WE’RE IN AYERS ROCK

SUNDAY 27TH JULY   -  We left Alice Springs and drove for 350 kilometres and reached Curtin Springs Rest Area late in the afternoon.  We had the entire space to ourselves, not sure why, except that there wasn’t a toilet in the rest area, and Curtin Springs Roadhouse wasn’t too far away (obviously a better option for an overnight stay).  We gathered up as much wood as we could find and had a great roaring camp fire in the evening all to ourselves and cranked up U2 songs really loudly.

MONDAY 28TH JULY   -   We left our isolated overnight stop and drove for 110 kilometres until we came into Ayers Rock Resort with cabin, camping and caravan accommodation. There was a special offer on “pay for 3, stay for 4 nights” deal, so we took advantage of the special offer.  It was a very big park with a shuttle bus operating every 15 minutes to take guests into town, around the resort or to the camel farm not too far away.  It was a very well organised resort and the office was open until 9pm every night for arrivals and tour bookings.

As soon as we had set up, we walked up to the Naminga Lookout close to the caravan park for our first glimpse of Uluru.  It looked terrific.  We couldn’t wait to get up close and personal with the rock the next day. 

We also walked to the Imalunga Lookout a short distance from Ayers Rock Resort, which gave us another great view of Uluru.

We walked into the town square for the afternoon free performance by four young talented aboriginal dancers.  We really enjoyed their 30 minute performance.  They got some of the audience up to join in some of the dances also.

We were quite surprised by how many free activities there were in the town square daily:  boomerang and spear throwing , aboriginal painting displays and bush yarns and equipment.

The town square was a busy place with a big IGA supermarket, newsagent, craft and gift shops and a few cafes and restaurants.  

TUESDAY 29TH JULY   -  We drove to the Mala car park for the 10am free guided tour of the Mala Walk around part of the base of Uluru. As we got closer and closer to Uluru we were amazed at the beauty and majesty of The Rock and the many colourful facets and shapes of the rock.  It was completely different close up to what we had anticipated.  It was full of downward ridges and holey craters on the rock face.  It was a different very coarse texture to what we’d imagined and a mixture of ochres, greys and black stripes.  It wasn’t as smooth or solid as you would envisage it to be.  There were lots of bits of rocks jutting out everywhere.  It was a massive monolith.   

Our guide was very informative and told us much of the history of the Anangu people the traditional owners of Uluru.  He told us much about their culture, beliefs, how they hunted and what foods they lived on, also about the medicines available in the bush.  We learnt so much about them and had a greater respect for their family values and how they survived.  We saw many caves at the foot of the rock that were traditional learning caves for young men prior to their initiation into manhood.  We saw the women’s cave for secret business and another shelter cave.  We were surprised at just how many caves there were around the rock.  There were also a few waterholes.

Uluru was created over 600 million years ago.  The aboriginal people have lived in the area for the last 10,000 years.  It originally sat at the bottom of the ocean.

The dimensions of The Rock are:

862.5 metres above sea level

348 metres high (1,141 feet)

3.6 kilometres long (2.2 miles)

1.9 kilometres wide

9.4 kilometres around the base (to walk)

Covers 3.33 square kilometres

2.5 kilometres still underground

The climbing track is a steep 1.6 kilometre hike

The valleys, ridges, caves and unusual shapes were caused by erosion over millions of years.

Richard went for a bike ride around the base of Uluru which took him about an hour or more as he kept stopping for close up photos.

We went to The Sounds of Silence Dinner Under the Stars.  We were picked up at the resort at 5pm by coach and taken out to the viewing platform overlooking Uluru and The Olgas (Kata-Tjuta) to watch the sunset, sipping champagne and eating canapés.  It was the start of a totally magical experience.  When the sun had set, we walked down the hill to our outback dining room with tables set with crisp white tablecloths.  There was an outdoor heater besides each table and subdued lighting.  The wine waiter made sure our glasses never became empty. Each table had 10 diners and we were on a table with an Italian couple on honeymoon, 2 female friends on holiday and another couple from the caravan park.  We had such a fun night.  We were served a pumpkin ravioli entrée with a spicy beef broth, then helped ourselves to a terrific bush inspired buffet, with kangaroo, crocodile, barramundi and quandong a bush type peach.  Dessert was a great selection of goodies in the buffet also, followed by port, coffee and more wine.   A didgeridoo played whilst we were eating.  Then we had a guided tour of the night sky with the resident Star Talker helping us to locate the Southern Cross, signs of the zodiac and the Milky Way.  We couldn’t all make out everything he was trying to show us, but the stars were so clear and bright that it really didn’t matter.  At 9.30 we were picked up and brought back to our hotels. All in all, it was a fantastic experience and well worth the money.

THURSDAY 31ST JULY   -   We went to the other iconic rock formation at Ayers Rock – The Olgas or Kata-Tjuta, in Uluru Kata- Tjuta National Park.  They were absolutely amazing also but so different to Ayers Rock. There were 36 large domed rock formations made of granite, sandstone and basalt.  They cover an area of 21.68 square kilometres.  The highest point Mt. Olga is 3,497 feet above sea level.  The Olgas means “many heads”.  It is a sacred indigenous site.  They were mainly dark brown in colour with burnt orange craters in places.  They also had horizontal and vertical stripes of deeper browns and blacks running through them.  We walked to Walpa Gorge, a beautiful walk between 2 of the rocks.  The colours were stunning with the sun glistening over them.  We also walked up to Valley of the Winds offering further superb views. Unlike Ayers Rock, you can’t drive or walk right around the base of The Olgas. 

We’ve had a fantastic time at Ayers Rock.  We didn’t really know what to expect and it wasn’t really high on our bucket list of things to do.  We just figured we had driven so far into Northern Territory that we may as well check the area out.  The facilities at Ayers Rock were really well thought out and there were free shuttle buses to take you to the tourist destinations.   A lot were within a 10 minute walk. It was a small place, with plenty to do.  Everything survives and depends on tourism.  We can’t recommend it highly enough to anyone wanting an outback Australian experience and we’re very glad we made the effort to come here. 

TRIVIA:   From the start of Stage 3 of this trip 28^th April:

Petrol                                $4,416

Accommodation              $2,518

Nights Free Camped        11 (got to improve on that)

Mileage                             12,117 

ADELAIDE 1978                                              N.T 2014

 

I forgot to put these 2 photos in the last blog.

NEXT WEEK:  We will be going to Kings Canyon for 2 nights, then on to Coober Pedy.

WE'RE IN ALICE SPINGS

SUNDAY 20TH JULY   -   We arrived in Alice Springs mid-afternoon and were a bit concerned about finding a caravan park to stay in as they don’t take pre-bookings over the phone which we thought was a bit unusual.  We headed straight to the Tourist Information Centre for a list of all the dog friendly parks in the area, only to discover that most of them were fully booked. Thankfully we eventually got a spot at Heavitree Gap Outback Lodge which was close to town.  It was at the foot of the East MacDonnell Ranges where a colony of black footed Rock Wallabies came down the slopes each night to be hand-fed.  There was a tavern beside the caravan park.  We went there for the Sunday Roast which was very nice, a choice of lamb, beef or pork or a combination of the three, help yourself veggies and dessert for $17 each – good value.

Alice Springs is in Central Australia and part of The Red Centre.  It is the third largest town in the Northern Territory, located by the Todd River and the MacDonnell Ranges, with a population of 28,600.  Until 1932, the town was known as Stuart. In 1862 John McDouall Stuart led his third and last expedition through Central Australia and ten years later a european settlement began with the completion of the overland telegraph line linking Adelaide to Darwin and England.  It wasn’t until alluvial gold was discovered in 1887 that the settlement expanded.  In 1929 the train line to Alice was built and the european population continued to grow steadily. In 2004 the first passenger train arrived in Darwin from Adelaide and started what was to become one of the great north-south transcontinental journeys through Australia.  Before the rail lines were completed, Afghan cameleers drove their camel trains 600 kilometres across the desert to deliver essential provisions to the settlers in Alice Springs.

MONDAY 21ST JULY   -   We went for a drive to the East MacDonnell Ranges which were so vast and colourful and a short drive from the caravan park.  We stopped at Emily’s Gap and Jessie’s Gap where we saw some ochre rock paintings on stunning tall rock formations.  These were important spiritual sites of the native Arrente people as part of the Caterpillar Dreaming Story.  Emily’s Gap is a registered sacred site. 

Then we drove on to Corroborree Rock another  stunning rock formation that is associated with the Perentie Dreaming Lizard.  Lastly, we went to Trephina Gorge. 

There was a very serene and spiritual feel to all of the rocks.

The MacDonnell Ranges stretch over 640 kilometres east –west through Alice Springs.  They are a magnificent mixture of fiery reds, sunburnt oranges and deep purples and are estimated to be approximately 340 million years old.   

We went to feed the rock wallabies at the back of the caravan park.  They were absolutely gorgeous and so gentle and soft.  Some of them had joeys in their pouches.  I was lucky enough to stroke one of the joeys that poked a head out of its mum’s pouch.  It felt so warm.  The rock wallabies had the cutest little faces and eyes with long eyelashes.  They held on to my hand with both of their front paws whilst taking the food out of my hand. 

TUESDAY 22ND JULY  -  We drove out to the West MacDonnell Ranges which took over an hour to reach the first turnoff to Simpsons Gap

and then Standley Chasm,

Ellery Creek, Serpentine Gorge,

Ochre Pits and the most popular Ormiston Gorge, with a permanent water hole.  The Ochre Pits are part of the dreamtime where red ochre represents the blood of the sacred ancestors.  Women and children are not permitted to dig the ochre or to know the stories.  Women are only allowed to use the ochre if it is provided by the men.  There was yellow, brown and white ochre.

ORMISTON GORGE

ORMISTON GORGE

All of these gorges have camp grounds, some with kiosks and walking tracks.  The scenery on both sides of the road was just magnificent, words can’t possibly describe the unusual colours, undulations, ridges and shapes of the landscape.  It was just breathtaking and kept getting better and better the further we drove on through the Ranges. 

Alice Springs has been a lovely surprise, full of such picturesque colourful hills everywhere.  The caravan park was very central, laid back and well maintained with lots of on-site units for tourists and workers. 

VIEW FROM ANZAC HILL

SOME OF THE LOCALS CLOSE TO THE CARAVAN PARK

A KANGAROO IN FLIGHT

NEXT WEEK:  We will be going to Uluru for 4 days, then on to Kings Canyon for 2 nights.  We hope to do the “Dining Under the Stars” dinner at Uluru