Blogs from Oceania - page 3

As I stroll back from breakfast it’s a bit hard not to notice the “do not disturb” sign on the door of the room next to ours. And this wouldn't normally be worthy of comment, except it’s been there every time we’ve walked past since we got here a couple of days ago. I guess the inhabitants might be honeymooners. I hope so. I’m not sure I want to think too hard about other possible explanations. Issy’s legs have gone on strike after yesterday’s exertions, so I head off alone to explore Kata Tjuṯa (also known as Mount Olga), Uluṟu’s slightly lesser known neighbour, 50 odd kilometres to the west. It consists of 36 spectacular red granite, basalt and sandstone domes, the tallest of which rises 546 metres above the surrounding plain, and is thus nearly ... read more

Today we plan to take the 10 kilometre odd stroll around the base of the mighty monolith that is the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Uluṟu. But first we must survive breakfast. I decide I must have dreamed I watched a spectacular Uluṟu sunset last night. We just can’t be out here in the back of beyond of our vast homeland; we’re clearly in some mass tourist resort hotel next to Disneyland - screaming kids, and foreign tourists of every colour and creed fighting over a buffet. As I said yesterday we hardly saw a single person on the hundreds of kilometres of road in here …. unless I dreamt that bit as well … and I know I’ve asked before, but where exactly did all these people come from and how did they get here? Anyway, ... read more

So today we’ll be heading 450 kms south-west to Uluṟu, the iconic monolith formerly known as Ayers Rock. It’s Mother’s Day, so I went out dutifully last night and bought my beloved a box of chocolates. I then wished her a happy Mother’s Day and espoused her virtues on our extended family chat … well I thought it was Mother’s Day … until someone pointed out that I was a week early. I hope we can still eat the chocolates. We’re up at the crack of dawn for an early getaway … well that was the plan until we notice that one of our tyres appears to be more than a tad on the flat side. Hmmm. But no worries, we’ve got a spare, and a jack, and a wheel brace, so we’ll be on our ... read more

Issy’s opted for another day of rest and relaxation on the large deck of our AirBnb, overlooking a small swimming pool, and why not. … well in my case it’s because I struggle with the whole relaxation thing … so I leave her to it and set off to explore the splendours of the West MacDonnell Ranges. First stop is the spectacular Simpsons Gap, where a stream has again managed to erode its way through 100 metres or so depth of the mountain range. It seems this whole area was once part of the sea bed. As the waters receded they found weak points in the rock and progressively eroded them away over the billenia (is that a word?) to form the gaps, chasms and gorges that we can see today. So that explains the sand ... read more

Issy opts for a rest day, so I bravely set off alone along the Ross Highway to explore the wonders of the East MacDonnell Ranges. First stop is Emily Gap where a sandy dry river bed has created a deep sheer sided gap through the range … well it’s not actually dry, there’s a swimming hole here complete with jumping rope. There’s a sign to the effect that taking photos in the bit of the gap beyond the swimming hole is not allowed for cultural reasons … which is probably a bit superfluous … the water completely fills the gap, so you’d a need submersible camera, or ropes and crampons to climb around the water on the rocks … well actually no, it’s just the submersible camera option … you’re not allowed to climb the rocks. ... read more