Ultimate Outback Dining Experience

One of the rewarding things about traveling is experiencing something new - whether a new destination, a new food, a new way of looking at the world. And when you travel all the way to Australia, it is the authentic experiences you encounter that will truly shape your journey - and leave you with the memories to relive your travels long after you've returned home.

The Outback is one of those Australian Experiences that most people think of when they travel to Australia, but there are many ways to experience this almost-Martian-like country. For a truly unforgettable experience, I highly recommend "The Sounds of Silence" Dinner at Ayers Rock (Uluru), right in the heart of the Outback.

If you have the good fortune (and finances!) to be able to stay at Longitude 131, you'll have the privilege of experiencing an even more intimate (and exclusive) version of the Sounds of Silence Dinner, included with your stay. If (like me) you are staying at any of the resorts that are part of the Ayers Rock Resorts, you can purchase this special dinner package. And while the cost may seem a bit pricey, trust me - this is something you don't want to miss out on. And don't wait till you arrive to book it - you'll be sorely disappointed to find it's sold out.

So what is the Sounds of Silence Dinner? It is an unforgettable evening filled with those things that make the Red Centre, part of Australia's Northern Territory, the real Australia: beautiful sunsets, fine dining, the music of the didgeridoo, a sky full of more stars than you've ever seen before, and the sounds of silence.

Your evening begins when you are picked up at your resort, and taken into the Outback, far from the presence of any tourist or resort. You are escorted to a duneside, where champagne, wines, and h'or dourves are served under a sky turned firey red by the setting sun sinking behind a molten gold Uluru. Here you are given the opportunity to mix and mingle with your fellow diners... or to take a quiet moment contemplating the beauty of the Outback sunset. Join in the endless debate (if you had taken a sunrise tour that morning): when is Uluru (Ayers Rock) more beautiful, at sunrise or sunset? (Sunrise is my answer, but that doesn't mean sunset wasn't breathtaking!)

As the sun edges down below the horizon, you are guided down the path, around the side of the dune, and met with a sight that is amazing juxtaposition here in the rugged Outback: hidden from view all this time, dinner tables are arranged, complete with linens, silver and china, arranged around a portable gourmet kitchen from which come the most mouth-watering smells. A fine dining experience, truly in the heart of the Outback.

If, like me, you are here during the Australian winter, space heaters are also arranged between the tables to help keep you warm. But keep in mind, this is a desert; and when that sun goes down, it gets downright cold. Dress warmly and bring a blanket. Better yet, bring those hand warmers they sell to skiers - and place one on your chair. The chairs are metal, and quickly pull away your heat in the cold.

Shortly after everyone is seated, dinner is served - and a gourmet affair it is! Authentic Australian delicacies, such as barramundi, kangaroo, emu, crocodile, bush salads and classic desserts, are arrayed out before you in a tantalizing display. I guarantee you'll run out of space on your plate before you get to the end! (Another tip: if you are here during the Australian winter, take only small portions and go up for seconds and thirds. This is because if you eat at all slowly like I do, your plate will be cold before you get to the other side of the plate! So take small portions and go up more often.) All of these are complimented by the finest Australian wines.

Back again at your table, you can savor these gourmet dishes as you watch the sky fade from reds and golds to the deepest black in perhaps the most spectacular sunset you've ever seen, Uluru (Ayers Rock) before you and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) behind you. And as the last light fades away, it is replaced with new points of illumination: a million, trillion stars, the likes of which you've never seen before.

No, trust me. You've mostly likely never seen a sky like it. Because Uluru is located hundreds of miles away from any city and major source of artificial light, and the Resorts are built to minimize any impact. Here, you can truly see the sky as our ancestors did, and gaze up into an endless wonder of starry lights that finally - finally! - have you understanding how they saw all the people and animals they did. For now you can see the hundreds of stars between the stars of the constellation, and your mind plays a trick on you, drawing a line from one point to the next, showing you the images of the constellation in startling detail. I was like a kid in the candy store: I could really, truly see the constellations, as I never had before in the night skys of New England, hampered as they were by so much artifical light.

All the while, the music of a didgeridoo is playing. While the didgeridoo is actually not native to the Red Centre (the trees from which it is made are found further north), it is a hauntingly beautiful music that seems so appropriate to the region. If you are lucky (and I was that night), you will also be able to enjoy the most spectacular moonrise: a giant, firey red moon lifting over the horizon and rising steadily into the black sky.

As the last notes of the music fades, you are asked to take a moment to enjoy and experience "the Sounds of Silence." All the candles and lights are blown out, and everyone quiets - many, I suspect, holding their breaths - as the silence of the Australian outback overtake them, the soft whisper of the wind, the rustle of people moving. The quiet sounds of insects and critters moving in the distance. The gentle silence of a desert night.

And then, a voice calls out - directing your attention to the heavens above. An Astronomer then begins weaving a tale, pointing out the stars and Constellations of the Southern Night Sky while she tells tales (Roman, Greek, Aboriginal, Norse, and more) about the various heavenly objects. After dinner, she invites you over to a set of telescopes set up to peer deeper into the heavens above. we were especially blessed the evening we were there: Jupiter and Saturn both graced the sky. I was able to see five of the moons of Jupiter, but I shrieked with school-girl delight when I saw two of Saturn's moons and - more importantly - its graceful rings.

Desserts are served, and a selection of tea, coffee, and port are available to help you unwind. In the winter, a fire is started a short way from the tables and hot mulled cider is served - what better way to end your evening, then huddling around a campfire sipping mulled cider, in the midst of the Outback night?

The evening does finally end, however, though you might wish you could hold onto the moment forever. You board your bus and are taken back to your hotel, more than ready to rest your head and drift off to sleep. Your dreams will be full of the unforgettable experience you just had. Not only will you never look at the Outback in quite the same way again, you'll never look up at the night sky without remembering the endless glory of stars to be seen deep in the heart of the Outback.