Uluru and Kata Tjuta

The last few days have been action packed with many walks, climbs, hikes, sunset views and nature at her best.  Ebony has enjoyed learning a lot of new words and experiencing this part of the outback.  

A short hike from our campsite on the first night here was rewarded with our first sunset view of Uluru.  Aside from all the over-commercialised surroundings, she really is magnificent and we weren't expecting the sheer size of such a monolith.  Whist staking the claim as the largest "monolith" (apparently an ambiguous term not held in high esteem by geologists) in Australia, she doesn't hold the record for the largest rock.  That goes to the "monocline" Mt. Augustus in Western Australia, almost two and a half times the size of Uluru.  Why am I writing this?  Because I find it interesting I guess. 

The following day Sarah needed to replenish some of our supplies, so we took a short trip to the local supermarket.  Considering the remoteness of the area we were in, the prices for many fresh fruit and veg were...reasonable.  We also got a chance to have a look at the local souvenir shops and Aboriginal Art Gallery.  

Following Ebony's tiresomely 'negotiated' afternoon nap, we ventured to the Rock to complete the 10.6km base walk. The walk takes you up close and personal to the rock itself and also gives a perspective with some distance.  The walk was basically a flat plane all the way round making the trek quite easy; even with the extra 15kg of two year old I was carrying.  Many tourists opted to hire bikes to ride around the base, which would also have been a good option had we brought our helmets along with us.  

I had visions of the rock walls to be a lot smoother.  It actually was in some places, in others it was peppered with holes, crevasses and 'fans'.  You can easily see where portions of the rock has broken away and fallen to the ground making cave-like holes in the sides.  Ebony was adamant that she could see a bear in these so called 'caves'.  The bear, was apparently The Very Cranky Bear (Nick Bland - sensational Children's Author) and all Ebony wanted to do was give him a cuddle.  You see, the bear is cranky because all he wants is a quiet place to sleep.  Ahhh, the innocence of a two-year old.  She sure keeps us entertained.  I must say I am finding the richness of the quality time spent with Eb the best part of the trip.  It's just great! 

The following day I wanted to part-take in what some may deem a rather disrespectful act of selfishness...yes, I wanted to join the recorded 38% minority of tourists and climb Uluru.  I had thought about this for a long time and came to the realisation that I would regret it if I didn't go through with it.  So, once Ebony had awoken from a far less negotiated sleep, we made the drive to the Malu (Red Kangaroo) carpark and the start of the climb.  

This one, of course, I was doing alone as I just couldn't justify the risk of carrying Ebony in the travel pack up such a steep incline...and it was STEEP!  Thank goodness for the appropriately placed chain rail that transcends the first part of the climb.  I ensured that I made a few stops to take photos...yes that's what was needed...'photos'.  (Phew!) Once I had passed the initial part with the chain rail (and took a few photos) there was a series of white lines that guided me to the summit.  I passed a few weary travellers on the way and they all said that it was worth it...It was.  The photos that you will see here just don't do it justice; a common theme emerging on this trip.  Due to the flatness of the ground below, you do feel like you are on top of the world.  Mt Conner, Kata Tjuta and a few other major attractions are clearly seen from the summit. 

One thing I was not expecting to see at the top of Uluru was any form of biological life.  There was some plant life, obviously desert hardy and these things (pictured below) swimming in a pond of water just next to the summit centre point.  I had a guess that they were tadpoles of some sort and a quick Google search revealed that they were indeed tadpoles...of the cane toad variety it seems.  Ugh...how bitterly disappointing.  My guess is they made their way up there by bird.  Good luck to them though...I doubt they will survive up there.  Well...I hope they don't.  

Once I had made the descent to ground Sarah and I headed for the sunset viewing area along with a few million other tourists.  This didn't bother us though as there was enough parking for us.  It wasn't long before we were enjoying a cold refreshment and another of Mother Nature's spectacular evening shows.  The intense scarlet, blood-red that seemed to engulf Uluru was nothing short of mesmerising.  You can see why so many tourists have been visiting the area since the 1930s.  Upon returning to the van, dinner and an early night was in order.  I was buggered!

The following day Ebony awoke with excitement at the prospect of another walk.  This time we decided to venture into Kata Tjuta or as Ernest Giles would have you believe "Mt. Olga" or "The Olgas".  The Valley of the Winds Walk was one that I had done a bit of reading about and I was pretty excited too.  There were a few steep climbs and descents, but nothing like the side of Uluru.  The walk took us between the domes of Kata Tjuta and the majority of this 2-3 hour, 7.4km journey had us in awe of Nature's beauty yet again.  The largest dome stands about 200m taller than the 348m of Uluru.  

I was so impressed with both Sarah and Ebony on this walk as it was rated a difficult one.  Sarah has been doing a lot of preliminary walking and running in the lead up to this trip and it was great to see just how much her fitness has improved.  Ebony, not to be outdone, was also keen to get out of the backpack and explore.  My back and shoulders certainly appreciated this.  She managed about a kilometre before it was snack time and she returned to the backpack.  Ebony just loves being outdoors and exploring new places.  

Once again, the photos just don't do it justice. Kata Tjuta is often perceived as the younger sibling to Uluru, as is Mt. Conner.  The hype surrounding Uluru has approximately 400 000 thousand tourists visit the area every year.  I personally believe, however, that Kata Tjuta was more mesmerising than Uluru.  Not taking anything away from Uluru, as she is truly magnificent in her own right, but I enjoyed the awe inspiring time we spent on the Valley of the Winds.  

We will be sure to visit the area again one day.  When Eb is older and can remember it. Tomorrow we travel to Kings Canyon, a mere 300km away.  It will be nice to pack up leisurely and leave late morning.  

It has been wonderful to get a heap of lovely comments on the blog.  Thanks for reading it!  If you do comment, can you please leave your name too?  Just so we can thank you later :) 

More soon!