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?!

A Town Like Alice

Weather: Sunny, 34c (Thursday 12th September)

Today was hot, hot, hot – with a lovely warm breeze blowing through (thank goodness).  We spent the day in Alice, wandering around the shops; picking up gifts (including some lovely fabric for myself with aboriginal prints on them) and taking lots of photos.  In one of the art galleries we were given the ‘5 minute tour’ by one of the members of staff and she explained about different patterns used in painting by men and women and that only certain patterns can be used.  It really opened our eyes and made us think about the items that we were buying and the meaning behind the patterns.  After lunch we started the touristy part of our outback trip and went to see the sites.  First off though, here are a few picks of Alice – including my meeting with some local Police Officers:

 

It was really neat to have a chat with them (for those who are not aware, I was a Police Officer in the UK prior to emigrating to Canada) and they were able to answer a question that had been bothering us from the night before – why were Officers on duty outside the IGA (supermarket) when we went to buy some food?  It turns out that there is a huge problem with alcohol being consumed in areas where it has been banned – and therefore they were checking up with shoppers, making sure that they did not have contraband to drink illegally.  I find this rather sad, as the main offenders appear to the aboriginals people.  Sadly, this is an issue that we also have with the First Nations in Canada. 

We then went to pay our respects at the war memorial which is situated at the top of a hill, overlooking the town.  Amazing views.

Next up was a trip to the Royal Flying Doctor Service – I am embarrassed to say that I did not realise that is was for real – I thought that it was just a TV show (I consider my wrists to be well and truly slapped!!)

We then couldn’t resist the ‘Old Timers Museum’ which was essentially a large Quonset/shed, but was really quite interesting.  Of course I gravitated towards the old sewing machines and it is quite amazing to realise all that they have gone through – traveling across country as the pioneers forged their way into the wilderness.

We finished off with a walk around the Alice Springs Desert Park – and guess what we saw????  Kangaroos!  Woo Hoo!  So exciting to see them, they are such cool creatures.  There were a couple lying down on their sides, legs crossed – so funny!  We also saw a pregnant mum with a young joey and another baby in suspended animation waiting for its turn to be born.  My trip is complete!

We leave Alice tomorrow and head for Ayers Rocks – also known as Uluru.  Looking forward to that!

Into the Outback - Day Two

Weather: Sunny 34c

Today we drove from Coober Pedy to Alice Springs - not such a long day (about 8 hours), and some amazing scenery en route.  We saw a dingo and camels . . . but still no elusive kangaroos!

This is where we stopped to refuel and have lunch.  For some bizarre reason the tree has shoes hanging from it . . . . Kulgera is in the 'bush' and will be our stopping point on the return from Ayers Rock in a couple of days.  Very desolate . . . and yet still the flies have found it :)

Hundreds and hundreds of kilometers of straight roads, sunny skies and . . . . no other vehicles!!

Woohoo!  We have arrived!!  Alice Springs is in the Northern Territory with a population of around 25,000 - about the same size as Strathmore - a town near to where we live in Alberta.  It is pretty much slap-bang in the middle of Australia and is literally miles from anywhere!

And this is the view from my room!  May need to check the pool out tomorrow . . .

So, we went shopping to get some munchies . . . and look what we found in the freezer - kangaroo tail.  It appears to be popular as this is the only one left, but I don't think that I will be trying it out :(

Tomorrow we will be spending the day in and around Alice Springs - and I am hoping to go on to a kangaroo sanctuary in the evening.  Alice Springs is also the centre for aboriginal art - and there are a number of galleries here, so maybe we will have time for some shopping?!