Simon and Garfunkel famously sang about the “Sound of Silence’, and The Sounds of Silence Dinner at Uluru would certainly live up to even Paul and Art’s lofty expectations. But a symphony of songs cannot describe the wonder that is having dinner in the middle of the Australian outback with a sky full of stars on Mother Nature’s very own Red Carpet.

I would also happily add “Sunny Afternoon” (The Kinks), “Sounds of Then” (Gang Gajang), “Horse With No Name” (America), “Starry, Starry Night” (John McLean) and most memorably, “Under The Milky Way” (The Church) to the list of songs that sprang into my head at one point or another during this amazing experience.

My symphony of songs started on a glorious sunny afternoon during a recent trip out to Uluru National Park in Australia’s Red Centre.  We were taken to a Dune with a View and served cold champagne (ahem, sparkling wine) to watch the incredible changing of the colours on the Rock as the ultimate entree to our dinner in the desert.

After the sun has finally gone from the Rock, we were shown to the path that would lead us to dinner.

Working our way down, we came across our restaurant for the evening and were shown to our table as the sun was giving a final glow over Kata Tjuta in the background. 

The setting sun was not going down without a final show however, and it was incredible to see different colours lighting up the horizon.

We settled in for our dinner that included a few of the usual Aussie Outback Tucker you would expect – crocodile, kangaroo, barramundi, sparkling wine –

but the crowning glory of the whole evening was the incredible pin points of light that became brighter and brighter above us.  The Milky Way had decided to crash dinner and was certainly taking the limelight!

An astronomer pointed out all the constellations (with the most amazing laser pointer that requires a gun license to use!) and we sat in complete darkness drinking in the sheer spectacle of it all.  And the silence.

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and it was all too soon before the lights were back on, and it was time for us to go.  Randomly, the finale of my outback symphony ended up being the bus drivers choice of the Best of the Beatles, however, the Sound Of Silence will always echo in my mind.