Sue dropped us off at the airport for our flight to Ayers Rock and she then headed over to the International arrivals to pick up Camilla & Mike who were flying back in from the UK after spending Christmas and New Year in Ireland. The flight was just over 3 hours and was pretty bumpy due to storms over central Australia. The heat hit you as so soon as you stepped off the plane. The only accommodation in the area is managed by one company and it's all very well organised with collection from the airport to the various hotels, bunkhouses and campsite (was just like being on a package holiday!). After checking in at the Desert Gardens Hotel we had lunch and went to the tourist information to plan what to do. We decided to go to Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) late afternoon and then see the sunset and sunrise over Uluru (Ayers Rock) using the shuttle bus to get around (the guided trips were crazily expensive but I guess it is a 'once in a lifetime' place to visit). We set off from the hotel at 3.30pm and headed into the National Park. It's all very well managed with a big focus on safety due to the terrain and heat. After passing through the Park entrance we drove for c45 minutes to Kata Tjuta where we walked into the Walpa Gorge which provides great views of the surrounding countryside. Kata Tjuta is actually made up of 36 large dome rock formations composed of conglomerate, a mixture of cobbles and boulders held together by sandstone. The highest point, Mount Olga, is 1066m and the range covers over 8 sq miles in total. The weather was extremely hot although the skies were a bit cloudy and whilst the domes were red they didn't look quite as vivid as some of the photos we've seen. Flies are a continuous bind and we were glad we'd packed our midgy nets although didn't use them. From here we drove around the base of Uluru and stopped at the sunset viewing area where we watched the sun go down. The rock does change colour but again the variation in colour was not as extreme as some of the photos we've seen. The sunset was wonderful though and we both thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Back at the resort we had a quick dinner before heading off to bed. Ayers Rock is 90 minutes behind Sydney and we were both feeling extremely tired after an early start and the heat.
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| Walpa Gorge Kata Tjuta |
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| Local flora |
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| Kata Tjuta |
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| Sunset over Uluru |
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