Stats Overview
Km's Travelled: 1100
Km's Hiked: 31
No. of Campsites: 4
The Adventures
We have had a big week exploring the red centre of Australia. After our very slack hiking effort last week, it has been good to get out and stretch our legs while enjoying some of the beautiful, natural features of this country.
We started of the week at Kings Canyon, which was our favourite place we visited this week. It is a stunning canyon with so many incredible features and views. We completed the rim walk which takes you up and around the rim of the canyon where you can get some stunning views down to the canyon floor. About halfway around the canyon you reach a section which has been aptly titled "The Garden of Eden". This is a small, hidden oasis filled with trees, palms, birdlife and a stunning gorge. It was amazing to find this literal paradise in the middle of the sun-scorched desert! As the walk to the gorge was off the main path, we even got the added bonus of getting to enjoy it all to ourselves. Unfortunately, due to this sheer size of the rock walls, the lighting wasn't good enough for us to get any good photos to share. So that just means you will have to go and visit it for yourself! We also managed to stay at a great location where we could easily watch the sunset over Kings Canyon which made for some memorable evenings. Although we did end up with a surprise visit by a dingo one evening who did the rounds of every van looking for an easy snack!
After Kings Canyon we made the trek out to Yulara so that we could finally go and see Uluru. It was a truly special moment when we first laid eyes on Uluru and it is really so much bigger in real life than what you see in photos. A highlight of our time at Uluru was doing the guided ranger walk where we got to learn about the local Aboriginal culture and how their ancestors used Uluru for ceremony and also life. It was very fascinating to learn how these people could understand the land and nature in order to survive in the desert. We also completed the base loop around the rock, however, we wished we weren't so cheap and had of hired bikes instead of walking to complete the loop. As, after a few kms into the 10km circuit, the magic of Uluru wears off and you feel like you are walking in a never-ending circle around a giant, relentless rock! While we were in the area we also made the journey out to Kata Tjuta (The Olgas). Kata Tjuta translates as "many heads" which is a fairly accurate description of the 36 rock formations that make up the area. We were glad we made the extra journey as hiking through the rock domes was one of the highlights of our time spent in the national park. The sheer size of some of the rock domes is mind blowing! While we were staying in Yulara we also completed some of the free activities that the resort provides. A highlight for Will was the didgeridoo workshop where he got to have a crash course in didgeridoo playing. Quite a crowd gathered to watch the workshop and Will was not too impressed when he had to have a crack at performing after 20 minutes of learning. He did a good job, although he reckons that didgeridoo playing is very hard so he won't be quitting his day job any time soon!
We have now made it to Alice Springs where we will spend the next few days exploring both the town and the West Macdonell Ranges. Although the temperatures have definitely dropped here so we are getting very keen to make our way up towards the warmth of Darwin!
Kodak Moments
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| Red rocks and blue sky - Kings Canyon |
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| It was too windy to get a good shot of the canyon from the cliff top - Kings Canyon |
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| Just a small snippet of the incredible oasis in the middle of the desert - Kings Canyon |
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| The aptly titled "Garden of Eden" is a hidden paradise - Kings Canyon |
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| The weathering and erosion has made for some incredible rock formations - Kings Canyon |
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| So pretty watching the sunset and moon rise over the desert - Petermann |
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| We had to get a selfie with Australia's most photographed rock - Uluru |
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| Will having a crack at playing the didgeridoo - Yulara |
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| The sheer size of the rock faces are incredible - Kata Tjuta |
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| A small section of The Olgas |
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| Got our moneys worth with this shot at sunset - Uluru |
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| Braving the cold to see a sunrise - Uluru |
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