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There is one day a year here when everyone talks about horses, racing and fashion.
It’s Melbourne Cup Day today, and wherever you turn, horses pop up – in conversation, in the media. I find it quite strange…
Well, not really everyone, because I do know some sane people and some of them came over tonight to eat, chat and watch the slide show from my Uluru trip.
It was a great opportunity to re-visit the trip and the memories. Because I took so many pictures, even though I ‘only’ showed about 800 of them, I was quite concerned that I was boring everyone. Everyone seemed quite pleased though – which made me happy.
At the end of the day I lost half my lights – the safety switch got tripped and we could not find the light switch that did it. But I’ll have to look into that tomorrow and probably get an electrician in.
This morning the rain clouded the sunrise.
After breakfast we decided to spend our last day here by retracing some of our steps from the very beginning. Nathan and I walked the Mala walk once more, saying our good-byes to some of the special places here.
From a distance we waved farewell to Kata Tjuta as we drove back to the resort to pack up to leave in the morning.
One last Latte at Yulara while I sat and planned our route for the next day – King’s Canyon and on to near Alice Springs one last long drive!
All afternoon the clouds build to thunderstorm-size again and by evening even Uluru seemed blue to see us go. But nature put one more spectacular stormy sunset on for us to enjoy. How rare to see the full moon rise on our first day and gathering storm clouds on our last day here in this sacred place!
We were truly blessed.
One last magnificent sunset
I slept in today – missed the sunrise, but woke to a rainbow stretching over the campground. After breakfast we went for a walk at the sunrise viewing area (Talinguru Nyakunytjaku).
Many information plaques are set around the walk, teaching basic knowledge about the local culture, including tools, ceremony, children, plants, animal tracks and habitat. We stayed and did some drawing, the kids played.
I especially love the shelters made from timber frames and grass roofs all around the National Park – what a lovely addition these would make to my place.
It turned out to be a warm and sunny day with high winds at altitude, obvious by the wave cloud formations.
Nathan and I decided to brave the wind and sun and followed the Liru walk to the base of Uluru. On the way we came upon a rather surreal sight of tables and chairs arranged in the desert for whatever reason we could only guess at…
By late afternoon the lenticular clouds turned into cumulus and our evening visit to Uluru showed dramatic skies, rain and rainbows moving through. Tomorrow will be our last day here, so I decided to spend another evening watching the sun set.
Goodnight and Palya Uluru
I went for a walk at first light to watch the moon set and the sun rise.
This is such a magic place and I don’t find it difficult to be up early.
On my return we had breakfast and walked through the resort to the cafe for a leisurely morning. We are booked into an indigenous art course this afternoon and I feel like taking it very easy for the morning.
The resort centre is like an oasis in the middle of the landscape. Flowering bushes, green lawn and towering trees are so out of place in the landscape, but the birds love it here.
We walked back slowly through the park, taking in the wildflowers, birds, the lovely scenery, the kids drawing pictures in the sandy path.
After lunch we drove out to the cultural centre and joined a group under the direction of Sarah, a local painter, and her Japanese born Pitjantjara interpreter. We heard the story of how the People (Anangu) came to Uluru, of the battle between Liru, the poison snake, and Kuniya, the Woma python who brought her children as eggs with her, of the Mala people who came from the north and their – to this day – unfinished ceremony when a spirit dog was sent against them by their neighbours who felt jilted in their hospitality. All came to life with the drawings and tracks drawn in the sand.
Then we had to decide on our own little story to paint in the time remaining. Everyone, not just the children, were inspired to work with paints, dots, symbols. Here are our little masterpieces:
And with this we came to the end of another wonderful day crowned by a purple velvet sunset.
Goodnight Uluru!
This morning I decided to wash, clean and tidy. It was windy and cool. By lunchtime we were done and on our way to Kata Tjuta (‘Many Heads’ aka ‘The Olgas’).
Waipa Gorge was our first walk – a freezing wind greeted us and blasted us under a grey sky of wave clouds. Still, I was enchanted by the variety of flowers blooming in this desert setting. It looked like more rain would arrive for them today, in the distance thunderstorms brewed.
We warmed up with a lunch at the sunset viewing area as the sun peered through and afterwards decided to tackle the Valley of the Winds walk before returning to Uluru.
The over 7km walk was beautiful – many flowers, beautiful colours, the glimpses of ecosystems on top of the domes, steep paths and breathtaking views.
We drove back under a threatening sky to Uluru to admire it once more for a stormy sunset that brought some rain to the Red Centre.
I got up before sunrise – in the dark, to walk up the hill. I watched the moon set – big and orange – before first light crept over the horizon. It got very cold.
The campground is not how I imagined it, it feels more like a city than at home, lit up as it is all night. To commune with the stars or take photographs, I have to walk away from camp. I’m not used to the light and nightly noises of civilisation, especially out here in the centre. The sunrise brought more people to the lookout – it was my first here and felt special.
An aboriginal classroom 'red'board
After breakfast we drove into the National Park, first to the Cultural Centre (no photographs allowed, out of respect for traditional culture), then we decided to join the Ranger-led Mala walk before continuing on the Base walk, circumnavigating Uluru entirely. The Mala walk was slow but informative and we eventually completed the entire walk by 3pm. The first half was cold and windy, but it got warmer later and a little more sheltered as we walked around the rock – I still managed to get a little too much sun today. We had some biscuits and water for the walk, but were glad to dig into some cheese and salami rolls once we got back to the van and we took advantage of the cafe at the Cultural Centre for a coffee and some icypoles before driving down to the sunset viewing area and spending the evening there, watching Uluru and sketching together.
It was a treat: Under the clear sky the rock slowly changed colour to glow dark red before the full moon rose behind it like a pearl on velvet. I stayed until well after sunset as the sun dropped below the horizon, its light leaving the rock and the sky turned purple. It was a most beautiful sight we had come a long way to experience.
All photos: © S Gneist
We left Aileron for Alice Springs – which is quite a large town, larger than I imagined. We stopped in town, picked up some brochures and maps, petrol and I had a lovely organic coffee in Todd Street Mall while the kids stuck to fruit smoothies. I had a good chat with the couple on the next table, comparing notes on bird sightings and good places to visit.
Then it was time to get going again and we headed south another 100km for a short visit to the Meteorite Craters for a short walk. We drove through clouds of budgerigars, but I just couldn’t get a good shot of them – they’re so fast! The last stretch lies ahead now – Erldunda Roadhouse and turn onto the Lassiter highway – only another 200km or so to go…
One last fill up at Curtin Springs Station, one of the most central cattle stations in Australia and after another 90km we reached Yulara. When we finally saw the rock on the horizon we got so excited – it was a sight for tired eyes.
We checked in, set ourselves up, ate some leftovers, had showers – I finally stopped feeling grubby and windblown. It was time for a walk up to the lookout to watch the sunset and plan the next days activities. I was exhausted after this 600km day – the last long drive for some time now.
Perfect end to a day
Exquisite Moments 