I have wanted to visit Uluru (Ayers Rock) in the center of Australia since I first researched and visited Australia almost 20 years ago. It's not an easy place to get to, and it's pretty isolated, sitting in the upper middle of this huge continent country.
I had my chance this trip, as our ship itinerary was taking us from Sydney to Darwin over a period of about a week or so. Another couple from my cruise, Mark and Marilyn, posted that they were making a private side trip to Alice Springs and Uluru and were looking for others to join them. I jumped at the chance. It ended up just being the three of us.
On day two of our stay in Sydney, at the crack of dawn, I left the ship and met up with Mark and Marilyn at the airport (they had stayed at a hotel near the airport overnight - this was all a big hassle because immigration was giving us lots of trouble about leaving the ship due to the issues with the Corona virus, which was just coming "into play" for visitors everywhere. It was about a 3 hour flight to Alice Springs. We were to stay there 3 nights and we had day trips planned during our stay there. Mark and Marilyn eventually decided to stay another night and then they flew to Darwin several days ahead of the ship arriving there (actually, the ship never did stop in Darwin, but that's another story for another post). I flew back to Cairns after our third day and met up with the ship the next morning.
The flight was smooth and went by quickly - the views of the earth below were fascinating. We started off over Sydney and the beautiful harbors and beaches and ocean, and headed inland where the landscape slowly changed to this deep red, the outback laying prone beneath the sky. Such beauty in such starkness.
The first thing we were told when we landed, before we got off the plane, was that the "flies are really bad this year, so make sure you have nets". Lucky for me, I had read enough ahead of time to know about the flies and brought a net with me. Mark and Marilyn each bought one at the airport before we got into the transport van to our hotel. These flies are not harmful, but they are plentiful and do I mean ever!!! And beyond annoying. They are everywhere and don't let up. I don't think I could have stood a minute, let alone 3 days if I didn't have a net on.
Our first afternoon was booked with a city tour around Alice Springs. The locals here just call it Alice. It is located about equidistant from Adelaide and Darwin - 900 miles in each direction. Alice is in the middle of pretty much nowhere. But it's a bustling little town of about 25,000.
Our first stop was at their Anzac Memorial. This is a monument and memorial to honor those Australians and New Zealanders who fought together and perished during World War 2 and other wars.
L to R: Australian national flag; Anzac flag; Aboriginal flag.
Our next stop was at the School of the Air. A funny name by today's standards for what started as a distance learning school in 1951, by using radios to provide education to students living in remote areas of Australia - at cattle stations and later, aboriginal students living in small villages and outposts. Today, the school still operates, but most education is provided via online services. If it weren't for this school, many children living in remote areas would have little opportunities for education, unless they moved to either Alice Springs, Darwin or Adelaide, far away.
Annually, the school tries to bring together a number of the kids by transporting them to Alice Springs for a few days and the kids all get to know one another "in person", and share in some fun.
Below are some pictures from our visit to the school. The first one is a quilt of sorts where students made pieces showing their home.
Class photo
The school is always looking for donations and one way is to purchase a book for a student. I thought this was a great idea, and of course, Snort decided which book it should be......
Another stop on our city tour of Alice Springs was the site of the Overland Telegraph Line, that was built in the late 1800's, to make communication between Darwin and Adelaide quicker. There are still original buildings here that supported the telegraph line workers.
Typical terrain on the outskirts of Alice Springs. This is the "bush".
Another stop we made was at the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Started by John Flynn, this flying medical/emergency service started in 1928 and continues today. Like the School of the Air, this service filled a very real need to get medical and other emergency services to those living in remote areas of the outback.
Our final stop for the day was at the Alice Springs Reptile Centre. There were some really interesting "critters" there!
I might have the wrong one, but the snake below is the western brown snake, the most deadly.
The Thorny Devil, below. Cute little guy, no?
And, now on to the main point of interest for my trip to the "Red Centre" -- Uluru (formerly known as Ayers Rock)
There are eleven monoliths in Australia. The largest and most well known is Uluru, or Ayers Rock, as it was formerly known. A monolith is essentially a single, massive stone that rises from the earth. There are a number of them across the world.
Uluru is a famous natural landmark of Australia. It's made of sandstone and sits 2,831 feet above sea level. It measures 2.2 miles long, 1.5 miles wide and has a circumference of 5.8 miles. It is thought to be well over 500 million years old. It's a well-visited site, and, along with Kata Tjuta (The Olgas), makes up the main part of the National Park in the area.
People used to come to climb Uluru, but as of last fall (2019) that is no longer allowed. The indigenous peoples believe and consider Uluru to be a sacred spot, and climbing on it is considered disrespectful.
It was first "sighted" by the English in 1873. Surveyor William Gosse saw it and named it after the current Chief Secretary of Australia, Sir Henry Ayers. The name stayed that way until 1993, when a dual name was created to also recognize the traditional aboriginal name of Uluru.
The nearby Kata Tjuta (also called the Olgas) is also considered a monolith, although their shape is more domed. Both areas are very interesting to visit and walk around. There are family caves, interesting flora and fauna, lots of critters. There are hidden small gorges with water as well.
Our day trip to Uluru began well before dawn, at about 5:00 AM. We were picked up at our hotel by a nice air conditioned bus. Tourism was down quite a bit by this time, so our bus only had about 20 people. Nice that we could spread out and not feel crowded.
We drove for an hour and then stopped off at a cafe out in the middle of nowhere (well, every place in the Northern Territory is basically out in the middle of nowhere) for a nice buffet breakfast and a bathroom stop. The flies were up and about as well (they don't like the cool air at all).
We didn't arrive to the National Park where Uluru and the Olgas are until closer to mid day. A long drive.
We stopped off at a lookout point for a quick rest. Check out the red soil!!
Believe it or not, the picture below is NOT Uluru! It's another sandstone monolith called Mount Connor . We wouldn't see the "big mama" for another couple of hours.
The Olgas, below.
Um, where am I?? The day was HOT HOT HOT, and the flies were EVERYWHERE ALL THE TIME. Pretty tiring.
Our first views of Uluru!
Cave paintings, depicting life at Uluru for the original people who settled here.
We spent most of the afternoon (3-4 hours) driving and walking all around the base of Uluru. It's hard to imagine how, in this heat, and this barren land, that there are these amazing pockets of greenery, and waters. The erosion of the monolith over time is so evident everywhere.
The flies were constant and unrelenting. They don't bite, however, so that's a good thing.
One of our last stops was at a kitchen cave. There were a few of these around Uluru that different tribes used. Only women, girls and little children utilized these caves. Men and older boys camped out in nearby caves.
The downside to not taking copious notes during a tour, and also waiting 4 months to write a post about my trip, means I have no clue what the "door" is that I was standing in front of with my arms outstretched. The best my memory can come up with is that it was believed to be an entrance to the spirit of Uluru inside. I do remember our guide telling us we could possibly feel the spirit if we did what I was doing, in the picture.
Off off dang flies!!!
On to a sunset dinner where we were able to relax in some shade and, cocktails in hand, enjoy the ever changing colors on Uluru as the sun set behind us.
Fortunately, the flies didn't bother Snort at all. Lucky guy!
I think the one below is my favorite. Such a magical place.
It happened to be a super full moon the night we were there, and we were treated to a beautiful moon rise just to the left and behind Uluru. My photo doesn't capture the true beauty of the moment.
Goodnight, moon.
We arrived back in Alice Springs about 12:30 AM, and by the time my head hit the pillow, it was past 1:00 AM. A very long, but very rewarding day.
Day 3 - Day trip outside Alice Springs - West MacDonnell Ranges
The tour company that we used for all of our tours in Alice Springs and Uluru was Emu Run. They have great reviews on Trip Advisor, and I felt like they did a great job on all of our tours. Each time we had a different guide and all of them were friendly and knowledgeable. For this last day trip, to the West MacDonnell Ranges, Bluey was our guide. He had some great stories/tales to tell during the day!
The MacDonnell Ranges run both east and west of Alice Springs, and it is a mountain range and it's own bioregion, as well. The range is about 400 miles long. I opted for the West MacDonnell trip.
Once again, there were flies everywhere - this was definitely the season for them. Our first stop was at Simpsons Gap. Bluey parked our van (there were only about 7 of us on the tour for the day) and pointed us towards the hiking trail, which led to the Standley Chasm. The morning was cool enough, but the heat of the day promised to change our comfort level later on.
Here's the trail from the parking area through the gorge and to Standley Chasm.
A rare sighting of the black footed rock wallaby! Picture is a bit blurry as it was on the move!!
Next stop was at the Ochre Pits. The Arrernte people, who inhabited this whole region, used the red and yellow ochre in the area for pigment for their ceremonies.
This is Ormiston Gorge. Several brave souls in our group opted to take a swim. They said it was nice.
Not too far away is Ellery Creek Big Hole. The calm and serene water hides a bit of a nasty reputation. Several people have actually drowned in this water. You'd think it wasn't deep, but it is and there are rocks and tree limbs under the surface that can trip you up.
Back in town after a long but wonderful day, I wandered about for a little bit to grab some food for dinner. Way too uncomfortable to eat outside due to the FLIES (!!!). Alice Springs is a nice town.
We stayed at the Aurora Hotel in town. Basic but very comfortable.
The next morning, the shuttle picked me up at the hotel and took me to the airport, for my flight to Cairns. We flew through Uluru, and the views from the air of the "rock" were pretty nice!
Note that the effects of the Coronavirus were already been felt and seen. The plane had very few people on it. This was early March.
My flight arrived in Cairns late in the afternoon. The ship wasn't due to arrive until the next morning, so I had pre-arranged to stay at the Hilton right by the pier. I used points to book a nice room. The next morning I was able to watch the ship come in!!! Who knew that this would be our last port stop before we had to leave and find our way home........
My room at the Hilton was VERY nice. I had a great view, a large balcony and some very colorful birds entertained me!
At dawn and at dusk, the flying foxes take flight across the water. During the day they are in town; at night they fly over to the mountains across the channel.
My peekaboo friend....
Stay tuned for more Pig Tales!!!!
