Kings Canyon and Uluru

We were told by one of Steve's coworkers to take the Mereenie Loop from Alice Springs on our way to Kings Canyon and Uluru. It was the longer route to get there but we were told that it would be worth our while. Let's just say that it was incredible and I have a new appreciation for shock absorbers in a vehicle. Imagine driving over a washboard large enough for a semi, yet the semi still gets a good bounce. The funniest thing that happened along the drive was that the song "'Highway to Hell" by the great Aussie band ACDC came on the stereo. Little did we know it was to become the theme for the 5 hours on the road. Yep, 5 hours to drive 300 km. It was an experience.


The Mereenie Loop is actually on aboriginal land so you need to stop in Hermannsburg to get a permit to drive on the road. The permit costs $5 and this is where you stop to pay.
The Mereenie Loop. Yes, it is pretty desolate, we saw about 4 other vehicles in the 5 hours. We were carrying extra petrol and water for the trip.

Untouched country. How do you not love this place? Just us and the dingoes

More of the local wildlife. It's amazing that anything can survive out here. It's incredibly dry and dusty.

By this time our insides were shaken and stirred. Steve actually drove on the sides at times as it was better than the actual road.
An understatement really.

The end of the road. I have never been so glad to see a piece of pavement
in my life.
Our destination! We camped the night at Kings Canyon and the next morning headed out to hike the canyon. We did the 6 km walk which was fabulous. The girls didn't even complain because there is so much to look at that you don't realize how far you're walking.

The beginning of the walk starts with a huge flight of stairs. It was hard but we all made it. I think we drank half of the water we were carrying when we got to the top.

At the top of the stairs was an incredible view.

Steve contemplating the view.

Alex, Rhiannon and I feeling good before the start of our hike.

Alex having a snack at the top of the stairs.

Proof that we were there.

An incredible part of the canyon. It's funny how you can stand there just staring at it and not getting tired of it.

There was a lot of different types of ground to cover. Sometimes it was rocks to climb over and sometimes it was a nicely groomed trail to follow.

Alex and Rhiannon decided that they needed walking sticks to help them along the trail. Here there is a small fence to follow but in some places you had to look around for the small white arrow pointing the right direction.

Isn't it amazing how a tree can grow out of the side of a rock?

One of our favorite photos from the whole trip. It makes you realize how hard the life is in the outback, even for the trees and yet things and people survive.

We stayed at the Kings Canyon campground. In the evening we walked to a view point where we had a great view of Kings Canyon at sunset.

We stayed 2 nights at Kings Canyon before we left to drive to Uluru. We saw loads of camels on the drive. Apparently they were left behind by some Arabs and now roam free in the outback.

Mt Conner is the unsung hero of the outback. It is the same type of geographical feature as Uluru but people don't seem to know about it. It is pretty spectacular in it's own right.

We made a pit stop at Curtis Springs. Rhiannon couldn't decide if she was a "sheila" or a "bloke". I also paid $3 for a desperately needed cup of coffee here that turned out to be instant.

Finally we are getting closer to Uluru.
We checked into the campsite at Ayers Rock and headed out to climb. Uluru is on Aboriginal land and they do not like people to climb as they say it makes them sad when people get hurt and they feel responsible. There have been many people injured and 35 deaths on Uluru.

At this point it seems pretty easy. Shouldn't be a problem climbing really. It is 348 metres high with the bulk of the rock underground. It is 9.4 km around the base. The rock is closed to climbing on windy days.




We start the climb and it becomes apparent very quickly that it can not be under estimated. There has been a chain in place since 1964 to assist climbers. I used the chain but still quit climbing at least 3 times. The chain is only knee high so it can be difficult to use. I told Steve at one point that I would meet him and the girls at the bottom because there was no way I was going any further. I'm glad he persuaded me to continue.

There were a lot of people climbing the day we were there. This spot was a little flatter and a good spot for a water break.

Kennedy and Rhiannon decided to take a break here. They had to wait for their mother who was quite slow.

Alex took the opportunity more than once to have a cat nap. Sometimes
she chose places to lay down that had a long drop just on the other side of her. Places that move a mothers heart into her throat.

A great view of the parking lot and the surrounding area. You can look at this and appreciate how far the climb is. after the chain ends we still had to walk another 45 minutes to the top.

The chain has ended and now we follow the white dotted line to the top. The girls are taking another well deserved break.

Kennedy was not happy at this point and kept saying (loudly) "whose stupid idea was this?!". It took a lot of coaxing to get her moving right to the top. I think she's glad we talked her into it though.

Alex was very proud that she had made it so far. Of course there is another huge drop just behind her. We had to keep asking her calmly to move a little closer to us. I don't think she has a fear of heights.

To Uncle Bill! The story goes that Steve's adventure loving Great Uncle Bill climbed Uluru in his twilight years and cracked open a can of coke when he got to the top. Other climbers asked him where he got the coke and he said "just over there" while gesturing to the opposite side of the summit. We cracked open a couple of drinks and toasted Uncle Bill when we got to the top.

The family shot at the top. There are all sorts of "craters' on the top that are perfect for sitting in.

The monument at the top of Uluru. It is the only thing on the top, which is kind of cool. It's been left in a natural state instead of having loads of info boards and stuff all around.

The top of the monument. It gives you the direction and mileage to many of the places around Australia.

As we are heading to climb down you can see the monument in the background.

Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) are beautiful in the distance. They would be tomorrows adventure.

There are a lot less cars parked since we made our way up. It was getting late in the day so there were a lot of people climbing down.
Alex having a well deserved rest at the bottom. The girls did a great job climbing and can be really proud of themselves. It's not easy.

The white sign at the bottom of Uluru details all the health warnings about climbing. If you have a heart condition you are advised not to climb. What they don't tell you is that watching your kids climb gives you a heart condition!!!

We drove around the base before we left the area. It was evening so we were able to catch the moon coming out. The photo is a little blurry but it is still beautiful.

Another blurry photo but a beautiful sunset at the base of Uluru.

Kata Tjuta (The Olgas). They are a series of 36 domes with the largest called Mt. Olga.

We walked into one of the valleys at The Olgas. It was a short walk to one of the water holes that the animals use. It was strange to see a large watering hole in such arid land.
A unique aspect of the valley and the rocks is how the sun bounces off one side onto the other. Both sides of the rock are actually the same color but appear different in the sun.

Even my hands appear different colors in the sun. It was really cool.

A small watering hole on the way to the larger watering hole. The Olgas are just as beautiful as Uluru and have many different walks you can take. We tried to convince the girls to take yet another 7km hike but they said their legs were too tired.

The day after we visited The Olgas we headed home to Montrose. At this time we had decided that this was by far the best holiday we had taken as a family. We had met people from various places and exchanged addresses and numbers with lots of different people. People like Peter who said "you're driving a truck with a Victoria license plate, towing a trailer with a South Australia plate and you're in the Northern Territory talking like a Yank. Who are you?". Peter phoned us not long ago to invite us to Adelaide and their summer house. We also agreed that we all preferred Kings Canyon to Uluru. Kings Canyon is stunning, picturesque and breath taking. I would go back to Kings Canyon in a heartbeat. We can now say that we climbed Uluru, but that is it. If you are looking for beauty and stunning landscape Kings Canyon is the place to go. Uluru is beautiful in it's own way as it stands proudly in the outback. They are very different places. We couldn't pinpoint anything that was our absolute favorite because I think that it was the holiday in it's entirety. The cold nights, hot days and dust in the food all made for a holiday we are not soon to forget.

Alice Springs

After a long drive from Coober Pedy we crossed the state line into the Northern Territory! This meant we were well on our way into the Australian Outback, the "red centre" of a beautiful country. This was something we had looked forward to since we knew we were coming to Australia.





The Kulgera Pub is the first stop when you cross the border into the Northern Territory. It's the last opportunity for fuel, food and water before the 276 km drive to Alice Springs. It's a lot like Spud's Roadhouse, just more north!



Some of us enjoyed the drive.

At least there is a few trees and a few bits of grass when you get this far north. Despite the desolation this is some of the most beautiful landscape that I have seen. You can only admire the lack of development and the honesty of the land.

The drive into Alice Springs. Desolation all around and then suddenly you are on a tree lined street with sidewalks and palm trees.

We visited the Reptile Centre (http://www.reptilecentre.com.au/) in Alice Springs. This is an olive python that Kennedy is holding. The python is deaf and blind (not sure how they tested for that!). The keepers do give her live food and she hunts it by smell (the snake not the child).

Rhiannon holding a Frill Necked Lizard. They are not slimy despite their appearances. Their skin feels very dry and the points are slightly spikey.

Alex holding a Shingleback Lizard that appears to have a head at either end. This is to fool any predators that are looking for an easy meal. The girls had a great time with all the reptiles. It was a great learning opportunity and helped with any heebie-jeebies you may have about holding them (sort of).

Terry the saltwater crocodile. He looks friendly don't you think?

The "School of the Air" was really cool. The teachers do a lot of their lessons on webcams with students that are living in the outback. The students are mailed their lessons and then the teachers work with the kids through the wonders of technology. This is strictly for primary aged children. When the kids are of the age to go to high school they usually will go to boarding school.

http://www.assoa.nt.edu.au/

View of Alice Springs from the Anzac Hill. Funny how you have an image of what a place looks like and then you get there and you feel confused. I honestly thought that Alice Springs would be far more desert like and quite isolated. Instead it is a busy little hub of activity that is a gateway for the Northern Territory.

Our campsite in Alice Springs. We had a little trouble finding a campsite as the camel races were the same weekend we were there. Yep, you read it right - camel races. It was really cold at night so the girls are cozy in their flannel pj's on their way back from the toilets.

After 2 nights in Alice Springs we were on the road again. One of our first stops just outside the city was
Simpson's Gap, 18 km west of Alice Springs. You can see the extent of the drought in the country with the girls walking on the river bed.

There is a little water left in the river. My children always seem to find it.

Simpson's Gap. It was hard to get a good photo as it was an overcast day and quite dark by the time you got to the actual gap. It was well worth the walk though!

I think the girls walked twice as far as Steve and I by the time we were done. They climbed everything that they could.

Sometimes Rhiannon goes a bit far in her exploring and needs rescuing.















My favorite shot of Simpson's Gap.

Our second stop out of Alice Springs was Standley Chasm. The best time to stop here is an hour either side of noon so that you can see the reflection of the sun off the rocks. Despite the overcast sky it was still a fabulous sight.


It was a bit of a trek getting right in to the chasm, but a beautiful walk.

Not for the faint of heart, there was a lot of climbing involved. Well worth it though!

Alice Springs and the surrounding area is beautiful. It seems a bit of an anomaly considering the vast desertness of the surrounding area but it is a welcome sight after the expanse of the outback. We would have liked to spend a lttle more time exploring the Macdonnell Ranges but we loved what we did see. It's hard to be disappointed by anything you see in this country really. Our next stop was Kings canyon and Uluru (Ayers Rock). Yay!