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Published: January 29th 2007
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I'm not a celebrity...
So why the hell did I do this?! I couldn't really resist it to be honest. When in Rome... and all that. After you bite the head off all the juice comes out, you swallow it and spit the skin out. Tastes a bit like egg yolk. I wouldn't eat another. We travelled up to Alice Springs from Coober Pedy and had a little tour of Alice Springs before getting an early night in. We had a brilliant group. Two lovely Irish girls, some nice Germans, lots of nice English people, and a french-speaking family from the Union Islands - a mum and her three boys. Having kids there made the trip more fun because we all messed around so much - the littlest boy, Robin, definitely picked up some bad habbits from the boys in the group though!
The next morning we were up early and headed for Uluru (Ayres Rock). We had a new tour guide, Chris, for the rest of the trip. He was good fun. On the way we stopped off for a camel ride. It was pretty funny - camels can go REALLY fast! We got to Uluru just after lunch and it was scorching. Uluru is 250 million years old and is the largest single rock in the world. It was amazing to actually be there and we found out loads of really interesting things about Aboriginal beliefs etc. It's a really spiritual place for Aborigibnals and it's illegal to take photos of lots of
A cheeky little photo!
No encouragement required for this awesome photo opportunity. You might be able to make out faint tan-lines. parts of the rock where different things were said to have happened. We saw some Aboriginal artwork on the rock and watched the sunset from a place overlooking Uluru. The rock really does change colour as the sun moves through the sky. On the way home we saw Comet McNaught in the night sky!
We stayed at a camp near Uluru. After dinner we went to a lookout point where we could see the stars SO clearly. It was unbelievable. Chris said that from that point we could see around 3,500 stars. He pointed out the different constellations, including the Southern Cross and we learnt how to find ture south. We also saw loads of shooting stars! We slept in swags (like a massive sleeping bag) that night right under the stars. What an awesome day.
We were up at just after half past three the next morning to watch the sun rise at Uluru. Afterwards, we went to Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) for another walk in the full sun. Kata Tjuta is also a very spiritual place for the Aboriginals and it's really breathtaking.
On the way to camp we stopped off on the side of
Uluru at sunrise
The early start was worth it. From grey to orange in about 30 minutes. the road and walked into the bush a bit where Chris dug into the roots of a tree to find a juicy witchetty grub for anyone that might be hungry enough! He found about five of them (they were GROSS). Olly and four other nutters ate them!!!!!!!! You have to bite the head off, and eat the still wriggling body. Ugh. Unfortunaltely, Arne, a German lad, accidently bit off the tail and ate the head! Ha ha!
Our camp for the second and last night was 300km down the road from Uluru. When we got there Chris told us that there was a pool!! It was such a good suprise. We got the beers out and all dived in. It was camel chilli for dinner, and for dessert some people had Marlu wipu (kangaroo tail cooked the traditional Aboriginal way). Obviously, Olly was again the first to dig in! We all sat around the camp fire and had a good night before climbing into our swags to catch a couple of hours sleep.
Up at 4am, we headed for King's Canyon for an early morning walk. There's nothing like climbing the legendary 'Heart Attack Hill' to start your
Purple haze
Very early during sunrise at Uluru amazing colours were surrounding the rock. day off at 6am! It was a bit dangerous at times and quite steep too but a really beautiful place.There was also a water hole, 'The Garden of Eden', half way round. After the walk it was time to travel back to Alice Springs.
We all went to the bar at our hostel when we got back and had a fantastic night. Dancing on the tables and the all rest of it. Got to bed at 4am after a 24-hour day!
We all spent the next day chilling out at the pool - it was really nice. In the evening we spotted Dan Falzon (Ric Alessi from Neighbours) in the bar. It reminded me of middle school when Susanna used to like to be called Susanna Falzon!
Our last day in Alice was Australia Day. In the morning some of us went to a baby kangaroo rescue center and then we went down to the Todd River where we chilled out for the afternoon. In the evening we went to the local bar, 'Beaujangles' for a few drinks. The bar is definitely unique- it has a snake, a life-size model of Ned Kelly, boots coming out of the
Dont' play with our food
Tom messing around with the kangaroo tail before it was cooked. It wasn't very nice. Marsupials store energy in their tails so it was very fatty. ceiling, croc skulls, and loads of other quirky things. It was a good last night out in Oz!
The next morning we went and bought a didgeridoo to post home before flying to Sydney and then on to New Zealand the next day!
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Mum
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What an experience!!!
Mmmm!! What a juicy looking witchitty (is that how you spell it?) grub, I just don't know how you could have eaten that, it makes me squirm just thinking of it. The kangaroo tail doesn't sound to appetising either I think I would have passed on both delicacies. It sounds as if you had a brilliant time and the photos are fantastic. I especially like the 'cheeky' pose, not thinking of doing a calendar are you?!!!A great finale to a great trip. I await to be amazed with your exploits in Kiwi land. Happy travelling, stay safe. Love Mum xxxxxxxx