Kylie and Tina are travelling with their family from Cairns to Alice Springs as part of the Follow the Sun Relay. In this post they visit the world-famous Uluru.
On Thursday morning we packed up and started our journey out to Uluru. It was approximately a 5-hour journey which was definitely impacted by the 45 kmph winds!
The drive out is pretty flat and uneventful until you come across a beautiful massive rock formation known as Attila (Mt Connor) which is a flat-topped horsehoe-shaped mesa said to be part of the same vast rocky substrate connected underground between Uluru and Kata Tjuta and is often confused by tourists as Uluru. he locals call it Fooluru! After a quick stop at the lookout it was back on the road until we hit Uluru.
On arrival at the Ayers Rock Campground at Yulara we set up camp, only to discover an amazing layer of red dust covering absolutely everything (including inside closed lid toilets). We climbed the sand dune in the campgrounds to see the sunset over Uluru only to be met with a dust haze that thwarted the view! We escaped the wind and the dust to the safe haven of the motorhome and opted for an early dinner and a movie.
Early the next day we set out before sunrise to secure prime position with the other thousand people to watch the sun rise over Uluru. It was actually freezing and you would think that we were at the snow rather than in Central Queensland, with the girls donning their beanies, gloves, tracksuits and Ugg boots! We were swept away with an awe-inspiring experience of watching the colour changes over Uluru.
After sunrise we escaped the cold into the warmth of the motorhome for breakfast and coffee by the landscape (Uluru), this was soon followed by Yoga in the carpark, and then off to the Cultural Centre. After another coffee and a walk around the Cultural Centre and art galleries, we headed out to the Uluru to experience the Mala Walk to Kantju Gorge.
We learned about where the Mala people camped when they first arrived at Uluru and we saw examples of rock art and the sheer verticals walls of Uluru. It was a an amazing walk where we awestruck by the size of Uluru and the natural formations where the you can see the evidence of the where the water cascaded down the surface. On arrival at the Kantju Gorge the weather strangely changed from a hot dessert feel with little to no breeze to a cool tropical environment with a cool wind that seemed to swirl around us.
We then drove around Uluru to Kuniya and walked to the Mutitjulu Waterhole. This is where the kids learned how Kuniya and Liru (the woma python woman and poisonous snake man) helped create Uluru and could see the battle scars on the landscape.
After a quick lunch we then headed to Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) which means “many heads”. We walked to the Walpa Gorge. This is a rock track that gently rises to a small track, passing rare plants and ending at a grove of spearwood trees which you can sit and rest and take in the sheer walls and experience the landscape.
Next stop, was back to Uluru to immerse ourselves in the sunset. We arrived early and secured prime position and set up our tables and chairs in preparation for sunset. Fortunately, the motorhome had a full tank of water and we were able to shower the girls and get them into warm clothes. We prepared a cheese platter fit for queens and princesses (we even impressed ourselves). The next couple of hours were spent enjoying each other’s company, a sparkling wine (and soft drink for the girls), cheese platter and a spectacular sunset that we will never forget.
When the Rangers kicked us out we headed back to the campgrounds for a well-deserved rest.
–Tina and Kylie
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