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March 11th 2007
Hello! I survived the blistering heat of the desert (literally!) and made it along the Great Ocean Road back to where I started so many months ago – Melbourne!
Thought it would be easier for you to catch up on what I’ve been doing (and easier for me to remember) if I did it in stages so that’s why I’m doing one entry from Adelaide (to cover my Alice Springs to Adelaide trip) and then one from Melbourne (to cover my Adelaide to Melbourne trip!) So, my 6 day trip from Alice Springs to Adelaide went a little something like this ……..
Day 1: Alice Springs to Kings Canyon
A group of us spent our last night in Alice Springs at a really cool bar called Bojangles where they have loads of web cams all around the pud broadcasting live to the world 7 nights a week, so if u wanna check out an ozzy pub go to www.boslivesaloon.com.au - maybe Sue could do a similar thing at the woolpack?!
Our first pickup was at 5.10am but luckily we had a long mornings drive before we got to Kings Canyon at lunch time so lots of sleeping time and as we were driving through nothingness again it wasn’t like there was much in the way of scenery to look at! When we got to Kings Canyon the majority of the group decided that they wanted to attempt the 3hr walk rather than the nice 1/2hr one I would have preferred so that’s what we did – or tried to do anyway! The first climb up to the rim of the canyon was incredibly steep with only rocks to clamber up, whilst trying to hold onto water bottles and fight flies too! The view from the top was breathtaking seeing all the different coloured layers in the canyon against the green shrubbery and the sheer depth of the canyon itself. We continued along the rim, losing people on the way who couldn’t cope with the heat until we reached the first lookout point and our guide Greg decided that we all should all turn back because it would be too dangerous to go on in the heat. It wasn’t till we got back to the bottom that we discovered it was actually 48degrees – IN THE SHADE! So feeling sweaty and blistery we made our way back to the resort (sucking on ice cubes!) and jumped in the cool pool with ice creams at the ready! Was a real shame not to have seen all that Kings Canyon had to offer but would have been silly to try!
As we made our way to our camp ground near Uluru (Ayers Rock) we all got excited when in the middle of the flat nothingness we saw this huge rock formation, but we’d all been ‘flool-urued’!! It wasn’t Uluru at all but Mt Connor, also known as Tabletop Mt and The Toothbrush! Our campsite was 30mins from Uluru and we were given the option of staying in small canvas tents which were like saunas or sleeping outside under the stars…
Day 2: Uluru & Kata Tjuta
Waking up at 4am was easier than we all thought thanks to a massive thunderstorm at 3am and really hard rain – why does it always rain wherever I go!!? Australia currently ‘lease’ Uluru from the aborginals on a 99yr lease with 78 yrs left till the Aborginals have total control again, at which point they could stop people going to it if they wanted! The sunrise at Uluru was covered by cloud so didn’t see the changing colours of the rock as expected bit was cool to see the Big Rock just as you see it on a postcard, but it wasn’t until we did the base walk around the bottom of Uluru that I actually began to appreciate it being more than just a bloody big rock! I never knew how disjointed it was, such an amazing mixture of jagged edges and soft curves, covered in caves and holes and it really is huge! The colour ranges from rusty red sandstone to a steel grey where sand has been blown against it. Pictures Ive seen never conveyed its sheer size – 8km circumference, 343m high, 3.6km long and 2.4km wide – big rock eh! The walk continued to us unique features including a lot of aboriginal sacred site where no photos were allowed. These are sites of great importance to the aboriginals because of what they represent or were once used for. They includes spots specifically for men or women only and they used to face death if they even walked past these areas where they weren’t supposed to be! I was in awe walking around, never thought id feel like that but I just didn’t expect it to look how it did! The Aboriginal Cultural Centre gave an insight into some of the beliefs and stories behind Uluru, so fascinating that aboriginals see certain colours or formations to represent people, animals and stories. Greg took us on a Mala walk – the orginal inhabitants of Uluru and stopped at key points to tell us the stories behine each area. One huge boulder filled with holes represented the home of an old and wise mole who burrowed through the holes to keep an eye on the children playing making sure they behaved! There was a wave cave used to teach boys how to be patient by just leaving them there for days just literally waiting! Once though 4 boys got forgotten about and they waited do patiently they died and became part of the rocks, the 4 stone formations visible today! Sometimes you can climb Uluru (although the aboriginals don’t want you to) but they stop it if its too hot, too wet or for cultural reasons (if an important member of a tribe days the climb is closed for 3 days out of respect) It was too hot when we went so it closed. We then left Uluru for a short while, going back for sunset later.
Kata Tjuta (The Olgas or literal translation of ‘Many Heads’) is another rock formation made up of 31domes reaching 200metres higher than Uluru. It was way too hot for us to do any walks (hottest Feb ever in Northern Territory since weather records began!) so we just entered the base where Greg gave us a geological lesson on how the formations, and Uluru, came to be. They started as one huge mountain range that eroded and moved due to the tectonic plates and then gradually got pushed up to what it is today. Uluru was actually turned 90degrees when it was formed so the lines running down it now were once horizontal! Kata Tjuta is considered such a sacred place by the aboriginals that no-one knows anything about the area apart from members of their tribes who are sworn to secrecy. On the way back to Uluru for sunset we saw a thorny devil, cool desert animal covered in spikes, awesome!
The sunset at Uluru was highlight by snacks and champagne, such a great atmosphere and end to a great day. Then it was back to our little sauna style huts for a hot and sweaty night!
Day 3: Uluru to Coober Pedy
4 hrs after leaving the camp we crossed the border into South Australia and gained 1hr in time!
Coober pedy is by far the weirdest place I have ever been to!! It’s the opal mining capital of the world and they are now digging for gold here too. I imagined it to be a wealthy place but its like town from when time first began! All the buildings have a floor above ground and then several below, so literally caves. We had a tour of the bizarre town and then went underground to the museum where we had an opal mining tour and cutting demo. Then we checked into our underground hotel – so weird, no windows, no way of knowing what time of day it is! No need for heaters or air con though as its naturally cool. At night we went to the world’s only underground bar (reminded me a bit like the third Matrix film where they party underground – you know what I mean Steve!) Other random and interesting facts about the town ….. the Breakaway area surrounding the town resembles the surface of the moon so there’s been a lot of films shot here, did they film the real landing on the moon here…?.......No mining is allowed inside the town, only outside but people can say they’re extending their house or cave, and maybe they’ll find something as they dig…..this is the only place in Oz where you can make your own dynamite, its supposed to be fore digging but every now and then a police car or building gets blown up!.....It was once 56degrees here for 8 days straight….The nearest McDonalds is 6hrs away and yes they do day trips, anything for a Big Mac eh!!.....Their paper is always a day behind as it takes so long to get here…..The dentist visits every 6wks…the spaceship used in ‘Pitch Black’ was outside our hotel….Coober Pedy means ‘White Mans Burrows’ I will never say that Rothwell is in the middle of nowhere again!!
Day 4: Coober Pedy to Rawnsley Park
Saw a beautiful sunrise over Coober Pedy as we were getting ready to leave (seen so many sun rises here – don’t think ive seen any at home!) Near our lunch stop we stopped at Lake Hart, one of many pure slat lakes in the area and it was huge, it was gleaming white so bright that it really hurt to look at it without sunnies on! It was crunchy to walk on like snow but we could only go saw far due to warnings of unexploded bombs (they used to test missiles and bombs overhead) Nearby was Lake Ayr, Oz’s largest salt lake 12m under sea level. Most of central Oz is below sea level and the lakes are left form the inland sea than existed years ago. Such a strange sight tho, in the middle of the red and golden desert just massive glowing white lake!
On our way to the accommodation we drove through the Flinders Valley where some of the flim ‘Wolf Creek’ was filmed – and no I haven’t watched it wand wont until I stop backpacking! So even though its supposed to be in western oz most of it was filmed in south oz.
Our accommodation was at Rawnsley Park, a quiet and secluded sheep station ( we saw no sheep the whole time we were there – lots of wild emus and roos though! ) set in the range of Wilpena Pound. Was nice to have a proper room again after spending the night in a cave!
Day 5: Wilpena Pound to Parachilna
Today we did a 3hr walk through the basin of Wilpena Pound up to a lookout while some opted to climb Mt Ohlssen Bagge. At the end we got great views of the valley and surrounding areas before we had lunch under the trees where we were befriended by a roo and her joey after our apples!
On our way to Parachilna Gorge we were in for a very very bumpy ride and lots of emu spotting! Driving through the gorge was mad, so deep and different layers of rock again like at Kings Canyon with loads of reds, yellows and oranges. When we arrived in Parachilna (population 5) we had a massive Aussie BBQ as it was our last night with Kangaroo steaks, Emu burgers and Camel sausages mmm! The world’s largest coal train, over 3km long, passes by here twice daily and its bloomin noisy too!!
Day 6: Parachilna to AdelaideWe made brief stops at Yourambulla Caves to see some authentic aboriginal art and also at Kanyaka Homestead, the ruins of an old sheep station settlement with nothing left but the foundations and an outside dunny! Next stop was Alligator Gorge where we hiked through the bottom deep in the gorge, very rocky and very deep! And then after so so so many days of being on the bus we arrived at Adelaide and back into civilisation with people and cars and buildings and noise yeehaw!! So weird to be in a City again! Theres a group of us going to Melbourne together too which was cool. Adelaide itself I didn’t like at all, so boring, glad we were only there for a day, nothing there and just a weird atmosphere – I didn’t take 1 pic of Adelaide! Then after day of rest it was back on the bus for my final oz experience journey back into Melbourne via the Great Ocean Road …
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