After waking up early, catching our flight to Alice Springs and eventually picking up our rental car, it was time to drive the 440km to Yulara. I think it came as quite a shock to Dad, just how sparse this part of the world really is. I remember mentioning that we'd not seen one single car on the road for 2 hours!! Thankfully the journey eventually came to an end. We pulled in to take photos of what we thought was Uluru but infact was Mount Connor and eventually arrived at the hotel about 6pm.
We stayed at the Desert Sands Hotel. It was so nice to be back in a hotel after months of sleeping in hostels and campervans. The hotel was lovely and a welcome bit of luxury! Yet one thing became clear from the off, the flies were out of control! From speaking to the hotel staff, the was the worst they'd seen them in a good few years. Although we didn't want to buy a fly net, as, well, they looked ridiculous, we had no option. Yes we became one of those tourists. At the same time, I opted to buy a hat. An investment piece. I looked like something out of a western cowboy movie but do you know what, I didn't care in the slightest!
10 March
Today was the day that we finally got to see Uluru. In order to gain access into the park, you have to pay a park entrance fee of $15 per person. Not bad considering it allows you unlimited access for 3 days and pays for the upkeep of the park. Our first stop was the cultural centre which is just inside the park gates. I'd highly recommend popping by if you're interested in learning about why Uluru is such a sacred site for the aboriginal people. In the afternoon, we took a drive around the rock to grasp how BIG this rock really is!!
In the evening, we headed for the sunset. Unfortunately, we were probably 20 mins too late. Although we got to see the sunset itself, I felt we missed the beginning which was probably the best bit! For dinner, I persuaded Dad to cook an Aussie Barbie. We headed to the Outback BBQ where we tried beef, kangaroo, Emu, Buffalo and Crocodile skewers with a bowl of salad. Crocodile tasted similar to a "meaty" fish similar to hailibut and kangaroo tastes very "gamey".
11 March
I'd been advised via various sources including my lovely friends Anne and Alan Smith that we should do both sunrise and sunset at Uluru, so we did! An early wake up at 5am wasn't great fully received I can tell you!! This being said, it was worth it. The thing that fascinates me about Uluru is the fact that it can change colour almost every 30 secs. Simply, the longer you stare at it, the more you see...
In the afternoon, we headed to Kata Tijua also known as 'The Olgas' meaning 'many heads'. In all honesty, these were as impressive as Uluru.
12 March
As an avid walker, I jumped at the opportunity to go on a base walk around Uluru. The walk was conducted by the local park ranger who provided insight into what makes uluru so sacred. It certainly makes you look at the rock in a different way.
In the afternoon we set off on our drive down to Kings Canyon which was a 4 hour drive. It was a fairly easy drive. We were staying at the Kings Canyon Resort which was worlds apart from Yulara. The room was just as expensive and reminded me of a prison cell. Awful! In the evening, we watched the sunset. A little bit of an anticlimax after coming from Uluru but okay all the same.
13 March
After waking up early I decided to tackle the rim walk at KC. Dad started the walk with me but opted to turn back after confessing his fear of heights. The walk was really enjoyable but much harder than I thought especially in the heat. At times the rock was so slippy it was difficult to find any grip and a times you needed to pull your whole body up to get to the next bit. Signage was also diabolical. It's so easy to get lost up there as everything looks the same. This being said, I completed the walk in just over 1hr 45min which I was really pleased with.
In the afternoon we commenced out return back to Alice Springs via the Myreenie Loop road. We'd ordered a 4x4 but when we went to collect it, we'd been given a Rav4. A good car for normal roads but not for one which was so bumpy, it was 'like driving on corrugated iron'. At times Dad and I both felt like the suspension of the car was about to give way. We cringed every few seconds as we heard the bottom of the car hit the floor. To say it was a stressful few hours drive is an understatement. Frankly, I've never been do happy to see a Tarmac floor.
Thankfully the car made it back in one piece and we arrived safely in Alice Springs. That night we stayed at Chifleys Alice Springs report which was thankfully a return to luxury after we got complimentary upgraded - result!
I'd been wanting to pick up some authentic aboriginal art since arriving in Oz but hadn't found any that I'd quite liked. After doing some research online, I found a gallery which sold local art. After driving round in circles, we eventually found it. My initial thought was that I couldn't afford any of the pieces on display but after talking to one of the gallery assistants, I soon realised I was wrong. He showed me to a table full of small non-framed prints and explained exactly what each symbol meant. What's more, he could tell me about the artist and how he came into contact with them. The gent impressed me so much that I ended up buying 2 prints off him. Both of which I am extremely happy with. I just now need to sweet talk Uncle Steve into framing them and then there's the small matter of renting somewhere where I can put them up! A tiny insignificant detail, I'm sure you'll agree.
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