Alice Springs - Uluru

Mon 20 Aug – We left Alice Springs and headed east to the East MacDonnell Ranges for 80kms to Trephina Gorge. Some of the road was a “black top” (one sealed strip down the middle with red gravel either side) You put the left-hand wheels in the gravel when you meet an oncoming vehicle. The last 5kms was just gravel. The journey was worth it as we ended up in a great camp under the red cliffs of the gorge. In the afternoon we walked a 2km track up along the rim of the gorge to the far end and then returning thru the sandy centre of the gorge. Great views.

Tues 21 Aug – 2C inside “Andy” when we woke but very quickly warmed in the sun and we ended up having our porridge outside. We biked thru the other camps in this gorge before riding to the largest ghost gum tree in Australia, 30m high. In the afternoon we walked the second walk in the gorge, 2.5kms up a track for fantastic views in every direction. Back down into another dry river valley and then into the main gorge and back to “Andy”. In the evening we watched the sun set on the cliffs while having a drink and a chat to 3 other couples. A dingo slunk around us. After dinner we joined them again around a camp fire and swapped travelling tales.

Wed 22 Aug – We drove back to Alice Springs for the last time and stocked up for the next part of our trip. Our overnight camp was in the back of a transport museum (a bit of a junk yard)  just out of town. Val spent some time booking our camps at Kings Canyon and Uluru. We had drinks with the couple next door. It is great to share tips with these folks.

Thurs 23 Aug – A 157km drive south on the Stuart Highway to a rest area at Desert Oaks. A pleasant enough place but a cool wind got up and blew red dust around. Every surface in “Andy” was covered in it! The country south of Alice Springs was quite different. Gone were the flat scrub cover desert replace by an undulating landscape with red rocky ridges.

Fri 24 Aug – We carried on south and at Erldunda we fuelled up and turned west off the Stuart Highway for our trip in to Kings Canyon and Uluru. Most people think that Uluru (Ayers Rock) is close to Alice Springs however it is a 463km drive S.W. Before visiting Uluru, we are going into Kings Canyon, and turned off the Uluru road after 100km and headed north for 60kms to a rest area at Salt Creek. We were the only ones their until about 6:00pm. We were getting a bit worried but eventually we were joined by about 6 other groups. Always safety in numbers!

Sat 25 Aug – 150km drive brought us into the Watarrka National Park and Kings Canyon. There is no camping in this park, so we stopped in the carpark and had a short walk into the canyon. Very pretty with the ghost gums and the red walls of the canyon towering above. After lunch we set off for a 4km walk up one side of the canyon and then onto a track thru some very unusual rock formations. Tomorrow we will walk the longer Kings Canyon Rim walk. Our overnight camp is at a Resort 6kms from the canyon. At sunset we walked up to a viewing area overlooking the back of Kings Canyon.

Sun 26 Aug – We left the resort and drove back to Kings Canyon, packed our lunch and set off on the Rim Walk. The first part was a steep climb out of the canyon on the north side, onto the rim where we followed around the red sandstone formations with views into the canyon and the south wall. We took a couple of detours for better views. Some stairs led into the Garden of Eden, an area of vegetation in a valley surrounded by the red rocks with a pool at the far end. Around the end of the canyon and then along the south wall with views of the north wall. All very spectacular. After lunch under the shade of a gum tree, we descended off the south rim and back to “Andy” for a cup of tea and a rest. A total of 8kms walk. Really great. We drove 120kms south back to Friday’s camp at Salt Creek.

Mon 27 Aug – Just a short drive of 103kms to a free camp at Curtain Springs. The first part of the drive was on the Kings Canyon road and then we turned west onto the highway to Uluru. We sat in the shade of a tree as the camp filled up.

Tues 28 Aug – Our 47^th wedding anniversary. Val made pancakes for breakfast before another short drive west to Yulara. This town is the tourist and service centre for Uluru (Ayers Rock) as Uluru and Kata Tjuta are in a national park with no accommodation. We camped in the very expensive camping ground and then walked to the town square and the supermarket for a few supplies. We have booked an evening at the “Field of Lights” and were picked up in a coach and taken to a hill overlooking Uluru as the sun set. Hostesses supplied beer and champagne and “Aussie Canapes” (Kangaroo, Crocodile and Prawn). All very nice. The sunset was not as spectacular as we had hoped for but as it got darker the land in front of us began to glow with the lights of an art installation. There were 50,000 hand blown globes lit by fibre optic strings. The lights gradually changed colour. It looked like a huge Aboriginal dot painting in the desert. When it was really dark and the stars were out, we left the hill and wandered thru the lights. Beautiful.

Wed 29 Aug – We drove the 18kms to a carpark very near Uluru stopping on the way to purchase our 3 day entry fee ($25 p/p). After a short walk to find the Uluru Base track we decided to bike the 10.5kms around this huge orange rock. What a ride! There were many stops for photos and to walk into several gorges and waterholes. Some of the areas are sacred and photos were not allowed. We thought at some stage on our ride, that we could ride back in the other direction but the strong wind put us off this idea. Climbing the rock is highly discouraged for cultural reasons but we were surprised how many locals were hell bent to climb. We had no intention to climb but would have been out of luck as a strong wind got up and the climbing was closed. We went to the cultural centre but Aboriginal art does nothing for us. Back to “Andy” and the wind was really howling with dust blowing everywhere.

Thurs 30 Aug – On the road early for our visit to Kata Tjuta (The Olgas). This is another series of monoliths 50kms west of Uluru. If Urulu looks a bit like a loaf of bread, Kata Tjuta is like a batch of odd shaped scones. Kata Tjuta means many heads. After a photo stop at a viewing area we drove to the start of the Valley of Wind track.

 Because there are valleys and gorges thru the rocks we followed an 8kms track thru spectacular scenery with towering rock formations all around us. Because of these valleys, we thought in some ways Kata Tjuta is more spectacular than Urulu. We drove back to Yulara and fuelled up before heading east for 160kms and an overnight stop at a rest area.