The Red Centre

If you are visiting Australia - and you think Uluru (Ayers Rock) is just a big rock in the ground - think again. For not terribly spiritual people like us - we found it quite breathtaking and there was certainly something about the place that made you stop and wonder.

Also it's not just Uluru - it's Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) - another massive rock formation 45 mins away.... how come we never hear about that one?

It is hot.... very, very hot indeed and a dry heat. We stayed at The Lost Camel in the Ayers Rock Resort - sort of motel style accommodation, with a pool (thank goodness) and a mini shopping centre with supermarket, souvenir shops, post office, cafe and takeaway just around the corner. If you do want to eat in one of the hotels, all of which are within a few minutes walk of each other, then that's fine because it all owned by Voyages and can be charged to your room.

We arrived at lunchtime and went to the "tours" counter to find out what we could/should be doing. We had already booked ourselves into the Sounds of Silence dinner in the desert that evening but had a couple of hours to kill.... so we wondered how we could get a quick look at Uluru. A bus sounded boring, a walk around the base wasn't on in the short amount of time available..... so take a look ....














we booked ourselves on the circuit of The Big Rock - on the back of a pair of Harley Davidsons!


When will they grow up - we hear you say - and the answer is - probably never!

and this is Doug being artistic!

\

Then we spent the evening at The Sounds of Silence Dinner which was to include a champagne and canape reception to the tones of a digeridoo (is that how it's spelt?) and dinner, followed by some star gazing. Sadly it was cloudy - but the chap carried on manfully explaining where they were behind the clouds - and who there could contradict him?

Far too much champagne and then wine meant that getting up for a 4.30 am coach pick up for the sunrise walk was a struggle, but we made it.

The colours at dawn were fantastic, but again it was cloudy which meant there weren't as many sunrays bouncing off the rock as normal. Then after breakfast we were off on a 2k hike. A really interesting tour led by Ananu (Aborigine) guides. We learned a lot about their culture - traditions, superstitions, customs, art, etc. Doug learned how to throw a spear at an invisible kangaroo and I learned to carry a basket on my head! It was really hot by the time we finished that walk and we carried straight on with the next 2k's to the base of Uluru, to see rock paintings, water holes, etc. Did you know the Ananu have been there for possibly 30,000 years? That walk finished just before midday when a coach picked us up and took us back to the hotel for a much needed rest.




























We also learnt about the blue lizard man legend. If you look at Uluru you can make out on the right hand side a vaguely skeleton head which is blue lizard man and
our guides drew him in the ground for us too! He eventappeared in some of the wall paintings.








Two hours later, feeling slightly better, at 4.30 pm and we were up and raring to go again for our 3k sunset walk at Kata Tjuta - and it was still flipping hot!

Uluru is a monolith - a single rock - but Kata Tjuta is a formation of 36 "heads" as seen by the Ananu - and these rocks are sort of like aggregate - loads of small stones and rocks fused together. More champagne at sunset - then back for a sandwich and bed!

Next day with only the morning to fill, we decided it was time to chill by the pool before we set off for Cairns and Port Douglas.