Alice Springs

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We were up at 6am to check out and walk to the bus station. We caught a bus to the airport at around 7am. We were inundated with texts about Liverpool having beaten Chelsea in yet another Champions League Semi Final (We were delighted with the result but sad we couldn't catch the game). Our flight to Alice Springs took about three hours and when we hopped off we were collected by our hostel (Oz is so easy).

The weather was timid by Alice standards but roasting for the rest of us at 31 degrees and it was very different from Melbourne. Almost immediately we noticed the fly's buzzing about. They were soon to become the bane of our lives in Alice.

We were in a pretty cool dorm with two Liverpool girls, called helpfully, Jenny and Jenny who were funny and delighted about the result that morning. We went and did a bit of grocery shopping and had some lunch.

For those of ye not in the know, Alice Springs (or the Alice as its known) is in the Northern Territory and is about 200 km south of the absolute centre of Australia. It's the general jump
off point for trips to Uluru. As we were hitting it in late Autumn the temperatures were manageable but you still knew you are in the middle of a desert.

We took it easy in the afternoon and ate at the hostel that evening. The five dollar special was Chilli Con Camel (With camel obviously) which was pretty nice and had to be tried. We had a few jugs of Alice Springs Bitter (Turned out to be Castlemaine XXXX with a fancy label) with our new roommates. We grabbed a cab down to Bojangles the local pub which is one of the weirdest pubs we had ever been in.

It’s a sawdust and nuts on the floor, wellys hanging from the roof type place. It also preys on the innocent tourist, with toilet doors with the handles on the wrong side, so you push like a fool while locals tell you to get the key from the bar (Not that we fell for it), taps that turn on different sinks and gold coins embedded in tables under wax. The one thing they didn't have that evening was an open bar so we moved up the road to a place called Melankas. It was busy enough and we had a laugh there before calling it a night.

We were a little worse for wear the following morning and took it fairly easy in the morning. We spent some time working on the blog before heading back out of Alice city centre . We watched some TV and ate at the hostel bar that night. We were in bed early as we were up early the next day.

A 5am start the following day was fairly painful but we made it. We met our guide and driver Glen. He was a good laugh and we were soon on the road. Our group was made up of lots of different nationalities and were a good laugh. First stop was a camel farm before we got to the cultural centre at Uluru (450 km south west of Alice Springs). The information here was based mainly around the Aboriginal relationship with Uluru and some of their history.

We had debated whether or not to climb Uluru before getting there and had decided that we would. The next thing to decide was whether or not we would be able to climb it. The initial part of the climb was seriously tough and a lot of people seem to turn back there but we made it to a relatively flat part and took a breather. Our group was made up of Jun (Crazy Korean), Edward from New York and Gabrielle from the Czech Republic. We lost Tim the English lad about a quarter of the way up. The climb was worth it for the amazing views although the fly’s never abated even at the top. We had purchased fly nets which while looking ridiculous were a great investment and kept the fly's out of our eyes and ears.

We headed to watch sunset at Uluru after that which was beautiful as the rock changed colour and had our tea there shortly after. We then drove a short distance up the road and then off the road into the bush where we were camping. After getting a fire going we each took a swag (Sort of a one man tent/sleeping bag but heavier with a flap for the rain) and sleeping bag and chatted around the fire. After a few beers we all fell asleep as the long day caught up with us.

We were up again at the crack of dawn for sunrise at Uluru which was just as spectacular and beautiful in the morning. After that we had breakfast and then did the Mala walk where our guide explained some of the history surrounding Uluru and the geolgical significance of it.

From there we waved goodbye to Uluru and drove to Kata Tjuta which are about 30kms away. These 36 domes, covering an area of 21.68 km², are composed of conglomerate, a sedimentary rock consisting of cobbles and boulders of varying rock types including granite and basalt, cemented by a matrix of sandstone (Thanks Wikipedia) and they are really nice in pictures too. We did a 3 hour walk around them which was really beautiful and Glen explained how they fitted into the geological area.

After our walk we were back on the bus for a drive to Kings Creek which is about 323 km southwest of Alice Springs. It was dark by the time we got there but this time we were staying at a hugely spread out camping type area with a kitchen. We still were sleeping under the stars which were spectacular again that night. After a few more beers - We had teamed up with the other Irish elements of the group (All two of them - Paul from Cavan and Trish from Fermanagh) and we had a slightly later night that night. Another 6am start we hit the road. It was about a 30km drive to Kings Canyon.

Kings Canyon is a steep sided canyon about 100 metres high with spectacular views and walks. We walked for about 3 hours and by the time we had finished the sun was high in the sky. After we had all gathered and took the last few pictures we moved on. We went back to Kings Creek for a sausage and salad lunch and then hit the road back to Alice. The drive took 5 hours and so we were tired and hungry getting back to the hostel.

After sorting out a room mix up and a great shower we all assembled back down at the bar. We had a delicious Kangaroo curry for tea and then a few pitchers of beer to celebrate a great trip. A bunch of us headed into Bojangles from there and eventually onto Melankas. After a pie (A must) we made our way back to the hostel about as late as you can in Alice Springs.

After a few cups of coffee the next day we spent the afternoon on the net. We decided to head with Tim to see Spiderman 3 in the cinema in town. We had a beer in Bojangles and then caught the movie before an early night.

The next day was Ciaran’s birthday so we decided that along with the only other remaining people still in the hostel from our trip to Uluru we would do something. The two remaining were Ally from England and Julia from Germany. We were up at 9am and rented a car after breakfast. We collected the car which turned out to be a Toyota Yaris.

We headed out of the city to a place called Desert Park where we saw all the creatures that live in the desert as well as all the different types of environments that exist there. After a couple of hours we were ready for lunch and headed back into town. We headed up ANZAC hill after that for nice views of the city and an ANZAC memorial.

We drove to the Royal Flying Doctors Museum but as it was nearly closed we changed our minds and headed out of the city again. We headed for the first telegraph station in Alice (The reason the town exists) which is right beside the original Alice Spring. We did a lovely walk around the station where we saw lots of kangaroos.

Although it was Ciaran’s birthday - It was Tuesday in Alice Springs so choices were limited for that night. We decided (Quite accidentally) to recreate Ciaran’s twelfth birthday. So first up was the cinema to see Disturbia. This was followed by a kangaroo pizza and then we broke the twelfth birthday party idea by going for a few pints in Bojangles and then out to the hostel for a few more. It was definitely a very different birthday to the last few thats for sure.

Yet again we were up at 9am to check out. Our week in the desert had come to an end. After tying up a few lose ends in town (Namely Ciaran cashing a free mars bar wrapper) we got the shuttle to the airport.

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