Day 4: Glen Helen to Alice Springs

Day 4 we got to 'sleep in' - 7.30am- quite the very latest morning on the whole tour. But because I was sleeping under the stars in a swag, I woke at the 'normal' early time, and got to see the sunrise anyhow. I watched the stars get dimmer as the sky lightened.... and the tents were silhouetted.

You can see what the swags looked like. We all slept with hats on. These are the last two to get up this morning!

Our first visit for the morning was to the Ochre Pits, not far from Glen Helen, where the Aborigines have collected ochre for painting from. There was another steepish climb, to the top of Serpentine Gorge, again rewarded with wonderful views.

Then the afternoon took us into real 4WD territory, as we headed down the dry Finke river, over boulders and through sand, up to Palm Valley. A beautiful walk awaited us here. This valley was drowned two hundred million years ago. The sedimentary rock is porous (you can hear the 'hollow' sound as you walk over certain rocks) and water was retained. So there are two 'relic' trees here that 'should' have died out as Central Australia warmed up. There are cycads and rare palms that have survived here.

It was a very interesting day. We returned to Alice Springs early evening. I had a 'day off' in Alice the next day and visited the "Desert Park" which showed the main ecosystem types we had been seeing, and had many, many birds. There was supposed to be a 'birds of prey' show, but they had to call it off: the wild wedge tailed eagle from the cliff above came down and made threatening passes over the trained birds below!!!
Oh, and something else I learned. Alice Springs area is not desert. It gets too much rain per year, even though it mostly evaporates away: it is a semi-arid zone. And after several days travelling it looked quite green- the sedimentary rocks retained so much moisture that many plants could access via their roots.

Day 3: King's Canyon to Glen Helen

Clarke, our guide, gave us a big talk last night about "Heart Attack Hill" that we had to climb to get up to the top of King's Canyon, and told us of the easier valley option. I really wanted to see the views but have become much less fit over recent months while I have been studying and munching chocolate.

But I decided I was still going to try! I was the slowest in the group, but Clarke stayed behind me so I could just take the climb slowly. And it was soooooo worth it. The views up the top of King's Canyon were just magnificent!

Photo 1 shows Clarke sharing some of his extensive knowledge about local trees.

Again, the red was only 'skin deep'. There were places where you could see the very white sedimentary rock, made from white beach sands.

The tree here is not a palm, but a much more ancient beast. If I remember rightly, and I might have muddled it, this tree is a cycad.

After our walk we had lunch at King's Canyon resort. Here are a young Dutch couple, Hilco and Coby, cooking our burger meat.

We arrived at Glen Helen before dark, which gave a wonderful chance to sit quietly beside the water as the sun went down.

Day 2: Uluru to Kings Canyon

Lots of early starts on this trip. I came to think of it as the "sunrise and sunset tour" as we seemed to see them all!

Monday July 2 saw us rising early to be walking around Uluru before sunrise. It was very special to see the silhouette of the rock before sunrise.

Most of us then walked around the base of Uluru. I guess what surprised me most was how uneven the whole surface of Uluru was: it looks so very even from a distance. But close up you see the erosion you would expect on such an old rock.
Another surprising thing was that the red of the rock was only skin-deep. The rock was originally a grey sedimentary one. Iron sand was blown over from Western Australia, and with the addition of bacteria and water, the red colour developed. This shot shows Clarke, our tour guide. He knew a lot he could impart about plants especially and also geology.










We drove back down the road to where we got a great view of Mt Fularoo (Mt Connor). Uluru is one piece of rock. Kata Tjuta broke into bits. Mt Fularoo (so called as some think they have seen Uluru when they see it, and head on back to Alice Springs), has several layers. There is a thin sedimentary layer on top, then a layer hard as titanium underneath, then sedimentary under that again. It is actually more U shaped from another side, and was formed by glacier action. To Aboriginal people, it is known as Atila, and they think the weather gods reside there.
It was an interesting drive to Kings Canyon, as we drove along near the George Gill ranges.

On arrival at Kings Canyon we were quickly into some vegetable preparation as our meal was going to be cooked in camp ovens on the campfire. (And it was very delicious!)
Sunset this evening was observed from a little knoll near the campsite, and again the red colour drained from the rock as the sun left it. This time we had the sunset to ourselves, only our group.

For the second night, I slept in a swag under the stars. Afternoons were warm, but nights were cooler, though warmer than the week before by all accounts. I had my three season sleeping bag, my long johns, a hat on my head, and I slept comfortably under the stars in an Aussie swag. This is basically a big canvas bag with a mattress in it that you wrap yourself up in. Being able to sleep like this for three nights, going to sleep next to the campfire, was one of my favourite parts of the trip.

Uluru sunset

"Sunset" is the tourist thing to do in Uluru. Every tourist within 150km must have made it there. The big tour buses had their tables set up with white tablecloths, elegant wine flutes, and a selection of tasty nibbles. We had our backpacker crackers and dip on the Eskie ;-) We were supposed to have some bubbly too, but the driver carrying our glasses was running late. (Ne'er mind: those who wanted it had it for dinner later!)

I guess what amazed me most about the sunset was how quickly it seemed to happen. One minute, there was a golden glow on Uluru, and the next it seemed that the colour had all drained from it.

Day 1: Alice Springs to Kata Tjuta & Uluru

Well before sunrise we were heading off from Alice Springs in our 4WD vehicle, south along the Stuart Highway. First stop was the Camel Outback farm where a couple had camel rides. The "red" soil was already becoming omnipresent.

















It







was a lot of driving before we reached our campsite at Uluru for lunch. The "permanent campsites" we stayed at were all very well set up. We had a kitchen /dining tent, and mattresses raised on a base in the tents. In this part of the country there was also a place for the firewood we had found easily en route, and a safe place for a campfire, surrounded by seating.





After lunch we headed to Kata Tjuta (the Olgas). These were very beautiful, and perhaps my only disappointment of the tour was that we only had time for quite a short walk here, in the heat of the afternoon, as we needed to rush back to Uluru for the tourist "must do": sunset.

Alice Springs

Arrived in Alice Springs on 30 June and had a few hours for a wander. The YHA is right beside the Todd River, a "dry" river, the first of many such I was about to see and recognise. The evaporation rate in this area is such that surface water soon disappears, but the presence of these river gums shows there is water under the ground, and the Aboriginal people know where to dig for it.

A toilet might be an odd first photo here, but I loved the colours. The red reminded me of Marrakesh in Morocco.

Blue sky, such an intense blue, the colour of the sky my whole time in the Northern Territory.

My first sight of tracks in a riverbed. We were to use 4WD to go up a couple of riverbeds on tour.

A (not very good) shot of galahs on the lawn, taken for maalie. We were to see many birds, especially in Kakadu, but mostly we were out walking and I couldn't stop the group to take photos of them!

A beautiful rubbish bin in Alice Springs. But an odd use for Aboriginal Art really. I didn't notice any significant pieces of Aboriginal Art in Alice but maybe I was there for too short a time.

This was a sign that surprised me: many Afghanis were brought to Oz with their camels to help with construction in the outback areas, because they could last so long without needing fresh water. The famous "Ghan" railway was named in recognition of them.

Had dinner this evening at Bojangles which I enjoyed. You can either eat in the rowdy front "pub" part, or head to the quieter back restaurant area (price is the same.) There is a huge amount of memorabilia including some fascinating old photos in the back area.

Walked home with the moon lighting my way. This is the view over the road from the hostel, looking out across the Todd River.

Early to bed, ready for early pick up, the first of many mornings I was to be up well before sunrise on this trip!

Getting to Alice Springs

OK... home again safe and sound and now I have some time to bore you all with my Oz trip details. It will have to come in "Chapters"!

There turned out to be more drama with getting to Alice Springs than I was expecting. First I was nearly late getting across the Tasman when my Palmie plane was 15 minutes late, then they took 20 minutes to offload the luggage at Auckland domestic. With an hour left before the flight to Sydney, they rang through to get a "standby" seat number for me!!!! Phew. I wish Qantas and Air New Zealand were still talking to one another so my luggage could have been transferred between terminals automatically!

It was easy taking the train through to Central Station in Sydney, then I just had to walk across the road to Central YHA. Comfy and pleasant hostel, though one person in the room got up at 3am, rattled around in their pack with plastic bags etc until 4.30am, then left. I thought half the room had departed, but as daylight hit it was apparent it was only one!














Maybe this disturbed sleep was responsible for my next blooper.
I got back to Sydney Airport in oodles of time. So many oodles I was even at the departure gate an hour early. Wandered away. Came back. Sat down and relaxed. Wondered why we weren't being called when it was well past our boarding time. Suddenly heard my name called over the loud speaker. Rushed to desk as asked. Noone here to talk to. Shhheheeeesh I am supposed to be in the next lounge and they all left! Went onto the plane highly embarrased with everyone else sitting down!!!!! I have never ever done anything like that before and I can assure you I never will again... what an embarrassment!!!!!

I had a window seat though. Cloud covered everything for a while, and just got the merest glimpse of what must have been the Blue Mountains. But soon the cloud cleared and I had magnificent views of the patterns in the dry land below. It had been raining recently, and I was most surprised to see quite a lot of water in some places below.

Duly arrived at YHA in Alice. Had a run in with a surly young woman receptionist when I asked to get a lower bunk as the top bunk I was assigned had no means of climbing up to it. But my room mates were a friendly bunch, and many had been, or were about to go on, an Adventure Tours Australia tour. And my adventure was about to begin.

Arrived in Darwin

Arrived in Darwin a wee while ago and just have one night here. It is a looooooooong way from Alice to Darwin.... believe me! Had a great three days with a really nice bunch of people and a really positive cheerful guide. The highlight was canoeing in the Katherine Gorge this morning. Hopefully I will end up with many of the same people on my next three days on a 4WD trip in Kakadu. But we will see at 6.20am pick-up time. This is the tour of sunrises and sunsets. And evenings full of stars overhead: there are a lot of European backpackers on this tour who have never seen such a sight.

Plenty to blog about and lots of photos to share when I get home. Toodle-oo for now.

Uluru, King's Canyon, Palm Valley

Just a quickie so you all know that I am alive! Just had a marvellous four days.

Sunday morning left Alice Springs before sunrise, with the moon hanging in the sky. Long day's drive to Uluru for sunset with all the other tourists. We had chips and dip on a chilly bin as befits backpackers, while nearby others sipped wine in tall stemmed glasses, with their nibbles on white tablecloths and tables.

Nearly our whole tour group opted for swags under the stars. I was glad to find my sleeping bag with long johns kept me warm enough, though I gather it was colder last week. Oh, and yes, we all slept with hats on too. Quite a sight.

Monday morning we arose early so we were walking around the base of Uluru before sunrise. Amazing what a difference the sun makes to its colour, which is only skin deep I learned. The actual colour of of the rock is grey, but windblown iron from WA, plus rain plus bacteria produces the red colour. At the Uluru cultural centre I watched a demo for a while as some women from the local Aboriginal tribe extracted seeds from some grasses they had collected. What a laborious, time consuming job: really drove home how hard it is to live in this area.

Tuesday morning was the highlight - climbing King's Canyon. I am quite unfit after several months of study munching on chocolate.... so the uphill bit I took very slowly, puffing hard. But the guide stayed behind me and I made it. Well worth it for the exquisite views we had as walked the rim of the canyon before descending on a far more gentle slope.

The rest of that day and then Wednesday were really interesting as we explored various water holes and gorges. Spent the night at Glen Helen and enjoyed some quiet time sitting by the river as the sun set - first quiet time of the trip. Yesterday we 4WD'd it into Palm Valley which has some relic species. The area got drowned 200 million years ago and the sedimentary rock held the water. There were cycads there and also cabbage palms now found in more humid climes. It was amazing walking there.

OK I gotta go. Bit short on detail. More when I get home with the photos.

One more thing that will appeal to maalie. Went to the Desert Park here in Alice this morning. Was watching their "birds of prey" show. Then nature intervened. There were some wedge-tailed eagles in the cliff face high above. One started swooping down. Such speed and elegance in flight. They had to discontinue the show for the safety of their birds!!

Alice Springs

Made it to Alice .... just!!!!!!!! Flippin heck, what an embarrassment I did myself...

I blame the lack of sleep. I was in a 6 bed room in the hostel. Someone started making noise about 3am and the noise continued until 4.30am. I thought that half the room had early departures. Turned out when it got lighter it was only one, who needed to learn some basic hostel courtesy, like pack most of your bag the night before, and the rest outside the room if you want to get up that early! As quiet decended at 4.30am I was wide awake with my two hour dose of jet lag.

I only say all that to explain what happened at the airport. I was there in oodles of time. Found the departure lounge in ample time and was sitting there relaxing. Time for our flight call came and went and I was wondering why they hadn't started boarding us, or explaining the delay. Next, my name booms over the public address, to go to the counter..... noone was attending the counter...... uhhhhohhhhhhh. I am in the wrong lounge!!! Ran to the adjoining one. Ran onto the plane, very last one on, plus had to walk all the way to nearly the very back!!!!!Must have looked a bit frazzled and the hostess gave me a bottle of water.

Anyhow, settled into my window seat. Sunny in Sydney but cloud as we left it behind. Caught just the merest glimpse of the Blue Mountains. (Hi Simon!) But as we hit more of the outback, we emerged into brilliant sunshine. What a treat the journey turned into. The patterns of grey, red, riverbeds etc was truly amazing. Plus you could tell there had been a lot of rain. Puddles and lakes and rivers with water in them abounded. I was truly amazed!

Everyone seemed excited to be landing in Alice... the landscapes are a different world. I look forward to exploring them over the coming days.
Just had one sour note in Alice. Was assigned a YHA hostel bed on top... tall bunk... no ladder. I asked for a change... was told it was not possible... had to get shirty and say I could not climb into assigned bunk. Am now on the bottom. And there is an early start tomorrow!!!
However, the rest of Alice has been wonderful. Sunshine. Went walking along beside the dry Todd River. Took a photo of some galahs on the ground for maalie. (Not very good photo though.) Lots of other birds but I don't know what they are. Am surprised to see birds in the desert.

Arrived in Sydney

Have arrived safely in Sydney and am now coping with japanese or something in the blogger headings.... of course can't read it to work out where to change the language!

Was afraid I wasn't going to get here. We were late leaving Palmie, then it took 20 minutes at the domestic terminal in Auckland for them to move the luggage 100m from our plane to the luggage carousel... by the time I checked in in Auckland they had to ring to get me a standy by seat number, and maybe I only got that because I was flying onto Alice on Saturday morning... the plane was certainly chocker full.

It is 12 degrees in Sydney this evening which feels positively tropical after 8 degree days at home. The bad weather here has headed over to NZ now and we passed some bits on the plane. Strong headwinds delayed us getting into Sydney too.

It was a very quick train trip into town and then across the street to the Central YHA where I will sleep the night and head to the domestic airport earlyish.
Not sure if you will get many progress reports en route.... internet very expensive in the Outback from all accounts!

Rain in Alice!

Images of red desert come to mind, not images of rain. But for the second time in a week I have seen "rain" reported on the forecast for Alice Springs. I thought I was escaping rain at least, if not the cold. Guess I have to pack my raincoat after all!!!