You are invited to have dinner in one of the most magical restaurants anywhere in Australia.

Voted the Best Tourism Restaurant at the 1998 and 1999 Australian Tourism Awards and now entered into the Tourism Hall of Fame, Sounds of Silence is a unique dining experience not to be missed. Sounds of Silence lies nestled in the sand dunes at Ayers Rock Resort, where you can sip champagne at sunset, then choose from a gourmet barbecue of the Northern Territory's finest foods and dine under a ceiling of stars.

Instead of walls, this restaurant out in the open air has magnificent views to the distant domes of Kata Tjuta (The Olgas), and instead of entertainment there's the stillness of the desert at night, the haunting sound of a lone didgeridoo player, and then a tour of the heavens with an astronomer.

Staged in a clearing in the sand dunes a few kilometres from the resort, the evening starts with canapes and a glass of champagne or a cool ale as the sun slowly sets near Kata Tjuta (The Olgas), and paints the sky with a vivid palette from burnished orange to intense crimson.

Watching the sky change colour in such an extraordinary fashion is an experience all on its own and one that is often not appreciated, as visitors normally watch the sun's rays fall on the western face of Uluru, and don't turn around and watch the sun itself in the western sky.

But at the 'Sounds of Silence', you get the best of both sunsets, as you can take, in the 360 degree views from the top of a sand dune to Uluru to the east and Kata Tjuta in the west.

Then, select from magnificent NT specialities such as kangaroo, barramundi and emu from the barbecue, tempting salads, relishes and sauces highlighted with Australian native fruits and berries, and join other guests at a table lit by a gas lantern.

After dinner, the tranquillity of the outback and the spectacular heavens are revealed when the lanterns are extinguished, and conversation hushed by the sudden darkness. For some people this will be the first time that they every truly hear the silence of the Australian outback, or in fact true silence anywhere.

Stars which were only partially visible in the light of the bush dining setting are seen in all their brilliance, and you slowly become aware of the utter silence of the outback at night.

After a few minutes, an astronomer steps out from the dark, taking you on a magical tour of the heavens before inviting you to take a closer look at some of the better known planets through - 2 -

a powerful telescope. In some of the clearest skies in the world, the astronomer tells the tales of ancient mythologies and the Aboriginal stories of creation and how they are played out in the sky.

Ayers Rock Resort is considered to be one of the best places in the world to star-gaze, because it's free of the pollution and city lights which mask the stars elsewhere.

The 'Sounds of Silence' dinner is available every evening, weather permitting, and can be booked through any hotel at Ayers Rock Resort.

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For further information or photos, please contact Mandy Dwyer, Corporate Public Relations Manager Ph: (02) 9339 1000 or 0419 490 521, mdwyer@ayersrockresort.com.au