To the heart....

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As anyone who knows us well would know, Chris was dreading this next part of our trip as we had a spot booked at the Uluru campground- yes a caravan park!! We found a few tracks before the park where we could possibly bush camp but they were quite a distance and we needed to stock up on water for the next 8 days of our journey, so on we went. We arrived and I could see the anxiety on Chris' face- this was not going to be pretty. Anyway, we were told our site number and drove around to see it- it was sardine city and I felt sick. However we kept driving to see if we could find an ' alternative' . We found a section right out the back with hardly anyone there at all and heaps of space. We called reception and asked if we could swap. The guy laughed and said for sure that is the overflow area and it's much cheaper. I was rapt- Chris was at least breathing but not ready to share my excitement just yet.
We finished setting up and contemplated going out to see Uluru straight away. Merlins knee was still banged up after he tried informal base-jumping from the Mesa (more like base- rolling and of course without a parachute!) and it was late so we thought we would leave it and rise early for a big day. The night was cool and morning very crisp. We set off in the dark to see the beautiful Kata Tjuta. We caught the sunrise and it was breathtaking seeing the domes rise from the ground - the curves and colours giving a feeling of peace and that we really are so small in this world. Kata Tjuta means 'many heads' as there are 36 formations creating this beautiful site. They twist and turn and each angle provides more colours and life amongst it. Uluru is made of hard arkose sandstone whilst Kata Tjuta is a conglomerate. Geologically they were formed millions of years ago from a receding sea and through orogenous (tectonic action pushing it upwards) exposing it above sea level. Culturally these are such sacred sites born of creation ancestors and the lands are home to the Anangu people. We headed to the Valley of the Winds which took us to both Karu and Kalingaru lookouts and the journey, as well as the reaching points, were brilliant. The birds were amazing seeing a little owlet- nightjar, grey headed honeyeaters, painted finches and more. Frustratingly for Chris (and Merlin) he had only brought in his camera for landscapes so we knew another trip here would be required to get the birds.There was so much to see and take photos of that the time just whipped away. We called it quits as we needed lunch and to do the other walk to Walpa Gorge. This was completely different with a feeling of walking through walls to a lush oasis. Lunch here was bliss and then we headed off. On the way back Merlin's other knee was feeling left out so decided to cave on him and down he went! At least now his hobbling was even and my 'super pharmacy box of goodies' was coming in handy! We headed back to camp and after some ice thought a swim would just do the trick. Chris went bush again and Merlin had a swim- even though the temp now was about 28-30, the pool was icy and took awhile to lure us in. Once in, the appreciation was full as it was so refreshing (& knee numbing!). Once Chris returned we made our way out to see Uluru at sunset and it was beautiful! We found a little spot away from the hordes of people and let the enormity of this site flow over us-this was quite special. After the sun went down we went back to camp and had showers (yes unbelievable I know - 2 in 5 days was way too frequent!) and then splurged having pizza in the cafe for tea. The next day was an another early rise as we again headed to Kata Tjuta- this time with cameras and big lenses accompanying us. Both Chris and Merlin wanted to sit at some rock pools and get shots of finches, honeyeaters, ring necks etc.. I wanted to do a walk at Uluru so left them there and headed off. The walk told the story of the Mala people who came to Uluru from the north. They are named after the little marsupial Mala which is rufous hare-wallaby (which is almost extinct but captive breeding programs are having lots of success). The walk was so informative, seeing special caves used during ceremony, some rock art showing illustrations of bush tucker ( honey grevillea, bush plum, wattle seeds, honey ants) as well as an understanding of how they treasure the waterholes and pools and keep them pure. I learnt about Tjukurpa- which is many things but is their reason for living and rules/law by which they live their lives and the life force joining the people to the natural world. We discussed how it is so unfortunate that people are still climbing the rock and both the environmental as well as cultural issues with this. Currently parks are working towards achieving less than 20%!o(MISSING)f people climbing the rock and if this is achieved by 2020 then it will be closed- which will be great!. Overall just a brilliant learning experience.After this we went back to camp for a refreshing swim and to see if we could manage another night here to continue exploring. We decided to do it so next morning bright and early Chris dropped us at Uluru and then drove out to the edge of the park to look for grasswrens. Merlin and I decided to ride around Uluru and then ride to meet up with Chris at his spot. It was an amazing ride and seeing it in this way was just so special. There were sections where we rode through a tunnel of trees/shrubs, sections of shade, sunlight and beautiful rock carvings and structures along the way. It was a fair ride (about 22km) and well worth it. Chris didn't have much luck unfortunately so we all headed off to have lunch and then explore the cultural centre where we learnt more about the Anangu people and their fight to regain ownership of their land. Luckily the ending is a good one as this was handed back to them in 1985 and a they now have a 99 year lease in place with the government. We had a fabulous sunset experience and enjoyed our last night here. Next morning we headed off early for the road to Watarrka NP (Kings Canyon) as we weren't quite sure where we would camp. The bush camp we had in mind was a long way from the canyon and we wouldn't get both walks done in the afternoon. We decided to go to the KC campground -yes another 'caravan park' and see if our luck would continue. When we arrived we asked if we could check out the sites before paying. We drove around and found the most amazing spot tucked away in the corner and with a view of the canyon- how lucky could we be? In addition, the campground was not busy so hopefully we would have a quiet night. We set up, paid and headed out to do the Kings creek walk. We didn't get far before we spotted some birds we were after so we enjoyed watching these little critters and then headed to camp to call it a day.The canyon rim walk is about 4 hours - 7km of rocky terrain with a steep incline and descent in order to get to the rim. We set off very early to do this in the cool of the day. It was amazing and beautiful country with colourful escarpments brightened against the clear blue sky, open patches of spinifex and lush gums growing from the rock faces. All this plus then the little oasis in the middle of the walk which they name the Garden of Eden which is, as its name suggests, lush trees and shrubs, cycads and a small pool of water for the wildlife to take refuge in the heat of the day. It was a brilliant walk where we not only had spectacular views of the landscape but also a number of fantastic little birds. We were loving it here but as we had spent an extra night at Uluru/Kata Tjuta we should be have been on our way to Ormiston Gorge. After the walk though we decided to stay a second night and we would make it up somewhere else! Luckily we could stay in our great spot and again had fantastic neighbours. We had a refreshing swim in the pool (which funnily enough is not solar heated although everything else is!) and again was quite invigorating to say the least! We had another great walk at dusk and then from camp saw the beautiful sunset and black cockies descend to their trees to roost for the night. We then hit the road for Luritija way and along what used to be named The Meerenie Loop heading for West Macdonnells and camp at Ormiston Gorge. The corrugations were significant but the cruiser handled it well. I again rode shotgun and was excellent in my job of making sure Chris knew when we were really close to the reflector posts and other signs by providing clear and loud exclamations to this fact! We knew the NP campground was popular and you needed to be by there by lunchtime to get a spot. We got there just after lunch and there were only a few spots left. Again we had luck on our side. Our friends we met at Watarrka campground had already arrived and had a brilliant spot just in from the end. They were happy for us to come in next to them-it was great! To say the gorge is spectacular is an understatement and no photos can really do it justice. The landscape feels enormous towering above you but the colours and light make every moment memorable and each time you venture within it, different. We did the 8km Pound walk around and then back through the gorge and it allowed us to see the diversity of the landscape- open scrubland, rocky outcrops, striking ghost gums and down to the sandy riverbed, as well as numerous birds we were after; the spinifex pigeon, dusky grasswren, western bowerbird and the beautiful painted finch. The main gorge itself is special but the prize is really the smaller waterholes just beyond. They require traversing many more boulders and river pebbles along the sandy bed but the walk is worthwhile as it is here that the real tranquility of the site becomes apparent. We revisited this spot several times and at different times of the day to experience the changes in light and colour, different wildlife and air flow. The birds were amazing and we were also so lucky to happen upon a black footed rock wallaby and a yellow faced whip snake. Although such different creatures both were so at home in their environment and their colours perfect for blending in with their surroundings. We were originally only meant to have 2 nights here and that was reduced to one when we 'borrowed' one from Uluru but in the end we decided to stay 4 nights as it was so great. The campground, facilities, walks and not to mention the birds and environment were brilliant so we will forego a few nights in the East Macdonnells to make up for it. Reluctantly we headed off Monday morning to head closer to Alice. We had decided to do a bush camp for just the one night and stumbled across a great patch of spinifex and open scrubland east of Alice. We set up and Chris and Merlin headed off in different directions (each with cameras) in search of amazing creatures to photograph. Tomorrow we head into Alice for just 2 nights before heading north on our way to the top end. Hope everyone at home is well and having a great time!

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