On good advice, we booked a tour for our trip to Uluru, previously known as Ayer’s Rock. The bus would pick us up at 6:00 AM for the drive out to Uluru – Kata Tjuta. We would not be back until after midnight. Long hours of driving in the outback at night would not make for a fun trip so we will have someone else do it!
We were all up, packed and ready when the bus arrived to pick us up. There were two driver–tour guides, Kevin and Tic. Both were very knowledgeable about the area and were able to talk about the plants, animals, geology and history of the area. It seemed that if Kevin was particularly interested in one area, Tic would have in depth knowledge about another. Both kept us entertained.
Kevin started driving and Tic passed out our breakfast boxes then retired to the driver’s bunk to sleep for a while. We drove through empty country with the beautifully coloured landscape stretching into the distance around us. We were actually crossing a number of cattle stations but any animals were elsewhere today. Our first stop was the Erlunda Café and Desert Oaks Tavern. There was a gas station, public washroom facility, general store, motel, café and pub. It was undoubtedly, the social center for the area. The gas station certainly had no competition for many miles! Tic advised us the best coffee was at the pub. I took his advice – it seemed like coffee time!
The Highway sign told us we were on the Lassiter Highway and it was four miles to Uluru. There is nothing else out there to mention. At least we were on the right road!
As we drove along, everyone was watching to see our first glimpse of Uluru. There it is! WRONG! What we saw first was Artilla (Mount Conner) or, as our guides pointed out, “Fooluru”. It is also a spectacular flat topped tor alone in the desert. We stopped for a Kodak moment, climbing a hill overlooking a large salt lake. Lake Amadeus was a salt edged earthen pan with no water to be seen. The colour of the red earth was spectacular! Laurel was wearing a brightly coloured skirt and as she climbed, the earth dusted her legs like colourful makeup. We stretched our legs, took some pictures and got back on the bus. Next stop was Ayers Rock Resort; a chance for a restroom and to pick up a few more people.
Now we were in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. First stop, Walpa Gorge at Kata Tjuta. Kata Tjuta means” many heads”. That describes the round domes of conglomerate rock that makes up this part of the park. The English name is “The Olgas” after Mount Olga, the largest of the domes. It is a very sacred site to the men of the Anangu people. Here they passed down the creation stories from generation to generation. The women could camp well back from the gorge but were not allowed into the men’s area. Similarly the men were not allowed in the women’s sacred sites on Uluru. Because the stories of the people could not be shared outside of the specific group for which it was intended, the only stories we would hear today would be classified as the children’s stories.
We left the bus and walked up the gorge between two domes. Dan and I were so busy looking around us and photographing all we saw that we never did reach the end of the trail. Lynne found a convenient bench and let the girls go on at a faster pace so they would reach the viewpoint. The shapes and colours were spectacular and each new angle seemed better than the one before. All too soon, it was time to return to the bus for the short drive over to Uluru.
As we drove around the base of the monolith our guides told the stories of the area and at the same time served our lunch boxes. A great idea so no time was wasted once we were free to wander. We stopped at the start of the Ayers Rock climb. It is a steep face with the trail straight up! My father climbed it on an unusually hot summer day in his 80’s. Looking at it, I could not imagine climbing it even on this more temperate day when I am 20 years younger! Fortunately it is no longer allowed, so I do not have to prove myself!
We walked to an area that was near the women’s area. Our guides told us the story of a time when the women and children were left here while the men went hunting. Another group heard of the gathering¸ came upon the women and children and carried them off. When the men returned they found their wives and children missing. They saw footprints that they recognised as other men on the trail and they followed them. There was a great battle and they got their families back. The raiders were turned into the many heads of Kata Tjuta.
We continued on our tour to an area where the hunters gathered. There was a natural blind and cave where the hunters would wait all day, whiling away the time telling stories and playing games. At dusk the animals would gather to drink at a nearby water hole. When they were drinking the hunters could see them through a small spy hole in the rock. They were able to kill what they needed and take meat back to the village with relatively little effort. In the dry season they would have to travel much further following their prey.
It was very beautiful by the Kantju waterhole, the blue sky, the red of the rock and the colours of the plants. It was heightened by the dark clouds building in the distance.
From here we drove on to the new Talinguru Nyakunytjaku sunrise viewing area and the Park Cultural Center. Apparently the powers that be made a small mistake here. They spent 21 million dollars on roads and facilities to a spot that does not give a good view of Uluru at sunrise at all! The old spot is actually on the other side of Uluru!
Our last stop was the sunset viewing area. It is in the right place! We all wandered the area looking for the perfect angle to photograph Uluru while Kevin and Tic prepared our barbeque dinner. We returned to the bus in time to get seats at the table and serve ourselves from a buffet of salads and sausages on the barbie. I chose a glass of wine and was just settling down to enjoy my dinner when the heavens opened up! I put a plastic bag over my wine glass and another over my dinner. The wine was saved but the torrential downpour filled my plate! Many people ran for the shelter of the bus luggage compartment. Dan and I decided it was too late and waited it out. Dan would pour the water off his plate, eat – pour water, eat! Here we were dining in the desert and soaked to the skin!
In no time the rain stopped and the fleeing clouds gave us a spectacular sunset. Who else has pictures of waterfalls on Uluru?
The ride home in wet clothes was cold. Lynne saved me from hypothermia by supplying a beautifully warm sweater she had tucked in her bag just in case. We settled down to watch a classic Australian movie called “The Dish” as we drove through the night back to Alice Springs. The storm had all the animals lying low so again there was nothing to see along the way. We arrived home at 1:00 AM. It would probably be closer to 2:00 AM when the drivers had the bus ready to put away. Then they would be picking up a new group of people by 6:00 AM. Long work days!
Dan, Laurel and Thea were up and at it the next morning. They had booked a camel ride out to the MacDonnells. Interesting but they still did not see the wildlife they were hoping for.
Lynne and I had planned to go touring but the cloudy skies would not give us the light we needed to photograph the cliffs in Standley Chasm. We opted for a morning at home instead – doing laundry and relaxing by the pool. When the cameleers returned we all went for a nice lunch in Alice Springs. It was time to pack up and get ready to leave the Red Center. There is so much more we would like to see, we will have to come back another time.
