Alice Springs to Uluru

Alice Springs to Uluru

I distinctly remember being around 10 years old, sitting in the basement and watching a PBS television program about the Australian Outback.  I was fascinated by the animals and the landscapes – in particular Ayers Rock (or Uluru to be more correct).  I can’t pinpoint exactly what it was about it that fascinated me so much, but it has stayed with me for a number of years.  So of course, it was a must see point on this journey.

As a jumping off point to start our trek out to Uluru, we spent two nights in the town of Alice Springs, the iconic outback town that really is the only base from which to start.  After 3 nights in the campervan, we splurged and checked ourselves into a hostel, complete with hot showers, and laundry.  It was off to the centre of town where we tucked into a nice meal – complete with Kangaroo medallions in a sauce of Outback spices.  Don’t ask me to describe what the taste was like – it tastes like Kangaroo.  But it was very good.  I spent the next full day wandering around Alice Springs, checking out the numerous Aboriginal art galleries, and funky little shops, and generally being lazy in the hostel common area.  Oh Steig Larssen – I resisted you at home, but the book swaps here landed me with the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  And I was essentially useless for the rest of the day.

The Todd River in Alice Springs.

The Todd River again - the only reason it has water in it is the result of an abnormally wet year that they've had in the outback.

We set off for Uluru the next morning.  A very long 450km later, we pulled into the Yulara Resort – which is the only place to camp within 150km of the park.  Early the next morning, we joined the caravan of cars heading out into the darkness, racing the sun to see it rise over the rock.  Sadly, we were thwarted by the clouds that rolled in!  It was still amazing to see, in the calm of the morning. 

Our view of Uluru from the look out point at the campground.

The flowers were blooming in the Red Centre! 

As I’m sure people are saying (because they were saying it before we left home)  “what’s all the fuss about a rock?”  Technically, it’s not a rock – it’s one of 3 surviving peaks of a mountain range.  It’s 3.6 km long, 2.4 km wide, and is 343 metres high.  It’s of incredible significance to the Anangu people, as its name means “Meeting Place”, and is home to many of the Dreamtime legends, which you can see depicted in carvings and paintings.  As such, there are a number of signs posted on the walk around the site asking you to not take pictures of the sacred sites, because only those of the Anangu who have been initiated into the secrets of the sacred can see these places.  (I tried to obey the signs and respect the wishes of the Anangu people, but if I inadvertently took a picture, I’m sorry.  Drop me a line and I’ll remove the picture)

We started our 10km walk around the perimeter of Uluru – we could see the clouds rolling in, and hear the thunder, but really?  Rain in the desert?  The answer is yes.  It poured down on us for probably a good 20 minutes until the clouds broke, and the sun came out.  It was magical to see the rock, red with the moisture, with the water running down in channels.

Uluru at Sunrise.

Finally - some sunshine breaks from behind the clouds.

Glo enjoying the sights!

The walk up to the top of Uluru.  It was closed due to winds and the possibility of rain.  We wouldn't have climbed it anyway.

Taking cover from the rain storm under a natural overhang at Uluru.  The water is running off the rock.

Our next stop was to head out an additional 50km to the Olgas (Kata Tjuta) which is a series of 31 individual domes or rocks that are in a semi circle which surrounds a central valley.  What is unique is that the entire site hides a number of water holes, which allows for some unique plant and animal life.  On one of our walks it was pointed out that there are species of plants that are completely unique to Kata Tjuta.  They aren’t found anywhere else in Australia.

Kings Canyon was the next national park on our list.  Opened in 1989, it’s a fairly new national park, and a welcome change from the crowds at Uluru.  Our plan was to drive out to Kings Canyon, do a couple of hikes to explore the scenery and landscape, and then camp for the night before starting our epic trek to the south.  In theory it sounded like a good plan, until we realized that the “Floodway” signs that we’d been seeing on our journey through the outback weren’t just there for show.  As more rain was forecast for that night, we did our hikes, and then made the wise decision to make for Kulgara back on the main highway and camp for the night.  Fairly good judgement on our part.

Floodway?  What's a floodway you ask?

Ahh, now I know.