While it's true everyone connects with Uluru in their own way, Voyages and SEIT Outback Australia provide dozens of options to enhance the experience. At this point I'm already on the land of the Anangu people, and there's no shortage of ways to learn more about their culture and their connection with this place.

One of the newest opportunities to connect with Anangu culture can be found at the Gallery of Central Australia (GoCA), opposite the Desert Gardens Hotel. Here, the work of emerging Indigenous artists adds a greater significance to what you might think you know about Aboriginal art. Every piece tells a story, and not a word is wasted.

And once you've seen how it's done, it's time to try it for yourself. A perennial favourite, the Maruku Arts dot-painting experience allows guests to put it in writing under the guidance of a local Anangu artist. I'm not ashamed to admit my work lacks the panache of what I saw back at GoCA, but, as instructed, it's come from the soul.

Maruku also goes beyond the studio and into the desert. With an Anangu guide and translator, we're taken along the Kuniya Walk to the caves of Uluru, the walls of which speak a thousand words. The story of Tjukurpa (Creation time) comes to life through ageless artworks etched in the caves eons ago, yet the messages are clearly understood even today. Once more, my artwork suffers by comparison.

From didgeridoo workshops to bush tucker courses to astronomy lessons, the Anangu people extend an invitation to virtually every aspect of their culture – from sand to stars – right here in their own backyard. Sitting beneath a truly staggering blanket of stars while our guide joins an insurmountable number of dots through ancient storytelling, I feel like the world's luckiest houseguest.

And if you're saving room for dinner, you might find yourself with a whole lot more than you realise. Voyages’ Tali Wiru dining experience is the most extraordinary candlelit dinner for two. Except the candles are Bruce Munroe's world famous Field of Light and your partner is the inimitable Uluru. Accompanied by top drops from around the country, each of the meal's four courses showcases native flavours, herbs and spices. Anything from quandong to wallaby is likely to excite your palate, but even the eclectic menu takes a backseat to the one-of-a-kind ambience of the Southern Desert at night. Magical.

I return to the desert with SEIT Outback Australia to visit Patji, the homeland of the traditional Uluru family. SEIT offers a variety of ways to experience the National Park, including walking tours of the Valley of the Winds and Kata Tjuta, but today we’re jumping in a 4WD for a different perspective of Uluru. Our guide tells us the story of Paddy Uluru, an Anangu elder whose tireless persistence in the battle for land rights changed the course of Uluru and gave a voice to the land we're now zooming across.

As we hurtle past the gigantic rock, I'm reminded of its chameleonic ability to change its colours. It feels as though every time I look up, it's a different shade. It also feels as though my perspective of Uluru has shifted just as frequently with each activity I've undertaken here. This truly is the heart of Australia, and the beat goes on.

Later, I’m alone again on the road back to Alice. Only I’m not alone. With me are a thousand stories, a full-bodied chorus of voices from a desert that speaks as loudly as it has at any time over the past 60,000 years. Hear, hear.