Outback Australia!

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No trip to Australia is complete without a trip to the Outback!! When we were planning the trip we thought about what we would want to see if we never have the chance to return to Australia. The Great Barrier Reef and the Outback topped the list. So, yesterday we flew from Cairns in North Queensland to Ayers Rock in Northern Territory and set out to explore the Outback! After taking the shuttle to the resort, we sat at a picnic table and figured out what we want to do for the two days we are here. We decided we would be most free to check everything off our list if we had a rental car. So, we hopped back on the shuttle to the airport and rented a car. The airport is only open from 9am-4pm every day, so we made this decision rather quickly, and we are so glad we did! Yesterday we drove into Uluru-Kata Tjuda National Park, bought a two day park pass, and started our journey with a trip to the Cultural Center where we learned about the Anangu "tribe" and their way of life and views of the significance of the area. It's always interesting learning about cultures so different than your own. We then took off to the Mala Car Park where we started our 10.6km (6.5 mile) hike around the base of Ayers Rock. It was so beautiful! We started at 3pm and finished at 6pm, just as the sun was setting. The changing colors of the rock at sunset, the long shadows in the desert, and the setting sun over the vast emptiness of the desert was breathtaking! While we saw people on the trail, it was far from crowded. We are so glad to have had this experience! It truly is an awe-inspiring place to visit! Today we are off to Kata-Tjuta - the other side of the national park, and the side many people claim is even more beautiful than Uluru. Excited to see what is in store for us today in this dusty, sandy, dry, but beautiful part of the world!

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