Exploring Australia&NZ Day 8

Day 08 - Saturday, April 23, 2011 – Leave Alice Springs and motorcoach to Ayers Rock; Set Out for Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park; Visit the Olgas and Uluru; Watch Sunset

We woke to a cool morning, it was 57º with 64% humidity – usually this is dry, desert land but because of all of the rain, the gardens were lush.

We were up before dawn and left our bags out at 6:30. Everyone was punctual as usual and we departed on the motor coach for Ayer’s Rock at 7:30.

Traveling west on the Stewart Highway, we saw open land with sparse vegetation. This road follows the original telegraph lines that brought communication to the Northern Territory.

Taking turns on the microphone, Darren and Leigh told of the history of the land and stories of the camels used to build the telegraph lines and the rail road.

When these projects were completed, they just let the camels loose and now Australia has one of the biggest wild camel populations in the world, over 1,000,000 of them roam the Australian Desert.

Darren made our first comfort stop at the Camel Farm at 9:05. This oasis in the desert is home to dingos, kangaroos, camels, and many species of birds. We also saw wild galah, a large gray and pink bird from the cockatoo family.

Back on the road, we played a few word and number games to pass the time. Many dozed off and Gennie read her book and wrote a few post cards.

We made another tea stop at 10:40 at Mt. Ebenezer Road House. Several had lunch but we had a pastry and Gennie had ice cream. Amazingly she has found Magnum Bars all over the world!

After another hour on the road we stopped for a view of Mount Conner, a mesa similar in the deep red color but with a flat top. Darren told us many tourists drive all the way out here, see Mt. Conner, mistake it for Ayer’s Rock, and turn around and head back home, never actually seeing the original.

At the view point most of us walked up a huge red sand dune to get a look at a salt lake, common to this area which was once an inland sea.

The first view of Ayer’s Rock came at 1:15 way off in the horizon. Called Uluru by the Aboriginal people; it is considered a sacred place.

We arrived at the Ayer’s Rock Resort and found our comfortable rooms at the Voyages Sails in the Desert Hotel. We had time to get our bags and change into walking shoes for our orientation to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.

This is a UNESCO World Heritage site that is the traditional land of the Anangu Aboriginal peoples. The 800 square mile park was given back to the Aboriginal People in 1985 but is now leased back by the Australian Park Services.

As we drove on the Valley of the Winds Drive to get to the rock formations, Darren told us of the sacred beliefs and basically discouraged anyone from climbing the rock out of respect of the Anangu People.

Our first stop was at the Kata Tjuta (meaning many heads) or Olgas rock formations, where we were able to trek to the length of Walpa Gorge. It was a 30 minute hike up into the gorge but it took only about 20 minutes to return to the bus.

This rock formation is made up of domed igneous rocks that emerged from the earth’s core. As the softer rocks eroded away these formations remained.

It was a very pleasant day in the park; the temperature was only 78º with 31% humidity. Leigh told us that summer temperatures are often over 120º!

After our hike we took advantage of one of the few restrooms in the park and then had a chance to take photos of Kata Tjuta from a distance.

We drove through the park to Uluru (Ayer’s Rock). This rock formation is very different from the previous ones, being a sandstone layered outcropping and uplifted to an 85º angle.

We continued our drive in the park to the Bus Parking View Point where were greeted by waiters with glasses of champagne and light snacks. We enjoyed watching the sunset over this fabled sandstone monolith that rises to a height of 1,114 feet above the flat plain.

When we returned to the hotel complex, we stopped at the Gecko Italian Restaurant where we had dinner with Jim and Mary Ann. As we walked back to our rooms, the evening was very pleasant; all of the flies had disappeared!

Gennie finished writing the journal and I sorted photos; can you detect a pattern here? We have an early wake up again in the morning because we signed up for the sunrise tour of the rock. What were we thinking???

Accommodations: Voyages Sails in the Desert Hotel - - - Meals: Breakfast

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