20 Jul 10 – Uluru and Kata Tjuta

By Lou: Uluru was one of the few things I had specifically wanted to see on this trip, and I wasn’t disappointed. I must admit I was expecting her to have a lot smoother appearance whereas in fact she is rather pocked and scaly up close.
Also, I thought she would be plonked in the middle of red dirt, but there is substantial vegetation right up to the base. I also thought Alice Springs was the nearest town so all up I'm quite the dummy aren't I? Prior to arriving I had decided I wouldn’t climb Uluru out of respect for the traditional owners’ wishes but when I stood at the foot of it and looked at the sheer height and incline, fear became a more compelling reason to abstain.

I settled in on a bench seat to watch the boys climb and knowing it would take several hours, thought I might break up the boring wait by going for a walk. But between just sitting in awe of The Rock, checking out the boys’ progress through binoculars, chatting to passers by and general people watching, the time flew. I was relieved when Craig and Sam returned to earth safely and equally impressed by their effort.

Next day we returned for a 2½ hour walk around the base of the rock which was a bit more boring than I had hoped. There is a free guided tour for part of the walk but we weren’t there at the allocated time so unfortunately missed some good local knowledge. At particular points along the way you are not permitted to take photos as they represent sites of spiritual significance to the traditional owners. Consequently, my ears were sore from listening to Craig complain about not being able to take photos in his own country.










I really loved the 3 hour “Valley of the Winds” walk at Kata Tjuta (Olgas) on the 3rd day. Kata Tjuta means “many heads” which is most appropriate for the 36 or so outcrops of rocks, some much higher than Uluru. The walk winds through beautiful countryside and the steeper, rockier sections provided lots of interest. We had been warned that the valley sure could produce some howlers (and in fact is closed from time to time due to strong winds) so we rugged up but we needn't have worried. Like anywhere else at the moment, it’s cold in the shade but fine in the sun.


The campground at Yulara was huge but great. The whole resort complex at Yulara is owned by one company, and despite the huge involvement traditional owners have in the running of Uluru, aboriginal workers are conspicuously absent in the complex. Sam had a ball zooming around on his bike or hanging out at the children’s playground with heaps of kids, despite the school holiday period finishing. We were a bit slow off the mark (in Sam's terms) chatting to our neighbours as he had played with the kids for a whole day before we got around to meeting the parents. Caroline, Steve, Liam and Tara were from Victoria and enjoying their first stint at 4WD/campertrailering after hiring all their gear from Darwin for a test run. We didn't have long to chat but knew they were heading in the same direction as us so parted with the obligatory "See you down the track".

On our last night we got takeaway at one of the bars and listened to some live music. We would have loved to have grabbed a bottle of wine for back at camp but takeaways were ridiculously overpriced so abstained on principle.

By Craig: Louise and I are very different people and I respect Lou’s decision to abide by the aboriginal request to not climb the rock, but bugger that it’s a bloody big rock, it’s a part of Australia and of my heritage as an Australian. The rock calls to you from afar. Every time you look at the rock it seems, you have to stop and take in the view, it changes so often you feel that if you don’t stop you will miss something.






I climbed it! And Sam came with me and it was a hard climb and together the little man and I did it.
I must say as I stood at the bottom looking up along the long chain a moment of doubt did cross my mind, just a fleeting moment.

I was proud of Sam’s spirit on this day as it took every bit of his energy to get those little legs up that slope but he didn’t give up and we talked each other over the humps, one step at a time I’d say and we both came back down to earth a little better for our troubles.





The feeling you get as you climb up and on to the marker on top of the rock leaves you with a better understanding of why the local aboriginal men made the climb a part of the men’s business ritual, it is truly a spiritual moment.





















All round though the Olga’s were the better experience. Once inside the gorge the walk is picturesque and the formations of rock are astounding. It will take some beating.




Foot note: Australia is a big place but as I stood seemingly 1 person in amongst many strangers viewing from the caravan park lookout the sunset for yet another day, I noticed a familiar face. It had been nearly 4 years since we last spoke and I had changed over the past 12 months now with longer hair and beard however once we recognised each other it was a pleasant surprise to catch up with Peter and Karen. Who would have thought old friends and colleagues would pass by each other in the middle of Australia?