Audi 2006 Annual Report Download - page 56

TECHNOLOGY: ENDURANCE TEST FOR THE AUDI Q7
54 AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT
Sept 18: Yulara,
Northern Territory
Yulara is a huge resort complex built
in the middle of the desert to
accommodate tourists visiting Uluru
(Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta (The
Olgas). It’s the halfway point of our
journey, a chance to recuperate
and prepare for the final stage. Our
trusty Audi Q7 vehicles have been
cleaned
inside and out, and look like
they’ve
come straight from the show-
room.
They’re in showroom condition
too,
despite the flogging they’ve
had over the last two weeks. The only
maintenance needed is a precautionary
change of air filters. There’s
nothing more to do now but drive out
to Uluru and watch the giant monolith
blaze orange, amber and crimson in
the last rays of the setting sun.
We all agree it’s a sight well worth
driving 5,000 km to witness.
Sept 20: Tilmouth Well,
Northern Territory
The last three days have been a
whistle-stop tour of Australian icons;
Uluru, Katu Tjuta, Kings Canyon
(whose dramatic geological forma-
tions were made famous in the film
Priscilla: Queen of the Desert)
and Gosse’s Bluff, a 5 km-wide crater
formed by a cataclysmic meteorite
impact over 140 million years ago.
We’re now camped at the eastern end
of the legendary Tanami Track, and
ahead of us lies the Tanami Desert,
one of the most isolated and arid
places on the planet. We don’t expect
to bump into many sightseers
tomorrow.
Who said going bush
means you have to
rough it? Dinner with
a view of Uluru at
the Yulara Resort.
The local Aboriginals believe Uluru to be a highly sacred place.
Seeing it at sunset, it’s easy to see why.