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27/9/09 Off early & on the way to Uluru, we plan to stay 2 nights along the way, just
outside of Alice we saw 2 Dingos by the road which was a first for us. We also saw about 5
big eagles in a tree, boy are they big. Since in the NT we have noticed that there is not as
much road kill, I don’t know if there are not a s many road trains to kill the Roo’s. We
thought this might be a bit of a boring drive, but far from it. The mountain ranges & rocky
outcrops to the red soil & colourful rocks is amazing. I kept taking pics out the window &
Den & I were in awe of this big land of ours. We passed a few free spots that were good & we
were going to stay at but we were cruising along nicely & stopping at Mt Ebenezer for
fuel we turned off to go to Uluru & kept going. We saw this big rock in the distance &
thought that’s it Uluru, but it was Mt Conner a spectacle by itself. We decided to stay at
Curtain Springs Roadhouse no 51
NT Free Camp. It is a roadhouse that offers free camping or powered sites ($25 a night ) free showers & toilets. We thought we would free camp ( so we could spend the money we save at the bar at the roadhouse Ha! Ha! ) After setting up we went for a walk & ended up having a drink in the beer garden & saying that the roadhouse was an oasis in a desert. The camp is really big , by the end of the night there must have been 50 (at least ) vans, cars , tents, motor homes etc parked here. We laughed , there is a resident Emu that wanders through at his leisure & he had a great time trying to get someone’s washing off the line. The girls have seen it but , have not been too worried. Jessie actually flew out of the van the other day & chased a bird & when Den called her she came back. What a good girl she was. We were laughing on our 7,800 km’s travelled , we reckon Jessie has not seen one kilometre on this trip, she gets in the car, puts her head
down & goes to sleep. Annie has probably seen about a quarter, she has to know what’s going on & is always looking out the window. We are staying here for 2 days & tomorrow we are doing nothing. I might even read a book ( shock horror )
We did 400 km’s today
28/6/09 After bacon & eggs for breaky & a walk, I actually sat down & read a book, yes & I could very easily get used to this & Den is sun baking ( as if he needs to ). We had a rest after lunch & while the generator was on I caught up with our blog & gave Den a No 2 with the dog clippers (as that was all I had). It‘s not too bad & I think he looks great. He has never had his hair this short. . Having happy hour we could bot stop laughing as the resident Emu came strutting through the camp & a cattle dog that was off his lead decided to have a go at it. The Emu was not having a bar of it & just took off & chased the dog under their
van & the dog would not come out. We had a BBQ for tea & played Rumicube, all in all a great peaceful day, ready for Uluru & walking tomorrow.
29/6/09 Got going & started to see Uluru about 25 k’s out, it is an amazing “Rock”. we arrived at Yalara resort & camping area around 10am & it is very nice, even has an IGA supermarket & any sort of accommodation you could imagine, We set up camp & had lunch , left the girls in the van & went out to The Olga’s .The National Park entry fee was $25 per adult so after paying our fees went past Uluru & to the Cultural Centre to get all the info & have a look around. 50 k’s to the Olga’s so off we headed, on the way, we saw people climbing the rock, they looked like ants, It was about 2pm & we stopped at a viewing area & all the rock formations of the Olga’s were spectacular. We pushed on & went to the “Valley of the Winds Walk”, which is 7.5 km walk , I went as far as the first lookout 2.2 km return
& Den went on to the 2nd lookout another 2.5 km & I went and sat in the car. We then went on to the other walk “The Walpa Gorge Walk” 2.6 km return. Both tracks were rough, steep & jagged with rocks but worth seeing, my back & feet were not liking it but it was a tiring but nice day, The girls were pleased to see us & they were good & had not made any noise. We got tea & we were in bed early, both buggered.
30/6/09 Awake at 5.30 am & we decided to go & see the Rock at sunrise, what a sight, the sun came over the horizon & lit up the rock with all the colours glowing. Then back to the Cultural Centre where we had breakfast, the decided to do some walks, among them The Liru , Mala & Gorge Walk, about 7 km’s in all, I only just made it. Uluru is so different & complex up close, The colours, Caves, steep sides, waterfall markings, ledges, Sacred Sites & we even saw a few paintings on the walls. The rock climb was closed due to high winds on the
summit ( Den was Real upset ha, ha, ). Well we had enough for the day so back to the van & lunch. I had a rest as feet & back were not good, then we had happy hour with the people next door & got ready for a night out. We caught the courtesy bus to “The Outback Ridge” where you bought your steak & cooked it & there was a buffet salad, we were entertained with a country & western singer & it was a great night, we caught the bus home & went to bed.
1/7/09 Today I decided to stay at the van to do a few things & give my feet a bit of a rest as we are going on a sunset camel ride, & Den went back to Uluru to walk around the base of the rock . I got a phone call from him & he sounded pleased with himself, He climbed the rock, good on him. I made him promise to ring me when he got down, which he did. It took him 1 hour to climb it & 40 mins to come down ( he is still trying to
get his toes out of the front of his sneakers, it was so steep ) . He arrived home all smiles & we got ready for our sunset Camel ride . We got picked up with the bus & dropped off at the Camel Farm & we were “Installed” on the camel , no mean feat (we were the oldest couple on the ride) We had a Camel called “Jack” a gentle boy ( 22 years old ) . There were 11 Camels & we were the last one on the line. The trip was informative & very scenic & the rock was nice at sunset. By the time an hour went by our Bums were sore & my back suffering, they jerk a lot, the camels that is, I will need a massage tonight. But it was a great experience & would do it again. We went back to the farm & had wine, beer & nibble’s , what a perfect end to a great day. Back to camp & tea & an early night . Off to Kings Canyon with a few free stops in between, we may be out of mobile range for a few days .
There are 2 pages & more photos , so keep scrolling down & go to page 2 & scroll down again, they have changed the format of the blog & I am having a few problems - sorry
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Millie
non-member comment
Thank you
Hi, your travels sound fantastic, my husband and daughter are heading there next month, flying up and campervanning around for a few days - thanks for the info on the free spots to camp, all dollars saved means more drink and food to eat...lol! Cheers Millie