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Day Eighty Two - September 26th, 2013
Alice Springs to Uluru
After a quick four nights in England, twenty four hours in Sydney on the way back and a few lay overs in Abu Dhabi, I'm back in the dust bowl! Elly picked me up from the airport in Alice Springs yesterday where I had a day recovering, doing laundry and getting ready to move on. I certainly haven't missed the flies.
We were up and on the road after saying goodbye to Emma, Steve and the kids who really took care of Elliot whilst I was away, and back on the Stuart Highway. I hadn't slept well due to jet lag, and promptly fell asleep in the car. I woke up around 170km from Uluru, and watched as the ground got progressively redder, and the trees started become more regular. We passed mostly bus tours from Alice, brining in the tourists from 400km away.
Suddenly, we saw the magnificent rock rise out of the ground, and started to realise the scale and magnitude of it. We pulled into Ayers Rock Resort, the only place to stay out here, and booked into the camp ground ($36 a night unpowered). We set up the single skin for ease, and popped our food in the fridge. Elly spotted a flier for camel rides with a discount for patrons of the camp ground, and we decided a sunrise tour would be fun! I'm using part of my birthday money from my grandad, Duke, for it as I've wanted to have a go since we arrived in Aus! We drove out to the camel farm to book our tour and got to see some of the camels up close. Their lower jaws seem to be totally detached, and as they chew it looks like they are grimacing in our direction. I can't wait to have a go!
The day was slipping away so we headed out to the national park and paid the $25 each for a 3 day pass. The it's stop was the cultural centre for a bit of info, where we decided we would save the perimeter walk for tomorrow as we wouldn't have time to see the fabled sunset over the rock from a distance. The climb up the side of Uluru is closed due to high wind levels, but once I saw the sheer cliff face I was glad I didn't have the option! There are also words of advice everywhere telling visitors of the disrespect the Aboriginal people feel when tourists trample up and down on this sacred site. With no time to walk, we opted for a drive around the base before finding a spot in the lineup with everyone else staying at the resort for a good view. We weren't disappointed - the rock seems to glow red and then purple as the setting sun hits it.
We popped into the local IGA for supplies and cooked back at the campsite. Off to bed ready for our 5.30am bus to camel land!
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