We got back from our 4 days/3 nights excursion to the Red Centre - well, that's what they used to call it anyway. Today it looks distinctly greener than they've seen it for many years after a number of storms hit the area when we were there. We were both fortunate and unfortunate with the weather - we got a rare chance to see this semi-arid zone having some precipitation bringing the desert plants to life all of a sudden, but we also managed to escape getting wet ourselves as every time we ventured out it was hot and dry. On the other hand, some thin clouds blotted both the sunset and sunrise at Uluru and we never quite saw the big rock at its finest, with the changing colours and shades as the sun rises and falls, but overall it was a great experience.
Before going on to the full story and photos of this, here's a couple from last Tuesday when we met up with David and Lorene for lunch. They drove us down to the Henley Beach Hotel and afterwards to Glenelg for ice cream:
Chris drove us to the airport on Wednesday morning on his way to work. We didn't mind being there a bit early, but we were disappointed to find out that the only lounge there was Qantas and we couldn't get in there as we were flying cattle class. Never mind, it's a nice airport and Muffin Break filled the time.
Arriving at Alice Springs airport for the first time, you get a real feeling of the outback - no long travelators there - you walk from the airport through what seems a bit like the bush to the terminal building:
We were picked up and taken to our hotel, where our room was ready for us, so we dumped our bags and grabbed a quick lunch before our next pick-up for the Alice Springs afternoon tour, which encompassed:
- The School of the Air
- Telegraph Station
- Flying Doctor service
- Reptile Centre
- Anzac Hill memorial
The first one taught us how kids are taught remotely over the vast distances of central Australia's Northern Territories - and we finally managed to buy fly nets here, which we had been told were essential for our visit to Uluru the following day.
The second one was the most interesting for me - a well preserved site from the very early days of communications, with some lovely walks and mountain bike paths all round it. We didn't have time to do any of the walks, but there was a little hill there - Trig Hill - and I worked out I had just enough time to climb it and get back in time for the bus leaving:
The Reptile Centre not only let us view the most dangerous snakes in the world - virtually all Australian - but we also got a tutorial on what to do and what not to do out in the bush, with particularly detailed instructions on the procedure to follow should we be bitten by a snake. It felt a bit like a Health & Safety talk, but it was surely sound advice.
Our last stop was at the war memorial on Anzac Hill, from where you get fine views of the town and surrounding countryside:
We were returned to our hotel at dusk, just in time for us to jump in the pool to cool down after a hot and sweaty afternoon. We dined on site that night.
An early start on Thursday for the five and a half hour drive to Uluru/Ayer's Rock resort. Yes, that's right - five and a half hours (including stops) - it's 467 kms! The coach was comfortable and the ride easy. Our first toilet and refreshment stop also afforded us the opportunity of camel rides (declined!):
Further on was the Mount Ebenezer Roadhouse:
then it was the Mount Conner viewpoint:
to the uninitiated, it looks a lot like Uluru. Locals call it fooleroo.
You can see why this area is called the Red Centre - the dust and grit gets everywhere. On the other side of where Jo's standing, there's a large salt water lake.
The real thing we wouldn't see until later on, but you can see the difference now between Uluru and "fooleroo", can't you?:
We got to Ayer's Rock resort in good time to check and have a spot of lunch. The Sails in the Desert hotel was lovely - pity we weren't going to be spending much time there.
Our afternoon/evening tour took us to the Cultural Centre where we learned about the local indigenous Anangu aborigines, who regard Uluru as a sacred place and, as a result, photographs are not allowed in certain areas - but we more than made up for it in other areas. Our guide took us round part of the rock and told us a few of the Aboriginal fables:
At the sunset viewing area, we met a couple of young girls from Dundee who took this photo for us:
We also met a guy, originally from Edinburgh, and his wife, and we sat beside them at dinner, which was held indoors at the Cultural Centre due to the threatening storms.
Friday morning was a really early rise - we were being picked up at 4:30 am to head for the sunrise viewing point at Uluru. The sky to the east promised much:
Slowly, aided by an almost full moon, Uluru came in to the light:
Those eyes and that face kept haunting me - and I don't mean Jo.
Next stop was the range of 36 domed rocks at Kata Tjuta, which were as impressive, or even more so, than Uluru itself:
I'm not sure I captured their full majesty in any of the above photos - they were very impressive. There was a gap between a couple of the domes - Walpa Gorge - and we took a walk through there:
By 10 am we were back in our hotel, where we showered, changed and packed for the long coach ride back to Alice. There were still storms in the area and when we hit the Stuart Highway again, the sight from the front of our bus was a little alarming:
We got through safely in the end and settled in to our hotel and ordered room service for dinner.
In the morning (Saturday), we awoke to the sound of another storm overhead. By now, the Todd River was in full flow - so much so that, when the rains eventually subsided and we went out for a short walk, we heard the sound of kids laughing and went to have a look and found an Aborigine family wallowing in the muddy waters - they probably had never been able to do this before in their lives as the river bed is usually just a dry sandy base:
In the town centre, we spotted an artistic wall:
So that was it - a hugely enjoyable break.
