The Johnsons' Journal

One of things we really wanted to see while we are in Australia was Uluru (Ayers Rock).  And as the summer is getting closer, its the perfect time to go to the into the outback before it gets too hot and dry.

Our trip started with a 3-hour flight over the desert to the town of Alice Springs, right in the center of the country.  We landed about 10:00 am and it was a hot 38 degrees (100 degrees F for those in the States) outside!  We checked into our hostel and tried to get out to see some of the sights.  We walked over to the Todd Street Mall, an outdoor pedestrian mall and decided that we needed to get some cold drinks. After a bit of a rest and some lunch we got the courage to walk to the Reptile Center.  They had all kinds of snakes, lizards, and even a few crocodiles on display.  We stayed for an interesting demonstration where we  got to hold a blue-tongue lizard, bearded dragon, and a huge python.  After a walk over the the Royal Flying Doctors, the heat was really getting to us, so we spent the rest of the day in the shade (as were all of the locals).

Getting up close and personal with the wildlife at Reptile Center in Alice Springs

The next morning at 5:45 am we boarded our bus for a 3-day camping tour of the red centre.  It was a 5 hour drive to Uluru from Alice Spring, but our guide broke it  up by a with a couple of stops including a camel farm and a typical station (or cattle ranch) for cold drinks and fuel.  We arrived at our camp site in Yulara (the resort/town near the Rock) about mid-day and had lunch before visiting Uluru.  When we arrived at Uluru a bit of rain was just clearing and we were excited to see that there were waterfalls coming down from the Rock.  We stopped to take some photos before we set off on a walk around part of the Rock.  Since it was raining off and on we decided not to walk around the whole thing, but enjoyed the part we did see.  In the evening we headed to the viewing area for sparkling wine and dinner while watching the sunset.  The clouds had cleared and the view was absolutely spectacular.

We were all tried form getting up so early, so we made out way back to the campsite, took hot showers, and settled into our swags (a camping bedroll with a mattress and sleeping compartment) for a view up at the stars before we fell asleep.

Uluru

Waterfall after the rain

Up close it looks like a big rusty rock

Watering hole in Uluru

Sunset

The next morning we were woken up at an early 4:00 am to eat breakfast, break camp, and head to Kata Tjuta (The Olgas), which are a group of large domed shaped rocks.  We arrived to see the sunrise over both Kata Tjuta and Uluru, but the clouds just didn’t seem to be clearing.  We set off on the 7 km Valley of the Winds hike through the area which offered some great view over the domes and the valley below.  And since the weather was mild we found we enjoyed this walk even more than the one around Uluru.

Kata Tjuta

View from the lookout

In the afternoon we set off towards King Canyon (where we would spend day three) and made camp at King Creek Station for the night.  We had a few hours before dinner so we relaxed in the pool and chatted by the campfire.  Then we cooked up some kangaroo steaks and snags (sausages) for dinner before getting to bed.

Stay tuned for day three…