Ayers Rock

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Touched down in Uluru Airport and the first thing Sarah and me said to each other was "now we're in proper Australia", it was red desert everywhere. We were booked into the Ayers Rock Resort, which is like a huge butlins consisting of 3 hotels, 1 campsite, 1 shopping area with a couple of cafes/restaurants and one the lodge (The Outback Lodge) which was where we were staying and had dorms and lodges and the only bar in the whole of the resort. But at $5 for a 3/4 pint we weren't going to be celebrating this fact. The dorm was really basic, i.e. 10 bunk beds in a row with 1 hanging hook each. The was a communal kitchen which was helpful because if you can imagine being in the middle of nowhere slap bang in the centre of Oz everything was double the price as it was a mission to get anything there in the first place.

We spent the afternoon enquiring about tours, their costs, how we could do things ourselves etc and so our plan for the remaining 3 and a half days was devised:

Day 1 PM, do shopping wonder around the resort watch the sunset over the Kata Tjuda Mountains and Uluru from one of the 3 look out points at the resort

Day 2 5AM: Mini-bus to Kata Tjuda to watch the sunrise before doing the 7k walk through the 'Valley of the Winds'.
The walk was amazing, if not a little tiring as we had to do some climbing and it was hot even at 9 in the morning. But after scrambling up a rock face you reach a point which looks down into an endless valley. For as far as the eye could see there was nothing man made, a real site.
Day 2 PM: Have a nap then head out to do an Aboriginal tour at Uluru. This was the only tour which is provided by a local aboriginal who work with the government to develop a way of the whites and the abbos living side by side. The tour was giving in one of their local dialects and then there was an interpreter. We were explained what the abbo meaning was behind the markings on the rock and also how the women collected bush food. It was a really interesting tour and knowing that the money was going towards helping be to have a better understanding of the culture significance of Uluru to the Abbos made it even more worthwhile. And guess what it was the cheapest tour so all round thumbs up.
630pm Sunset of Uluru with a glass of bubbly incl. in our abbo tour.
Bed and sleep

Day 3 5AM: Sunrise at Uluru before Sarah and me did the 9.5km walk around the base of Uluru. Having learnt about the culture significance of the rock and not wanting to disrespect other people’s cultures we felt strongly about doing the base walk rather than the climb. It took us just under 2hr 20 which was good going as they usually say to allow 4.
It is amazing how big the rock really is and there is so much of it that you look at and just wonder why is this here in the middle of nowhere surrounded by nothing but just one other group of rocks. Whatever the reason it was a great experience and lovely to really get behing the traditions and culture of the tribe.
Day 3PM: Nap and then sunbathe by the freezing cold pool before enjoying the live one man band in the only bar in town.

Day 4: Sunbathe in the morning then leave for Cairns where we would be staying with Shaun, a guy from back home who relocated out here over 2 and half years ago.

I'm afraid I will have to leave it there for a while as we're up at 6am to get a bus down to Airlie Beach (Whitsunday Islands) to meet up with my uncle who I haven't seen since I was 15! We'll then be coming back up to Cairns for a trip with Shaun up to Cape Tribulation and the Daintree River before heading down south to Melbourne on the 19th Oct. For those of you that aren't on face book let me know as I've upload my photos there so I will send you the link as taking too long to do it on here.

Hope I've not bored you all stiff and once again sorry for not getting around do updating sooner. So from Cairns at 1224am I say goodnight and god bless.

Wishing you all well
Mel x

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