Day 70/72: 28th to 30th August. Solid Rock - Uluru

Neither of us have been to the rock, although I did fly over it once while in Business Class to Singapore. We are looking forward to seeing what the rock will deliver after understanding the immenseness of Kings Canyon. Will it be overcommercialised? Is it over rated?

As we drive along the highway, the road trains have been replaced by even more caravans and buses. Lots of buses. A couple of hundred K’s from the resort, we get to the top of a crest and we see a massive mesa and immediately think we can see it – and it must be big to see it so far away. Linda had heard of Fool-uru, and I have now learned about Mt. Conner. It is like a mesa you see in the American Westerns. It is actually on a cattle station and not open to visitors, so I guess that’s why no one talks about it.

When you do see it, it does get exciting. The resort is still 20k from the rock, but as it ascends from the plains it is imposing on the landscape, and from the left you can also see Kata Tjuta (the rocks formerly known as the Olga’s). It is funny to be so interested in a lump of sandstone.

Yulara, the Uluru resort where you stay is the third biggest town in the Northern Territory, after Darwin and the Alice. 4th is Katherine. As we enter the resort, it is amazing to go from such a vast landscape to a suburb. We drive past the fancy hotels and apartments in the resort to the campground, which has queues to get in and a lot of people. Certainly commercial, but not as bad as we expected. While you can pay anything you want for helicopter rides, camel rides, Segway rolls, etc., the actual resort still houses an IGA supermarket to make things a little more reasonable.

Before dinner, we walk to a viewing platform from the campground to watch the sunset. Lots of chatter and a nice atmosphere until the chicken nuggeters arrive (see insights on previous post) and dominate the space. We have seen many sunsets on this trip, but this is the first that everyone had their back to the actual sunset as it descended. Nice to watch, but the famous colour show wasn’t behaving.

We decide that the base walk is for us, and the next morning we complete the approx.. 11ks around the base, including all of the side quests. You get a sense of what the indigenous folk talk about around country, and can see why they have stopped the climb. However, they have made certain parts accessible where you can go into small overhangs and see the painting, or where it is blackened by the smoke of fires from many, many years ago. Unlike all the other canyons we have been to see, Uluru is basically bald. It is constantly amazing how plants and trees find the smallest gap to grow in everywhere else, but here, there is very little evidence of it.

The shapes and undulations are what I love about it. The changing colours don’t do it for me, probably something about being red/green colour blind, but the undulations and the patterns are fascinating to look at. It is also nice that for quite a bit of the walk, we were by ourselves and could just take in the sights and sounds of what was around, which sort of helps you to connect in a way that a Segway roll past it probably doesn’t.

Night 2 we do a stargazing tour and are guided through some of the star systems, some of the stories and what the stars are used for by different indigenous groups. Informative and entertaining, the kick ass highlights were the laser pointer that could take out a plane, and two amazing telescopes. We got to see some constellations, as well as Jupiter and Saturn. Yes, Saturn really does look like that! The tour was almost over before it started as a shooting star went past just as the talk was about to start, and we were all pretty happy with seeing that.

Day 3 we hit up Kata Tjuta and the Walpa Gorge. About 40 minutes from the resort, it is another formation that is quite amazing to look at, but is made differently to Uluru. We do the hour walk to the end of Walpa Gorge and drive around to the start of the valley of the winds. There is an option of an hour walk, or a 4 hour extravaganza of walking and climbing and to be honest, with two massive walks over the last few days, there were some complaints from calves, feet and the odd hamstring and we decided to listen to those points of view and forego both.

After a well earned rest and a recovery ice cream, we decide to watch the sunset from the main viewing platform for the resort. You can drive closer, and the viewing area there has been described as a circus as people jockey for position and then try to all leave at the same time on a one lane car park. We opt for walking to the resort one and watch from there. Again, the lighting technician seemed to have taken the whole week off, but it was nice to see the actual sunset. What we did find out though was that Icehouse were playing at the resort that night as part of a total package deal. Thinking we have finally made it to the right place on the right day, it is quickly realised it is part of a tour deal and no way to get in.

We retire for dinner and make a mean fried rice on the cooker, and are enjoying a beer and a wine afterwards when music starts. I have never gone from “Who is making that racket” to “That’s an awesome noise” so quick. Along with a few other campers, we scamper up to the lookout to be able listen to the concert. It was being held at the Field of Lights, which we have been reliably informed is about 3K away from where we were. This is the farthest back we have been at a concert, and left no chance for Linda to snatch a set list. For the most part, Linda and I stood and danced at the lookout by ourselves and nothing to see but the stars above and the occasional stage lighting effect. It was a great way to end the chapter of our trip, and really the last night before we start the long journey home of around 2,300ks.