Outback Adventure - Day 2

Uluru - Kata Tjuta - King's Creek Station

Today's trip.

Wake up at 4:30. Eat breakfast and pack up the camp in the dark. We drive 40km to the sunrise viewing platform. This is between Uluru and Kata Tjuta, with the sun rising on the Uluru side and lighting up Kata Tjuta.

Kata Tjuta at dawn

Uluru before sunrise

We arrive with plenty of time to spare. Conditions are great: a few whispy clouds only. This is awsome! We get to see the sky change from indigo to purple to blue, while the sun fires up the clouds from grey to pink to orange to white. All the while, Kata Tjuta is also changing from black to purple to pink and finally to orange.

First Light on Kata Tjuta

One of Kata Tjuta's domes catching the light. The scrubland is Spinifex grass, Mulga, Desert Oak and Wichety.

The sun just out behind Uluru

With the sun comes the flies, so flynets go on again. We drive to Kata Tjuta for the morning's excursion, which is a 7.5km walk through Valley of the Winds. We arrive in the early morning, while the mountain is still casting shadows.

What seems to be a featureless lump of rock from a distance is actually very detailed indeed. There are hundreds of valleys to explore. The vast majority of these are off limits to whitefellas, since this is sacred aboriginal land.

One of the valleys

Our walk takes us on a circular route around one of the heads of Kata Tjuta: through the Valley of the Winds, along gorges and over plains and outcrops. The diversity of life here is incredible. Here we see an Australian Ringneck Parrot the first time. A beautiful bird witd a purple-blue head, yellow ring around its neck, green body and blue tail.

Australian Ringneck Parrot

Some members of the group stay behind where the circular path starts. Here they see some wallabies, but us walkers see none. Our guide tells us a lot about the local geology, fauna and flora. Most of this escape me now, but I do remember that Kata Tjuta and Uluru are physically unrelated, although they were both formed at the same and by the same geological processes. One of the deeferences is that Uluru consists of sandstone, while Kata Tjuta is conglomorate rock. You can see this for yourself when you examine the type of stone each is made up of.

One top of a ridge, looking back the way we came. Our path is visible at the bottom.

Harry holding up the mountain. Yes, it is as red as that.

Eli in the bush

We make it back to the truck at about noon. The sun is burning at 35C, there is hardly a breath of wind and we are very tired. On the walk we drank about 3 liters of water each, but even that is not enough. We fill up again and keep drinking.

We drive back to the cultural centre at Uluru for a lunch of aussie barbie, bread and salad. The flies are terrible, but we are so hungry that we ignore them.

We need to be at Kings Creek Station before sunset, 300km away, so we set off immediately after lunch. We stop at Curtin Springs to stock up on some beer. We make a quick stop next to Lake Amadeus, a vast, dry, salt lake. From here we can also see Mt Connor. Geological evidence shows than Mt Connor was formed by glacial action during the last ice age. Curiously, the local people believe that it got its flat shape when a giant iceman sat on it. The iceman melted when the sun came out, but the mountain retained its flat top.

Lake Amadeus. 'Lake' is a very generous term indeed.

Mt Connor. Flattest in its class.

Our truck, with Mt Connor in the distance. Notice the bit of missing driveshaft? That's the 4x4 that we don't have. At least the air-con is working. For now.

We drive on, listening to some aussie music and talking about almost everything. Our guide spots a Wedge Tailed Eagle and goes almost apoplectic from excitement. It is the biggest bird of prey in Australia and quite rare around here.

Looking at the changing landscape is amazing. The country is clearly very dry, but the spinifex grass thrives. Interspersed are patches of Desert Oak, Wichety and Mulga.

At Kings Creek Station we make a quick stop. Here we see Diamond Doves, Crested Pigeons and some orphan wallabies in camps.

Crested Pigeon at Kings Creek Station

A Diamond Dove

Our campsite is a few km's further on in the bush. This one is even more back to nature than the previous one. Neither the dunny, nor the shower has a door, allowing you to appreciate the stars while you go about your business. The hot water works by firing up a donkey, which is almost the first thing to be done when we get the camp set up.

Rolling out the swags

Everybody helps our with dinner which is Chunky Chicken Korma, stir fried veg and rice, washed down with beer and some bartered whiskey.

We are both once again completely bushed. Eli is asleep within minutes of getting into her swag, with me a few minutes behind.

More to follow on day 3...