Uluru & Kata Tjuta NT

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Another long four hour drive west to Uluru after staying overnight at Kulgera Roadhouse. We checked into the Voyages Tourist Park Yulara, and after purchasing our National Park tickets, we then drove to Uluru Sunset Lookout to get some photos. Formerly known as Ayers Rock, Uluru is one of Australia's most recognisable natural landmarks and has been a popular destination for tourists since the late 1930s. It is also one of the most important indigenous sites in Australia. Uluru is notable for appearing to change colour at different times of the day and year, most notably when it glows red at dawn and sunset. The reddish colour in the rock derives from iron oxide in the sandstone. The sandstone formation stands 348 m (1,142 ft) high, rising 863 m (2,831 ft) above sea level with most of its bulk lying underground, and has a total perimeter of 9.4 km (5.8 mi).

The next morning we woke up to steady rain, and took the opportunity to view the rare sight of waterfalls streaming off the face of Uluru, an amazing sight that only 1% of tourists get to see. We drove to a section of Ulura named Mala, where there was aboriginal art in the caves at the base of the rock.

The 21^st June was a important day marked on my calendar. I had a booked Tele Consult with my Haematologist, Dr Cecily Forsyth at 11.25am. I had previously had blood tests taken at Victor Harbour and after three years in remission from Acute Lymphoma, it was a milestone moment. Dr Cecily was amazed at my blood test results, and we both were very thankful that after three years post chemotherapy, I remain in good health. Thanks be to God and my specialist.

With that great news, we headed back out to Uluru to view more cascading waterfalls off the rock, and to visit the Cultural Centre, where we viewed an old aboriginal woman creating a large Dot Painting that would probably sell for around $15,000.

The local Aṉangu do not climb Uluru because of its great spiritual significance. They have in the past requested that visitors do not climb the rock, partly due to the path crossing a sacred traditional Dreamtime track, and also due to a sense of responsibility for the safety of visitors. Until October 2019, the visitors' guide said "the climb is not prohibited, but we prefer that, as a guest on Aṉangu land, you will choose to respect our law and culture by not climbing".

From the many Uluru lookouts we were able to see a series of dome shaped rocks on the horizon, being Kata Tjuta, previously known as The Olgas, and this is where we set out for the next morning, being a fine sunny day. On alighting from our car at the first lookout near Kata Tjuta, I heard a voice saying Jim, and turned around to see a guy alighting from his work ute, and it turned out to be Joel, a close friend of our family for nearly forty years. Kim worked with Joel’s wife Kelly. Joel frequently works in the outback, installing and replacing emergency radio phones for hikers in difficulty, enabling them to contact local rangers for assistance. It was great to see Joel, and we made plans to meet up for dinner that night at Yulara.

We drove on to the start of the Valley of the Winds Walk, a 9.4 km walk through some of the most amazing conglomerate domes one could ever see. It certainly was windy at times, but experiencing the walk through Kata Tjuta probably exceeded that of walking around Uluru, as amazing as that was. We then drove and completed the Walpa Gorge Walk, a 3.5 km walk through one of Kata Tjuta’s deep gorges. Again, an amazing walk along a very well constructed trail and board walk through to the end of a valley surrounded by high conglomerate rock walls. After driving to watch the sunset fade over Uluru, we enjoyed a great dinner that night at the Bar and Grill at Yulara Resort with Joel, sharing many stories and catching up on news from back on the coast.

The following day was again sunny, and we drove to Uluru to commence our 10.5 km walk around Uluru, stopping off at each of the track branches to view items of special interest. I did spot a small cross just off the path near the base of Uluru, and wondered if this was a memorial for baby Azaria Chamberlain, who was tragically taken by a dingo at Uluru in 1980. We then drove to the lookout for some more photos, followed by a visit to the Camel Farm, where there were busloads of people waiting on a camel ride near Uluru. Our final day at Uluru drew me back to the Lookout for one final viewing of the sun fading over this magnificent monolith.

Having not viewed the sun rising over Uluru, I arose early next morning for one final final viewing of Uluru. A fitting end to an awesome experience in the Red Centre.

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