Docker River) and Uluru. Voyages has consulted and collaborated closely with the Anangu custodians of this chapter of the Mala story to obtain approval to bring Wintjiri Wiru to life. 

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This will be the first time a light, laser, projection and drone experience of this magnitude has been performed on a regular basis anywhere in the world. World-renowned Media Architecture studio, Ramus, have designed and produced the light show through the combination of exquisite drone choreography, narration in Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara languages, and a soundtrack with traditional inma recorded with members of the local Anangu community.

Two shows will run every night with two different experiences on offer. The Wintjiri Wiru Sunset Dinner will run first. It begins at sunset with welcome cocktails and canapes, followed by a gourmet dinner hamper that focuses on native ingredients and is paired with Australian wines. Once the night sky has set in, the two hour light show will begin.

A second show each evening called After Dark is a shorter, one hour-long experience including light refreshments followed by the show. So if Uluru is on your bucket list, there’s never been a more exciting time to say g’day to the Red Centre. 

Two Wintjiri Wiru sound and light shows will run every night, from March until December (from 11 May in 2023), with one show a night operating in January and February. Prices start from $190pp. To book, head to voyages.com.au

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Image credit: As custodians of the land, Anangu hold the Mala story from Kaltukatjara to Uluru. To share their story from Kaltukatjara to Uluru, RAMUS designed and produced an artistic platform using drones, light and sound to create an immersive storytelling experience. (N.B only once per article is needed, not per image)