It was a moment to imbibe the silence and embrace serenity.
As the blazing sun began to dip behind the monolith, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge trekked along a red-dirt path towards Uluru's base.
For a handful of minutes, theirs was the desert kingdom; alone to breathe in one of the deeply spiritual environs for the local Indigenous tribes - the waterhole along the Kuniya walk.
"It's nice and peaceful down there, very peaceful," Prince William said.
Guides pointed to two important ancestral beings surrounding the waterhole - Kuniya, the woma python woman and Liru the poisonous snake man, whom the latter clobbered over the head with a stick and avenged the wounding of her offspring.
The Duchess chuckled when she read the lesson on the interpretive sign.
After their brief private moment by the waterhole, the Royal couple veered right up a pathway to a small cave, where they viewed Aboriginal artwork painted onto the base of Uluru.
Their guide, Sammy Wilson, couldn't be better placed to explain what the artwork meant and the significance to the Mutitjulu people.
His grandfather painted it; one of the last paintings to be splashed on the side of the massive rock.
Fellow guide John Sweeney said the couple were "very, very interested in everything that was said.
They then indulged in a rare moment to sit and watch the red centre's most famous view.
They appeared relaxed, chatting and smiling as the sun began to slip behind Kata Tjuta (formerly known as the Olgas).
The moment was not quite as romantic as it might have been, thanks to the focused lenses and crowds at the end of the viewing spot.
The sunset moment was not expected on the official tour schedule.
But it's not the end of the desert adventure. They'll be staying at an upmarket camp to enjoy the stars on a rare date night away from Prince George.
