We drove to the airport and were greeted by a lovely person in a Melbourne Legacy vest. Our flight was around three and a half hours before we landed in Yulara. It was then about a 10 minute drive to Ayres Rock Campground where we had a briefing and then set up our swags. Next we went to the pool and spent a couple hours in there having the best time playing with the hacky sacks.

For dinner on our first night we had rissoles in rolls plus Tim Tams for dessert while we did some trivia. On our way back to the campground, we stopped on the side of the road and looked up at the beautiful star-filled sky. It was a really good first day.

Some of the others and I woke up early to walk to a lookout near our campsite and watch the sunrise over Uluru in the distance. We then had bacon and egg muffins for breakfast before driving to the base of Uluru.

We did a guided walk with a park ranger around a section of the rock, stopping regularly to hear a bit about the culture and stories shared by the Ranger. Afterwards, we had Caesar salad wraps before heading to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre, where we explored artwork and learned about important aspects of Indigenous culture and history. We were very lucky to have the opportunity to watch one of the Aboriginal artists painting live. She was incredibly talented and shared the story behind her artwork as she painted.

We then headed back to the campground, spent more time in the pool, and had sausages in bread for dinner. After dinner, we watched the sunset from a spot on the side of the road and were also lucky enough to see the Uluru drone show from our campsite!

It was an earlier start, with a continental brekkie before heading on the road to Kata Tjuta (The Olgas). We did a hike called the Valley of the Winds walk, which was just under 6 km and absolutely beautiful. Some parts were a bit challenging, but everyone pushed through and made it to the final lookout.

In the afternoon, we spent more time in the pool and played Markers Up for hours—it was such a great time, and everyone got to know each other so much better. At around 5:30pm, we had an early dinner so we could drive back to Uluru and watch the sunset as it began to glow in the fading light. The photos honestly looked fake, they were that cool. We then played spotlight and had an early night to prepare ourselves for another early wake up the next day.

It was a really early start. For breakfast, we had a brekkie pack, which included an Up & Go as well as a piece of banana bread. We went to a lookout and watched the sunrise over the horizon - it was such a beautiful morning. We then returned to our site to pack up our swags and bags, ready to depart. Before we left, we went to the camel farm to meet all the camels and other animals.

Our first stop on the four hour road trip was the town centre at Yulara for a quick snack run. We listened to music and played card games on the drive. Four hours, some souvlaki pockets, and what felt like fifty toilet stops later, we arrived at Kings Creek Station Campground. It was so cool to see that it was still a working cattle station. We had a few hours of free time, which we mostly spent at the playground, before having nachos for dinner. After our meal, we packed our hiking bags for the next day and headed to bed.

Our last full day was also our biggest yet. After having some cereal for breakfast, we all hopped back into the car to embark on our longest hike of the trip at Kings Canyon. There were two options: an easier walk along the base, or a longer, more challenging hike along the rim of the canyon, which involved climbing around 500 steps just to start the hike.

I chose the longer hike, which was about 8 km and it ended up taking us around three and a half hours. The views were absolutely stunning at Watarrka National Park and we took heaps of photos. On the way back to the campground, we stopped for wraps before having a chill last afternoon, spending most of the time at the playground and packing for our trip home the next day.

We went out to a local burger restaurant for dinner, where some people even tried camel burgers. After dinner, we sat by the campfire, roasted marshmallows, made damper, and had our Infuse ties. This included a recap of our week, sharing our favourite moments, and exchanging ties. We finished the night by looking at the beautiful stars in the Northern Territory sky.

Came around so fast, and it really started to hit just how amazing this trip had been. We had about a four-hour drive to the airport, with a stop for some ice creams along the way. The flight home from Connellan Airport to Melbourne was very smooth, and we had so much fun together on the plane.

Our safe arrival in Melbourne was met by all our parents waiting at baggage claim. It was so sad to say goodbye to the Infuse staff, all the new people and friends we had made that week, and the incredible six days as a whole. Our week was nothing short of amazing, and we are all forever grateful to Melbourne Legacy for these once in a lifetime opportunities.