Sept 10, Monday

Sept 10, Monday

I’m up extremely early for my 2-day excursion to Uluru (Ayers Rock).  How early you ask?  Early enough that we were one hour out of Alice Springs when the sun started to come up at 6 am.  

 Sunrise on our way to Uluru

 The road is straight, flat and VERY long

Road train !

We are in a large Emu Run Tours bus with very comfortable seats.  Although I had booked with one company, I was advised that they had subcontracted my tour  (the number of tourists is dwindling since it is almost the end of the “comfortable” tourist season).  By October it will be extremely hot here. Oh, and the second day of my tour will be with AAT tours!   In any case, as long as I get to see what I booked, and I’m paying the same price, I’m OK with the change.  At 8 am we stop for coffee and breakfast at a big truck stop located at the corner of the Stuart Highway, and our turn off to Uluru on the Lasseter Highway.

 Our bus today

Some emus behind a fenced area, beside the coffee shop

At one point during the morning, the driver gets us all excited as he asks us what we can see in the distance.

We all say “Uluru!” 

and he laughs and says “No, it’s Mount Conner”. What a trickster!

“Mount Conner reaches to 859 meters (2,818 ft) above sea level and 300 meters (984 ft) above ground level. The rock of Mount Conner is 200 million years to 300 million years older than Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta (Olgas). The surrounding layers of sedimentary rock eroded preferentially to those of Mount Conner leaving the mesa/ inselberg that is seen today.”
 We get off the bus and climb up a sand dune to see

 a salt lake on the other side of the rise

 We can also see the road we still have to travel..... on and on and on

And we get a better view of Mount Conner as well.  Looks like the same type of rock formations that we see in the western USA.
It is 9:45 when we get back on the bus, and we don’t get to see Uluru until 10:45.

Finally.... Uluru is before us. 
But that’s not our first stop.  We drive past Uluru and continue on to Kata Tjuta National Park 53 kms away, another set of “rocks” that I hadn’t heard about until my niece Perla showed me the pictures from her trip to Australia a number of years ago.

Kata Tjuta

 They really are quite different

The map of the "wind walks" at Kata Tjuta
We get to walk up one of the canyon paths (a fairly easy one) to see the rocks up close.

 These rocks are breathtaking; beautiful striations on them and all at a 90 degree angle. (as opposed to Uluru which is at an angle of 85 degrees, a slight slant).  The rain was eroded the rocks at a vertical angle, creating criss-cross patterns  

“A group of large domed rock formations or bornhardts, the 36 domes that make up Kata Tjuta cover an area of 21.68 km² (8.37 sq mi), 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.

 The erosion has eaten away holes in the rock

 Looking back down at the path I just walked up.  Doesn't look like much.  Although it was not steep, it was rocky.

The highest point, Mount Olga, is 1,066 m (3,497 ft) above sea level, or approximately 546 m (1,791 ft) above the surrounding plain (198 m (650 ft) higher than Uluru).”

By 12:30 we are back on the bus, heading back towards Uluru.  We are served our picnic lunch on board the bus to save time.  At 1:20 we have started circling Ayers Rock.  It is an amazing site.  I’ve wanted to see this amazing work of nature ever since I first heard of it as a young girl.  It’s taken me 50 years to get here!   Definitely a “PINCH ME” moment.

Check out the erosion patterns on the rocks, they are all natural, but I could swear that I see an aboriginal person on the left side.

 The bus drives us almost all the way around the base of Uluru before stopping at the visitor centre.

 
“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 circumference of 9.4 km (5.8 mi). Uluru is an inselberg, literally "island mountain". Uluru is also often referred to as a monolith, although this is a somewhat ambiguous term that is generally avoided by geologists. When relatively fresh, the rock has a grey colour, but weathering of iron-bearing minerals by the process of oxidation gives the outer surface layer of rock a red-brown rusty colour.” 

We visit the Information Centre (where no photos are allowed, not even of the outside of the building!) where there is information about Tjukurpa (law, knowledge, religion, philosophy), Anangu art, Anangu way of life (traditional and current), history, languages, wildlife and joint management of the Park. I found this photo on the web, depicting the architecture of the Information Centre.  Ingenious isn't it?

Can you climb up Ayers Rock? That is the question which will provide differing answers. I had been told that you could no longer climb it, however, there were clearly people climbing up the rock when we were there. 
 
 Our guide explained (and we had read it at the Information Centre) that although you can technically still climb the rock, the aboriginal people consider it to be a sacred site and ask that we respect their request NOT to climb it. The Australian government agreed to grant Aboriginals the “right” to claim Uluru, however they retain a 99 year lease on it. So, until the lease runs out, you can, if you wish, climb Ayers Rock.

Can you see the posts all the way up the rock?  There is no way you could climb this safely without those posts and chains to hang on to.

By 2:30 we are actually walking along the base of the rock, along the “Mala Walk”. 

 
 Some people are just starting off on their climb

 The smooth surfaces are beautiful with eons of erosion.  This one looks like an animal face.

 This naturally formed cave, where the aboriginal women met, looks like a wave carved it out.

 Photo from within this cave.  You can actually see the wave action etched in the rock.

 We continue our walk along the base of Uluru.  Some bolders broke off ages ago.

 This area above is usually flowing with water during the rainy seasons.

 Hélène, check out the bench !

Part of the walk is on a path, some on an elevated walkway to preserve the site.

“The traditional land owners of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in Northern Territory in Central Australia are direct descendants of the beings who created our lands during the Tjukurpa (Creation Time). We have always been here. We call ourselves Anangu, and would like you to use that term for us.”

 This is one of the sacred caves the aboriginal men used; we are not allowed to enter

At 3:30 we are back on the bus and we continue circling it to get to “Kuniya Walk”, another short walk at the base of Uluru. 

 This formation look like it could fit into a "SCREAM" movie.

 There are huge fractures in some areas

 and more sacred caves where we are not allowed.

There are a total of 5 “walks” that are possible around Uluru: the longest, “Base Walk”, is 10.6 kms, “Liru” and “Lungkata” are 4 kms each,  “Mala” is 2 kms and “Kuniya” is 1 km.

 This is from our Kuniya walk.  Again some of the areas are so smooth... they have been "sanded by time".

 This enormous chunk of bolder looks like it has been sliced from the rock with an electric knife; just like a slice of ham from a roast.

 We find rock art in one of the caves during this walk

 The sun is getting lower in the sky and creating great images.  Love this one.

There is so much iron content in this section that it looks like the rusting sides of a ship.

At 5:00 we are back on the bus and driving to the area where we will be having our “al fresco” dinner at the “sunset viewing area” of Uluru.   The guys (driver and guide) were absolutely amazing.  From the bus, they pulled out some folding chairs for us to use around the huge picnic table we would be using, then a big full of long stemmed wine glasses and a case of wine.  While we busied ourselves filling our wine glasses, they got busy with our dinner:  a barbecue grill for our meat and 14 containers of salads, fixings, condiments, etc.   NOW THESE GUYS ARE ORGANIZED. 

 Our buffet table with lots of choices of salads and fixings.  Obviously not the first time they do this. This was my second expedition with Emu Run Tours and I have to say that I highly recommend them if you come out this way. Not only are the prices more reasonable that AAT Tours, but their buses are more comfortable and they provide much more for your money (snack bag as you arrive, sandwich lunch with healthy vegetables and fruit; candies on the bus; and I can’t say enough about this meal they just served. Absolutely amazing. On the AAT bus you get ….Nothing. You must pay for everything at whatever rest stops they stop at. And the seats on their buses are not comfortable.

 Our bus driver takes care of the "barbie" !

 My plate is ready, all that's missing is a toast to all the travellers from around the world in our group

 While we are eating dinner, people from our group are getting others to take their pictures against the back drop of Uluru. One guy asks me to take his camera as he pulls a ring out of his wallet. His lady is already waiting against the fence for their picture…. And sure enough…. HE PROPOSES… and she says YES. It is so cute !    Her ring had three large beautiful opals on it.

And I celebrated my one year anniversary of being on my trip-around-the-world.


 The sun set as we watched, talked, sipped our wine, laughed and took pictures of Uluru.

 Beautiful !

And the sun has gone.

We get back on the bus and are on our way by 6:15.  The bus and most of its passengers are going back to Alice Springs tonight since they booked a one day excursion.  I am dropped off at the Outback Pioneer Hotel & Lodge where I will be spending the night.  It is a lodge that contains a variety of types of accommodation from a 4-bed share youth hostel type to private cabins.  

I had selected a 4-bed share but had not expected bunk beds (should have known better ! ! !).   The girl at the reception desk gives me a key and assures me that I have been assigned a bottom bunk.  It is now extremely dark outside and the lighting on the grounds is limited. My night vision is now “the pits”.   It takes me a while to find the block of rooms where my room is located, but there are LOTS of young people around and they all offer to assist (so nice!  They are probably wondering what this grey haired lady is doing at a youth hostel.)   By the way, if you are wondering, I only have my small black backpack for this excursion, not my HUGE suitcase.   I get to the room and find that although no one is there, three of the beds have already been appropriated and the only one available is one of the top bunks.   I go back to the reception area, where I am served by a different person and explain that I really need a bottom bunk.  I’m assigned a different key, go through the same walk in the dark trying to find this different building, again get assistance from the many young people around, locate the room and find that…. only one of the top bunks is available!  OF COURSE, when you are young you figure “First Come, First Served”.  Nobody “reserves” a bed in a youth hostel.   Back to the office I go to be served by a third person who tells me that there are no other options since they received an unusually big group of youth this afternoon and those are the only beds left. I explain that I cannot take a top bunk since I am worried about having to get up at 4:30 am, in the dark, and falling and breaking a leg.  I ask if there is a possibility of getting an upgrade and I’m told that for $172 more I can have a cabin. NO !....  that’s not acceptable do you not have anything else?  The young man says that he probably should not do this, but he does have a private cabin; for $50 its mine if I want it.   DONE DEAL !   and I don’t have to share with anyone.  I thank him profusely and head out, in the dark yet again, to try to locate the cabin.  Repeat of above experience and I finally locate my cabin right beside the ladies showers building.  YES, THERE IS A GOD.  There are no bathrooms or even sinks in the cabins so the proximity to the washrooms and toilets is a bonus for me.  I won’t risk getting lost in the dark.  The cabin has a double bed and bunk beds…  Guess which one I’m using?  The other nice thing about this cabin is that it isn’t close to the eating area and the bar where the “youngsters” are having a grand old time.

It’s been an extremely long day and it’s going to be an early morning tomorrow so in no time at all I’m snuggly ensconced in my bed, lights out and asleep.