Wintjiri Wiru: a drone spectacular against the backdrop of Uluru
Where drones meet ancient storytelling; don’t miss this once in a lifetime experience in Uluru.
By Chris Ashton, December 1 2023
Twilight falls over the sand dunes and spinifex of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. As the cool darkness builds, so too does the hushed anticipation of a gathered crowd, all sitting atop a platform angled towards Australia’s most sacred rock.
Ordinarily, this would be a prime time and location for stargazing, but, right now, it’s the final moments before ‘Wintjiri Wiru’ fills the sky in a riot of colour and sound – a dazzling display uniting lasers, projections and over 1,100 tightly-choreographed drones.
An ancient story takes flight in the heart of Australia.
Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia
But what is Wintjiri Wiru and how does it differ from other drone spectaculars around the world? Simply put, this is a story thousands of years in the making, told via the most cutting-edge technology.
Discover the magic
Meaning ‘beautiful view out to the horizon', Wintjiri Wiru is deeply linked to its setting. It’s a chapter in the ancient ‘Mala Tjukurpa’ creation story of the Anangu, or ‘people’ in the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara languages, who’ve long called this region home.
As part of the world’s oldest continuing culture, Anangu have a deep connection to Country.
They’re also incredibly proud of their history, which has been passed down the generations through Inma (songs and ceremony) and art drawn in the red dirt of the desert.
Wintjiri Wiru allows this richly-layered cultural story to be shared on a grander scale than ever before – and the community has been involved throughout the entire production.
A true collaboration between Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia, lighting firm RAMUS and senior Anangu, the experience is now the largest regular production of its kind, and has a significant impact on local employment and education.
“This is a project that’s incredibly close to my heart,” remarks Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia CEO Matt Cameron-Smith, adding that doing things “the right way” was the motto from the start. That included the creation of an Anangu consultation group.
From naming the experience to advising on the visuals, narrating it in English, Pitjantjatjara and the Yankunytjatjara languages and creating the soundtrack, every aspect of Wintjiri Wiru’s creation was shared, and it all started by listening and learning.
As for the finished result, Cameron-Smith says he’s seen it at least 20 times and still gets goosebumps, stating “there’s just truly nothing like this anywhere in the world.”
Once the sky darkens, hundreds of lights blink into life, a choreographed dance rising into the air as the sounds of the desert are replaced by stirring music, song and words spoken in an Anangu language, interpreted in English.
Giant trees soar into the twilight sky.
Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia
“Our stories have been here since the beginning, and we want to share this story with the world,” explains Rene Kulitja, on behalf of the Anangu Working Group.
“We want visitors to know this is our story, to look and listen and feel with us,” adds Kulitja, who is one of the singers and narrators in the performance. “Wintjiri Wiru is a gift to the world.”
Multiple scenes soon unfold: the Mala People performing their Inma at Uluru, a devil spirit seeking to destroy the ceremony – its canine face looming over the desert; a shape shifter with multiple forms – and, ultimately, the chaos and confusion of its attack.
Some 1,200 drones take flight during the powerful performance: around 400 in the first fleet and 800 in the second, with each in the air for approximately nine minutes.
Everything you need to know
Travellers can experience the moving 1.5-hour spectacle twice-nightly – at twilight and after dark – depending on the time of year, together with Australian wines and a delicious hamper of cheese and crackers infused with native flavours.
Australia on a plate.
Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia
For the ultimate visit, choose the 3-hour sunset dining experience, adding drinks and canapes such as gin-infused cucumber with green ants, as well as a fragrant lemon myrtle crocodile curry pie, paired with a stellar sunset view.
Smoked emu with saltbush chilli crust, blackened pepper leaf kangaroo and a desert twist on the waldorf salad with native celery, quandong and wattleseed are a taste of what’s in store once you lift the lid on the basket.
Wintjiri Wiru is of course one of many experiences at Ayers Rock Resort, which counts Bruce Munro’s iconic ‘Field of Light’ installation – extended by popular demand – and ‘Tali Wiru’ four-course haute cuisine dinner among its growing stable.
When you stay, you have a meaningful impact on the community, with Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia supporting training and employment through its National Indigenous Training Academy and charitable arm, the Anangu Communities Foundation.
The drones are soon joined by a backdrop of a billion stars.
Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia
For a touch of luxury, add in a five star stay at Sails in the Desert hotel, where you can curl up on daybeds fringed by sparkling pools, pamper yourself at Red Ochre Spa, then enjoy Indigenous-inspired cuisine in the Walpa Lobby Bar and Ilkari Restaurant.
An Anangu-led tour around the base of Uluru, or perhaps an intimate dot painting workshop, where you can meet and learn from traditional custodians of the land, are also must-dos while you’re in the region.
Because that’s what visiting the heart of Australia is about – it’s a chance to gaze upon the fiery sands of the desert, to meet locals and hear their age-old stories, and broaden our minds until they’re as wide as the flat horizon unfolding either side of Uluru.
And as the last note plays and final drone comes to rest at the end of Wintjiri Wiru, the Mala Tjukurpa now passed on, the world’s oldest continuing culture is no longer foreign in our minds but something that will follow us into the future.
To learn more about this one-of-a-kind experience visit ayersrockresort.com.au/wintjiri-wiru
This article was produced in collaboration with Ayers Rock Resort.
As custodians of the land, Anangu hold the Mala story from Kaltukatjara to Uluru. To share their story, RAMUS designed and produced an artistic platform using drones, light and sound to create an immersive storytelling experience.