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Tues 26 Dec
Will gave us a lift to the airport, probably pleased to get rid of us at last! Will & Jane are visiting England next year so we hope we will be able to repay at least some of their generosity when they visit. We flew from Perth to Alice Springs, then got to our hostel "Annie's Place'. We had a walk into Alice Springs - very strange place - just seems to be full of backpackers, tourist shops and aboriginals! Walked back to the hostel and saw the most amazing sunset - if only we were at Uluru (Ayre's Rock) now.
Wed 27 Dec
Got up at 4.50am for our 5.15am pick up by the tour company.... only to find there had been some mix up and they had gone without us! An hour or so later we were picked up by another bus, had to introduce ourselves to the rest of the people on the bus, only to change over to our actual bus when we caught up with them at lunchtime. We drove to Watarrka National Park (King's Canyon) and were pleased to hear it was a cool day (only 33 degrees celsius!) so we were able to do a longer walk than usual around King's Canyon! The start of the walk was pretty steep ('Heart Attack Hill') but the scenery made it all worthwhile. Rocky outcrops, 100 metre sheer drop walls, overhangs (that we were told not to go to close to the edge on as they have been known to collapse) all in a brilliant orangey red colour. 'Priscilla, Queen of the Desert' was filmed here so if you've seen that film you'll maybe know what we're talking about. In contrast we then walked down to the 'Garden Of Eden' a pool of water surrounded by trees and plants - quite unusual in such a dry area. We then headed back to our camp, on the way back we spotted a huge rock and started taking photos only to be told it is known as 'Fooluru' as everyone thinks it is Uluru when they first see it! We also saw some other rock formations and were told to use our imaginations so that we could see Homer Simpson, a toothbrush and a puppy dog in the rocks. We had the choise of sleeping in some little canvas huts or in swags - we chose the swags so we had a night under the stars. It was so peaceful we could have slept forever - well at least until 3.45am when we had to get up!
Thurs 28 Dec
Yes, 3.45am and we were up so that we could get to Uluru before sunrise. We were given the choice of climbing the rock but the Aboriginal people who part own it ask you not to as it is one of their most sacred sites. Ed decided to climb Uluru whilst Lisa stayed at the base to watch the sunrise, then walked around part of the base. It looks massive in photos but it is only when you actually come face to face with it that you realise just how big it is (3.6 km long, 348m high). Amazing to even consider how this huge, bright orangey red rock happens to be there, right in the middle of nowhere! After a few hours there, unfortunately we had to leave. We then headed off to Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) where we walked through Tatintjawiya (Olga Gorge). We then had a very quick look around the Aboriginal Culture Centre, then headed back to our camp for lunch. The six of us on the two day tour then set off on the 331km journey back to Alice Springs - we were just glad that someone else was driving.
Fri 29 Dec
Only an hour or so to spare so we had a quick look around the Royal Flying Doctor Service Base, interesting to hear what they do and see what a massive area of land they cover. Then headed off to the airport for our flight to Sydney.
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