Musings, photos and general bits 'n' bobs about my trip to Australia and New Zealand, September 2013

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Uluru


Weather: 30c, sunny.  (Friday 13th, September)


Another fabulous day weather wise, and a drive to Ayers Rock, also known by its aboriginal name of Uluru.  The drive (Stuart Highway then Lassiter Highway) was hilarious – whenever we saw anything higher than a termite hill, we claimed it as Uluru – but for those who have already visited, you really don’t see it until you are very close.   


So hello Mt. Conner (above) and Mt. Ebenezer – who masquerade as Uluru (below)!



 
I am afraid that we were typical tourists here – stop the car, jump out, take photos, drive to the next fabulous viewpoint, stop the car etc., etc., etc.,  But you know what?  It worked for us.  It really is quite amazing.  





A few fun facts – it is made out of sandstone that is actually grey in color.  However, it has quite a high iron content, and the orange/red color that you see is actually rust.  Yep, you got that, Uluru is rusty!  It has worn away quite a bit, and the faces are not at all like the smooth sides that you see in photographs.  Here are some of my favorite photos . . . .



 
I found the countryside most interesting,  for some reason I thought that there would be barren desert all around – but that was not even close to the truth.  Some areas would be quite lush, with bright green grasses, then we would see lots of trees, then scrubland, and so it kept changing as we drove along.  The land itself though was pretty much the red and that you would imagine.


We didn’t see much in the way of animals today – not even one of the over one million camels that reside in Australia.  Actually – I tell a lie.  Whilst driving I saw a twig in the road – about 18” long with one end bent up from the road.  I drove around it – didn’t want it getting stuck under the hire car – and up it got and scurried off.  Being an Australian creature expert, I determined that it was ‘lizardy’!

We then arrived at Kulgera – an outback outpost, and booked in for the night.  The ‘roadhouse’ accommodation was very ‘rough and ready’, but basically clean.  Look what Paul and Sharon found in their bathroom . . . . .   


The food though, was fabulous.

Tomorrow we are back in Coober Pedy and hope to make a trip to an opal mine.  Another early start – but we can catch up on sleep on our flights later in the vacation.  Right?!

1 comment:

  1. Hey - you fly all this way - you certainly should jump out and photograph everything.

    ReplyDelete