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Hi
We arrived in Alice Springs last tuesday to a sweltering 40 degrees. We spent the day looking around the town and went to a Reptile House to make ourselves aware of the local wildlife before we ventured out into the outback the following day.
On Wednesday we were collected by our tour guide Juzzy at 6.15am and made our way across the outback which took 4 hours in a very hot bus!
Our first stop was to The Olgas where we got a taste of how hot the outback can really be! It wasn't until we got back to the bus that we were told we had been walking in 48 degree heat. We then drove to a viewing point to see the sunset over Ayres Rock, but unbelievably, just before the sunset it began pouring down and the rock turned into a massive waterfall. That area usually gets about 290mm of rain a year and i think the majority of that fell during that evening - mind you it was a welcome relief as it cooled things down, just for a while!! We then made our way to our campsite for a BBQ and had an early night as the next morning was a 4am start, in time to see the sunrise over Ayres Rock.
After the sunrise which was beautiful, we walked around Ayres Rock - thats when you realise actually how big it really is!! We finished the walk by 9am and said goodbye to Ayres Rock. It was such an amazing expreience to see it and one we'll never forget (or the heat)!
Next stop was Kings Canyon which is a 4 hour drive from Ayres Rock. On arrival at our next campsite we went for a long swim in the pool to cool off and went back for another early night.
The next morning was another early start - 4.30am. We made our way to Kings Canyon and split off into 2 groups. Andy went off with the group for a 3 hour walk along the top of the Canyon while Claire and most of the other girls did a shorter walk into the middle of the Canyon - both spectacular!
So after two nights of sleeping in the outback and three very hot days we headed back to Alice Springs and we were very relieved to get back to a nice air-conditioned room!! That evening we went out for a meal with two couples we'd met from Ireland and New Zealand.
The next day we caught a flight to Cairns which is where we are now. We'll update you on our adventures from here in a few days.
Hope all is well.
Love Claire & Andy xxxxx
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