0028 Uluru to King's Creek Station July 17th

Up at 6 am as planned, and headed straight out to the sunrise viewing point for Uluru / Ayers Rock.  Took our cup of tea with us and for about 40 minutes watched the sunrise behind us, and Uluru slowly light up in front of us.  Beautiful  way to spend the morning. 

Then we sprinted round (in Troopie, not on foot !) to the other side of the Rock to join the Mala cultural tour round the foot of it.  This was great, with a very knowledgeable Ranger telling us the Aboriginal story of the Uluru, its position in their culture, and its current place in their lives.  I had only ever seen the Rock from a distance before, so found it very awe inspiring to be up close to it, and learning all about it.  While hiking to the top is tolerated, they ask you not to do so out of deference to the Aboriginal wishes. And as it is so steep, and there was a high wind blowing, I decided it was not for me. 

After the walk, we visited the excellent Aboriginal Cultural Centre to learn more about the area, and then, after a quick visit to the supermarket in the Yulara resort for some supplies, we headed out of the Park towards Kings Canyon.  Once again, not the most enthralling road, but I must admit I find the starkness and barrenness of Australia awe inspiring in itself – There is just something about it.  Stopped for a sandwich in a big overnight layby beside the road, where the wind was blowing hard and the temperature was about 28 deg C.  Janet decided to have a nap while I made myself some lunch, before we continued up the road to our stop for the night at King’s Creek Station.  This is just short of King’s Canyon, and someone had told us was worth a stay. This is a working cattle station, with camping facilities available, and is certainly interesting. 

A baby camel in a local paddock, a station hand wandering around with a cockatoo on his arm, and lots of bus tours with young tourists paying a fortune to sleep under the stars in swags !!  We stayed just for one night before we moved on to Kings Canyon.   Supposedly wifi available, so I spent a couple of hours desperately trying to get all my stored blog downloaded, all to no avail !!  Just too slow !!   Ah well, maybe tomorrow !!   

 

Pics :-  https://picasaweb.google.com/117739775480775657932/0028UluruToKingsCreekStation?authkey=Gv1sRgCKuc7vCuh_q4Ww#