Ruffing it in The Red Centre!!!!

---

A trip to Australia wouldn't be complete without a trip to Uluru (Ayers Rock), also a felt it would be a good adventure to end my time in OZ........so a jumped on a plane and headed to Alice Springs.


a sorted myself out with a 3day 2night Red Centre Adventure Tour....there were 21 of us and all in our 20's except one American who was probably in his 50's and a range of different nationalities on board.....Scottish, Irish, Dutch, American, Canadian, Spanish, Swedish, Japanese, German and of course the token English!!


The first day a got picked up at 6am and we headed for Kings Canyon........it was a long drive but well worth it when we got there. We done a 3-4hr walk up and round the top of the canyon....which included us going up 'Heart Attack Hill' it was quite a cool day so nobody had problems getting to the top. The guide we had was good, Dan, he'd been doing it for a while so was quite clued up on the area. if u didn't know, the reason it is called the Red Centre is due to the red rock, dust and dirt.....but if you get a bit of the rock and crack it open it is actually white sand stone......it's due to the high iron content so it oxidises with the air and goes red......basically it rusts.
We left Kings Canyon and headed to our camp site for the night. We camped on a cattle station which belonged to a mate of Dan's.......there was nothing near us for miles. The cattle station is about 1.1million acres in size, about the size of Holland!! As we drove to the cattle station I along with a few others thought we could see Uluru out the window....later on Dan told us that it was actually Mount Connor...or known locally as 'Fooluru'.....looks nothing like the rock but you just see it and assume that's it!!!
Of course there was the beer stop.....so someone had to be the Beer King.....so I took it upon myself to arrange how much we needed for the next 2nights. it came in handy when a required a new can of beer......as there would always be someone willing to get me one as we sat round the camp fire!! The food was quality and the guide done all the cooking for us. We cooked kangaroo tail in the fire the way in which the Aboriginal people would do it.......really tasty but not a lot of meat in the tail as there are bones every inch or so. One of the German guys was the 'Fire Master'.....well until he got a splinter in his hand......this guy was so funny but he wasn't trying to be.....some classic moments were seen!!! Had to be there!!
We camped out under the stars next to the fire in our 'swags'. Swag is a large kind of canvas sleeping bag which you roll out and put your sleeping bag inside and do up all the zips......really warm and comfortable....a beanie hat had to be worn to keep the chill of the head once the fire had calmed done later on during the night!! Everyone was getting along great which is always good.....and because a hung about with 2 Irish lads and we got on great from the start everyone thought we were travelling together and that I was Irish too!! We jumped into our swags and seen a few shooting stars which was really cool!!


next day we had to get up at 5-30am and get breakfast and pack the trailer up as we were camping at an actual campsite this night which had running water, showers and toilets which was a relief....more so for the girls a think!!
First stop was Kata Tjuta which was a rock formation that we walked round and through for 2hrs.....it was really windy here so when we were in the shade or standing still it was freezing cold. We then moved onto Uluru....which was what we were all there for really........a bit weird standing at the bottom of it after seeing so many pictures over the years. We were only there for a short time so we could catch sunset and watch the rock changing colours, while we had some dinner.
Then it was to the camp site for a wash and to get the fire started......both days we collected our own fire wood which was interesting.....a think the Japanese thought Dan was joking when he told us to do it!! a few of us sat up till after 1am drinking as we couldn't not finish the beer........big mistake as we were woken at 5am so we could catch the sun rise at the rock......obviously just the reverse of the sun set.........so it wasn't something new for us........and it was baltic cold, so me and a few others watched it from the bus!! We went to the Aboriginal Cultural Centre to get a better understanding of their ways etc.......interesting stuff, there were arts and crafts that had been made by locals but the prices were shocking!!
The Abo's don't like people climbing the rock....as it is kind of disrespectful to them. They don't tell u not to do it but the signs are everywhere saying how dangerous it is and about the disrespectfulness. There were only 2 people from our bus that done the climb.....I wasn't one of them. Instead we all done the base walk right round......it was good enough for me about 9.4kms.


That was the Red Centre done so it was off home for Alice Springs.........we had a few stops for lunch and a few view points and we also stopped off at a camel farm.....where you could ride a camel for 5 bucks....the best 5 bucks I've ever spent. it only lasted 5mins but it was so funny the way they would get up on their feet, we walked half the length of the circuit and then the camel ran the rest........it's too hard to describe but trust me it was hilarious!!!!
even funnier was when we first arrived one of the Japanese girls wasn't looking where she was going.....she was looking backwards.....and as she turned she banged right into a pillar which was holding a shelter up......I was the only person to see this......so when it happened a went to run over and see if she was ok.....but she started to run towards the toilet....and a quickly realized that if a continue to run after her, it will look a bit weird that this Scottish guy runs after the Japanese chick to the toilet and she walks out with a burst face....so a stopped and let her deal with it herself.....but thankfully she was alright!!


here's a tip for anyone when out in the bush and you have to use a "Bush Toilet'......never just pee on the dirt, always pee on a bush or down a tree.....or a Kangaroo if need be.....cause if you do it on the red dirt/sand the splash marks are red and go all over your legs......keep it in mind when heading out in the bush!!


once we got back to Alice we got washed up then we all met up for food and drinks at my hostel.......as we waited for the meals to come there was a Didgeridoo competition about to start so myself and one of the German guys put our names forward along with some other guys from other tour groups.......it turned out I was the only one who hadn't tried it before.....I was murder, really bad, however everyone clamped and cheered for my efforts!!!! Got to give it a shot at some point when in OZ.
we then moved onto another hostel for more drinks......which lasted until 4am.....so it had been a long day and was time to head for bed. Met some really nice people on the tour and will stay in touch......it turned out to be the best 5 days I've had here!!!!! As the guide would say...'AWSOME'!!


The next day I went a walk up Anzac Hill to get a view of Alice Springs.....a bit bigger than I had expected, and there was a local guy who was pointing out things to a visitor and I listened in to see what and where things were.
Later on in the afternoon I went to a free Didgeridoo Workshop for 30mins to try and improve from the previous nights attempt.......got a better understanding in how to play the 'instrument'. I went along with Donal(Irish), Marcel(German) and Mercedes(Spanish Chick)....was a good laugh but you couldn't here what noises you were making as there were about 30-40 of us!!


At night I met up with the two Dutch girls Lotte and Josien as we were the only one's still in Alice. So we headed out for dinner and a few drinks before calling it a night. These two girls were good company as their sense of humour was good and they knew their football and beer......what else can you ask for!!!!


Best thing I've done in OZ as it exceeded my expectations by a long shot.....and I met some quality people!!! Good times!!


my time has finally come to an end in Australia, I've been along time here.....about 7months and I've enjoyed every moment except when breaking my heel so it's going to be a bit emotional when I go to the airport. So the next blog you will be reading will be from New Zealand!!

---