Uluru,
Australia
Along the highway from Alice
Springs we
stopped at a roadhouse that had
some Kangaroos.
One
joey was in a cloth pouch hanging on a post. Apparently an
orphan.
The
other seems to have just about outgrown his natural pouch.
Here we had our first
camel ride.
Miles upon miles of flat
dry outback.
This rock is actually
bigger than
Uluru just not as photogenic.
Kata Tjuta also known as
the Oglas
off in the distance
As we drew closer we
could see
vegetation on the tops of the rocks and began to get a sense of just
how big it was.
And even closer we saw
these boulders
that had fallen from the pits
high on the walls of the crevices.
For a sense of scale
look for the
people at the lower left of the first
picture below.
There was a bit of
excitement during
our hike up Walpa Gorge when
someone collapsed and the rangers had to summon medical help for him.
He recovered and
rejoined our group
before we left.
Our first view of Uluru
(the
aboriginal name) called Ayers Rock by the
early European settlers.
Our hotel had some art
including a
carved and decorated emu egg.
The pool was excellent
except for the
temperature of the tile
surrounding it.
My guess is that you
couldn't fry an
egg on it but it would have been
close.
Sunsets over the desert.
We enjoyed some unique
foods at a
cook it yourself barbecue with a variety of local meats.
Elsewhere on the trip we
had our
first taste of camel.
All were good and we
understand that
they are low in cholesterol so
they are good for you.
We started our camel
trek to
breakfast before sunrise and were treated
to a view of Uluru that not many have seen.
Breakfast tucker
included billy tea,
damper (beer bread) with, golden syrup, Marmite, several kinds
of
jam and
cheese.
There are people who say
Marmite
tastes good. They are liars.
If you want to be alone
at a tourist
resort, take a hike.
We have found that a few
hundred
yards is far enough to thin out the crowds dramatically.
So a walk around Uluru
was in order.
If you choose to do the
same take sun
block, plenty of water, and allow at least three hours and as
much more
time as you can spare.
We didn't see one other
person except
where we started and ended our
hike next to the access point for the climb to the top.
And few people even there.
When we
visited the trail to
the top was closed because of temperature and wind conditions.
We wouldn't have climbed
in any case
since the aborigines request that
people don't violate their sacred place.
We found places the rock
was shaped
like breaking waves.
A flock of Finches, I
think, in some
bushes near the trail.
The trail was solid rock
in places,
packed soil, or loose sand in others.
Erosion has created wild
sculptures
in the rock that no tour bus can get to.
You will only see
them by taking a walk.
There are several spots
with shaded
benches if you want to rest or just
take a little while to study your surroundings.
Sunset reveals the
changing face of
Uluru.
A morning walk through
the desert
showed the tracks of some of its residents.
Wild camels, lizards,
snakes, birds,
beetles and unknown critters.
An evening dinner with
great views of
Uluru and sunset over Kata Tjuta.
Here are links to other
sights in Australia
Western
Australia, Northern
Territory, Alice
Springs, Uluru, Cape
Tribulation,
Great Barrier Reef, Tasmania, Victoria, Wildflowers
See
other places we have visited here.
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to our Personal
home page
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Nancy
and
Alan