The Alice, Uluru and The Olgas

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October 23rd 2005

Published: November 7th 2005

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Hitchin and Beyond

Stormy Weather

Truely spectacular rain storm in Alice Springs

October 18th Tuesday Off to Alice

Perth airport for flight to Alice Springs. Short queues and lovely place to wait but Internet not working.
I have really enjoyed Perth and Western Australia but am excited to be going to
'The Alice' as it is known in Oz. I have always wanted to visit...maybe Neville Shute has something to do with it.

The plane was quite small and we were seated in row 1. Lots of legroom but not much luggage storage space.
The take off was almost silent, a weird sensation.
Great view of Ayers Rock (Uluru) from the righthand windows. 75% of the passengers moved to the righthand side of the plane to take a peak. Thankfully this did not make the plane tip over although it looked like it should!

Car ready for us.
Approached by a Japanese lad who had missed his shuttle bus so we gave him a lift into town.
The drive from the airport shows that we are now in a drier area. Huge flat plains with small scrub and then the orange red outcrops of the MacDonnell range mountains.
The Alice is a medium sized town with now familiar low level

The storm is over

From the terrace of the Hostel

housing, but with a deal more corrugated iron used. There is a reasonable amount of greenery and less sand than I expected.
Our Hostel, Annie's Place, is opposite the hockey pitch not too far from the centre. We are in a 6 bedded dorm with a side room (cupboard) containing another double bed. For once we are not the only ones in the room.
Steve and I repaired to the bar downstairs and sat outside in the growing twilight..Ah!
The furniture was wet, apparently they have had rain for the last 5 days..very unusual at this time of year. It means that the Todd river is flowing. Something that often happens only once in a year.
As we sipped our drinks the sky darkened and we were treated to the view of a storm over the desert. The red of the ground was reflected on the underside of the clouds and it was a striking sight. Lightening looks much fiercer on a red background.

The bar serves a 'traveller's' meal for 5 AUD. and there is a veggie option.
Steve and I had vegetable lasagna and the boys had Camel (I kid you not) Lasagna.
It came with rice

The Todd is running

A fairly rare event in Alice Springs

and salad dressed with balsamic vinegar. Best 5 bucks I've spent in a while.

Slept well despite other people coming and going.

October 19th

Couldn't face the shower which was covered in black mould pathches.
Free breakfast of toast and coffee in non too clean kitchen.
Into town for supplies and then off on the Stuart Hoghway to Ayers Rock. It is called Uluru here. And it is a long way from Alice Springs about 500 kms.
Outside the town the land gets more arid and flat.
Came across a queue of cars (very unusual) and find that the road is flooded.
After watching a car smaller than ours manage to cross we risk it..no probs.
Further down the road the flood has washed away a chunk of the roadworks. When water flows here it really flows.
Long straight road with low scrub alongside.
Stop at a roadhouse but picnic in the car as the flies are rife.
Stopped by a local who has run out of petrol and is asking for money. Steve gives him some. I would have liked to point out that the car at the side of the road needed more than fuel

Extreme Quad Biking

A local showing us all how to cross the flooded road

to make it go anywhere..it had at least one wheel missing.
Fill up with fuel at an extortionate price of 1.65 a litre. We consider using the free camping faclilities but there is little to do here and no grass or shade. Would have been fine in a camper van.
See a huge rock which turns out to be Mt Conor so stop for photos.
A little way down the road we spy a wild camel!
The next rest stop has a dune that we climb for our first (land) view of Uluru. Impressive as it rises from a huge flat plain.
Landscape barer here.
Pitch at Ayers Rock resort. Not a bad site with good amentities and a pool.
Back in the car to view Uluru at sunset.
Have to buy a day park pass that again is valid for 3 days.
Stand with a large gaggle of other tourists along the viewing fence and watch the rock change colour as the sun goes down. It appears to be lit from within for a few minutes and it does go through a range of reds and browns but it is not quite as extreme as the tour selling photos

Roadside

View from the Stuart Highway the day after the storm

would have you believe.
Resort supermarket is large and well stocked so tea is not a problem.
Have to buy beer and wine at the outside bar and it is not cheap. There is also a limit to the quantity you can buy in a day.
We could not have drunk our 'quota' even if we could have afforded it!!!
Notice at the bar 'thongs not acceptable at the bar'..are they planning to check my underwear before they serve me?? No it means no flip flops.. which I am wearing! no one notices.
Cook on the free gas BBQ...great but no way to clean it!
Met a couple who had had trouble lighting it who wanted to know the secret only to discover that they were from Milton Keynes.
A small world.

October 20th

Woken at around 5am by a fellow camper getting ready to go and view the sunrise at the rock. Not sure what she found so loudly funny and why she needed to shout across the field but maybe she was just excited....I wasn't. There are loads of rules about noise after 10pm but nothing for pre 7am. Think I'm getting middle aged and grumpy!

Roadworks!

The road works to build a new bridge were all but swept away

After breakfast we drive to Uluru ..yesterday's one day pass still being valid.. to get a close look.
Visited the cultural centre first to learn what we could about the rock and it's traditions. There is some info but there is still a lot that 'can not be shared with non traditional owners'.
Take notice of the traditional owners request that people don't climb the rock and opt for the walk around the base. There were still a few people who climbed..it didn't look easy.
The walk skirts the rock and gives views of the holes and folds. Uluru is by no means as smooth as it looks in most shots.
The walk was over easy ground but it was very hot and we were accompanied by half the flies in Australia.
There are many sections where photography is not allowed, as the sites are sacred, which means we cant share some of the amazing formations with you.
I will probably be shot for saying this but I found the place disturbing and at times the rock looked like a built structure. There were parts where it seemed as if the outer covering had melted and run like chocolate.
Having

Uluru (Ayers Rock) at Sunset

Colour change sequence 1

completed the 10km hike we were all hot so back to camp and a dip in the pool.

Lazy evening. Disappointed that the stars here are not as visible as we expected...to much ambient lighting and some cloud too.

October 21st

Rory's birthday.
Packed up and made our way to The Olgas. These are a group of rocks that are larger and more important to the tradtional owners than Uluru.
They appear as a series of joined domes and are a stunning sight, 50 kms from Uluru.
It is hotter today and although we start the Valley of the Winds walk we only go as far as the first look out point. Great view but the going is not flat and the ground is slippery with stones. My choice of flip flops was not a good one!
Also a few hundred flies. Hard to balance and flap at them on these slopes.
I will never laugh at an Australian with corks around his hat again!
Drive to the start of the easier Gorge walk. Better going but it is like an oven as the rock walls rise around us.
The awesome scale of the place hits you

Uluru at Sunset

Colour change sequence 2

here.
Lunch at a covered picnic site then back into the super hot car for the return journey to Alice Springs.
Mid afternoon we decided to stop at Stuarts Well Roadhouse. They have free camping, again no grass and no shade, or cabins for 95 bucks or camping on the lawn for 24 bucks.
We chose the grass of the lawn (all to ourselves) and got the added faciliities of showers, a gas bbq and a pool.
The lady in reception is a Yorkshire Lass who moved to Oz 36 years ago.
As soon as the tent was up we headed for the pool, via the showers.
There was a frog in the pool so the boys would not go in until Steve did. The frog didn't seem to mind the company and even though Steve removed him twice he jumped straight back in.
I forsook the pool for the Spa. An outdoor hot tub. Brilliant.
The roadhouse had a large tin bar at the back which we shared with a few of the locals.
It's just what I expected an outback homestead to be.
We ate there...good portions and great food.
The people were very friendly and the boys

Uluru at Sunset Portrait

Colour change sequence 3

were 'shouted' an ice cream in honour of Rory's birthday.
We were then treated to a performance by the local celebrity...Dinky the singing Dingo.
As Rory 'played' the piano Dinky sang. Surreal.

October 22nd

Early morning dip in the pool before we left for Alice. No frog today.
The flood sites have dried up.
View 3 campsites before we find one with shade. The Heavitree Gap Resort.
Wandered around town and had lunch at the Ochre Grill. A little up market for us really but a treat.
Spent a cool hour in the internet travel shop.
The heat turned to rain...guess who left the tent open for ventilation?
Swam in the resort pool...very swish, but soon too crowded.
We tried the gas bbq but the gas seemed to be escaping from everywhere except the grill.
Opted for takeaway for the boys but it was greasy and at least half went in the bin.
Warm evening ...a bit hard to sleep..at least the tent inside had dried out.

October 23rd

Early morning trip to the ladies was accompanied by around a thousand locusts.
Spectacular but un nerving.
Took a look at the river bed, the flow

Wind Carving

Semi tube in the rock at the base of Uluru

is now a mere trickle.
Climbed up ANZAC hill for a super view of Alice Springs.
The Alice is a low level town well spaced out and fairly green.
Off to the airport for our flight to Cairns.
Steve was pulled up at secruity check and had his Swiss army knife confiscated. I was sure it was in the other bag. Shows you need to double check your hand luggage.
Felt awful as he was very attached to that knife.
Flight OK but no films to entertain the boys.
Taxi from airport to our hostel.
The hostel is a similar layout and feel to the one in LA, although quieter and in a more salubrious area.
Straight into the pool for Rory and me.
The climate here is more humid than the one we have left and we are glad of the air con in the room.
Stroll along Sheridan Street to the grocery store. Lots of hostels and apartments on this stretch. Lovely wide roads and nothing hectic going on anywhere.
Supper on the terrace by the pool. Rory noticed one of the owner's dogs 'dancing' to the radio. He did seem to be nodding his head in time.