How the Outback Won!

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Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Kings Canyon on a Mulgas Tour...

I never knew that so much of nothing could create so much of something…Introducing the Australian Outback.









As with many travels, sometimes we don’t know what to expect, or just don’t have great expectations of what’s to come.

Personally, this trip basically came about because I had a few options on the table and went for the cheapest/most convenient flights that suited me! There’s so much to see in Australia I wasn’t short of options!So, I knew that thousands of people visited Uluru every single day and went to find out what the fuss was about and to delve a little deeper into Australia. Perhaps it makes me lazy for not researching my trips but to be honest I quite like to just arrive and then see what’s what! The best part is when I am super impressed and surprised at what I find! For sure, it might not always work that way but you have to go there and make your own mind up! Off I went with a backpack and a camera to a 40 degree desert in the middle of Australia. First thing…. window seat on the plane – worth it.







With uber efficiency I landed and walked out the front of the airport where I was greeted by the Mulgas tour bus, with whom I’d be spending a lot of time over the next four days! Amber was our guide and like many other Aussies was convinced I’m Australian because I now basically sound like one – does that get me a visa?! My first pleasant surprise…I knew it was a big rock, but Uluru is huge – about twice as high as I had anticipated so I was already impressed. Easy win Uluru.Despite the temperature we walked around one side of Uluru and learnt about the aboriginal culture and the sacredness of Uluru for those people. There are ceremonial caves and wall paintings, but these are rarely used now due to the history of Uluru including the introduction of tourism. It’s a tricky conundrum – of course I am one of those tourists that disrupts these practices. At the same time, from the experience I gained a much greater understanding of the culture. As a tour group we respected the areas where we couldn’t take photos and wouldn’t have climbed the rock had it been open. It’s still an option for tourists to climb Uluru when the temperature is not so high – this is still an area of contention for the aboriginal community. We finished our day with dinner, champagne, and sunset over Uluru.

I’ve done plenty of camping in my time, having been an enthusiastic Girl Guide, but camping in the outback has got to be my new favorite. No need to put up a tent, just roll out a magical swag! It’s basically a canvas bag with a thin mattress inside and a thick waterproof bottom. Pop your sleeping bag inside and you’re good to go. Put your shoes under the head flap so a dingo doesn’t steal them (that’s not a joke) and create a pillow from some belongings.







I spent three days in the outback, firstly stopping at Uluru, then moving on to Kata Tjuta the following day after an Uluru sunrise. Our Kata Tjuta (also known as the Olgas) hike was finished by 10am as we had to hike very early in order to finish before the sun got the better of us.Whilst the sun beat down on the cracked earth, we drove the three hour trip to Kings Canyon, stopping en route for Mulga wood (dead) for the campfire. We pulled in at Curtin Springs for supplies. Curtin springs is a million acre station which was purchased in 1956 by one man and his wife. They turned it into a successful cattle station in these harsh conditions.






A very welcome pool was at the Kings Canyon campsite and we spent the evening watching sunset, sitting round the campfire, eating kangaroo steak, watching the stars and sleeping under the stars. This is where the magic really began. I was already impressed, but then night fell and as it was a clear night the sky lit up. I set up in my swag and willed my eyes to stay open admiring the planets, shooting stars, and satellites. Each time I rolled over in the night I had to admire it again!







Day three was an early hike around Kings Canyon. Straight up the steep start and along comes a black foot rock wallaby! There had also been some rainfall overnight so the waterfall was looking good in the distance. We spent some time walking around the canyon, to the different view points, and to the garden of eden where the water flowed into a large pool. It’s a very impressive site and amazing how all these formations appear out of such a flat landscape. After a sweaty hike around the canyon, we returned to camp for lunch and a swim before preparing for bush camp.







On the drive, Mount Connor is usually visible in the distance – also known as “fooluru”. More than a few people have come to the outback and believed they saw Uluru when in fact they saw Mount Connor! Also unknown to me were the salt flats of the Northern Territories – an added bonus that we visited these.







The final night in The Outback and possibly my favourite as we went to bush camp. A short drive from Curtin springs and we were very quickly in the middle of nowhere. There was a shipping container/shelter set up with a store of swags and that was it. We built a campfire and watched the sunset from the top of a small sand dune. Despite it only being about ten meters high, the land is so flat that it provided a viewing platform for 360 degrees of nothingness. But what beautiful nothingness it was!







The bathroom was the bush, as was the bedroom – a swag under the stars and the hope it wouldn’t rain (it didn’t). As I settled down for the night, all that lay ahead of me was bushland and all that floated above me were billions of stars. The outback had won me over.

JHG

Tips: I did the Mulgas rock to rock tour 4d3n.

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