Advertisement
Published: March 8th 2009
Edit Blog Post
Alice Springs / Central Australia
Arriving at the heart of the central Australia Alice Springs we were greeted by sand fly's, which over the next week hovered around me like s***, to understand how annoying these fly's you will have to visit Alice Springs for your self.
Annie's place was the hostel where Ceri and I was staying. This hostel has everything you need good kitchen, swimming pool, big movie screen at night, TV in your room, a nice bar that serves $5 meals.
Alice Springs is a tiny town but has everything a tiny town need from shopping centres, Casinos, Cinema, Hospital and aboriginal people wondering the street stinking like they have never had a wash, I found out later this is because they are homeless which I did not realise.
3 Day Uluru Tour
The main reason everyone comes to Alice Springs is to visit Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park. Not visiting this national park would be as mad as staying in Sydney and not seeing the Opera house.
Day 1 - Kings Canyon, Curtin Springs.
Today was the start of the very best of central central highlights. Our tour guide Felix over the next
3 days gave us all infinite knowledge of Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park.
Kings Canyon (wartarrka) is one of the centre's most dramatic geological features. While on the 7k trek around the canyon, exhausted & exhilarated we by the 40 degree heat we had to take a swim in the garden of Edam water hole, refreshing but still bothered by the annoying fly's with out my hat on.
At night we had planned for an extraordinary night in the outback at Curtin Springs. Felix was preparing dinner beef and pasta, which was to most people was a bit disappointing as we were expecting some bush tucker in the form of grubs or kangaroo. While dinner was being cooked the rest of the ground sat around the camp fire, sparks flying up in to the stars in the endless black sky above. I had a very uncomfortable sleep in the swag as it was a really cold night.
Day 2 Kata Tjuta / Ulura Sunset.
Today we went to visit Kata Tjuta (The Olgas). There are many walks around Kata Tjuta we ended up doing the valley of the winds walk which is known as the best. The walk
took around 2 hours with exceptional views. Along the way we were greeted by a energetic lizard around the size of a small dog. I really wanted to get close look at the lizard by picking it up but with claws the size of small knifes I thought best to let it be.
Early evening was spent having dinner at a viewing point around Uluru watching the sunset. At sunset there was something special about Uluru the rock changes from a series of deep, dark reds through to an unusual grey. Night was spent camping at Ayers Rock camp ground.
Day 3 - Uluru Sunrise, Uluru Base walk.
The 3rd and final day of our tour started with a memorable Uluru sunrise. The rock at sunrise is a deep black which is nothing like I have seen before. With the sun now fully risen it was time to do the 13k Uluru base walk. The sheer size of Uluru had me dumbfounded by it's enormity after all it's only a rock not a mountain.
I managed to walk the 13k just under 2 hours and noticed the Uluru climb was open. Felix explained to us the day before that
the local Anangu people urge visitors not to climb the rock of our respect. No matter what people thing about me when it comes to respecting other cultures I do like to stick by the rules no matter how much I really wanted to climb the rock.
Before we said our final good buys to Uluru, Felix had offered to take care off a baby Kangaroo which needed to be taken to a rescue centre as it's mother was killed by another tour bus earlier that day.
The poor baby kangaroo was no older than 3 weeks old and yet to grow any fer. I played mummy for a while holding the baby kangaroo in a sleeping bag keeping it warm so it would not pass away.
On the way back we stopped of at a camel farm, to ride the camels which I just had to give a go, was really fun but very painful on the down below area.
Overall I found this tour an experience that you can not miss if you come to Central Oz. I would recommend though to get 4 people to hire a car and take turns driving at this will work out
less than $100 per person where the tour it's self as $320 each with the ticket in to Uluru. There is no doubting though that Uluru is one of the 10th wonders of the world.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.084s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 13; qc: 27; dbt: 0.0276s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb