Uluru
Posted by at 2:54 PM
Last weekend Jess and I made our first visit to Australia's Northern Territory. Along with us on the trip was Jess' parents who were in town for a visit. Our quick 3-day trip consisted only of Uluru (or Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta (or Mount Olga). The next closest site (Alice Springs) is a 5 hour drive away which makes you really appreciate the size of the country.
Anyway, because Uluru is really just a tourist attraction (for the white folks anyway), the whole operation is a bit of monopoly. Qantas is the only air carrier with flights into/out-of Uluru and there is really only one accommodation (Voyages - which ranges from campgrounds to 4-star resort & spa). Needless to say, without competition the prices at Uluru are a bit outrageous. That being said, we did have a great time and felt that for a weekend trip the price was worth it (at least once).
We arrived in the early afternoon on Friday and decided to have a drive around Uluru. Without knowing better we made it to the rock and got out of the car to have a look around. Little did we know that we were about to be attacked by Flies. Within seconds dozens of flies were swarming us, buzzing about in our ears and eyes...very annoying. This would mark the start of our war on flies during this trip.
On Friday night, we attended the 'Sounds of Silence' tour, which was amazing! The tour basically starts in the evening where you see both Uluru and Kata Tjuta at sunset (no flies at sunset apparently), which turning bright red/orange in color. From there you take a quick walk to an outdoor restaurant and have dinner under the stars. They boast this meal as 'gourmet', however I felt it was only average in reference to 'Sydney dining' - however for being in the middle of nowhere it was quite good.
Because it is in the middle of nowhere, the stars were brilliant - even on the full moon. And at the end of the meal, a 'Star' expert gave a tour (using a neat astromonmy grade laser pointer) of Southern Hemisphere stars, including The Southern Cross - which believe it or not, was the first time Jess and I have actually seen it.
Despite the late Friday night, we woke up early on Saturday morning to see the sunrise on Uluru. The Sunrise colors started about 6:30am and the sun was finally up about an hour later. One thing to mention here is how cold the desert feels without the sun; although the lows were only in the lower 50s the 'cold' was bitter.
Following a mid-morning nap after sunrise, we made the trek (about a 40 minute drive) to see Kata Tjuta up close. Before making this daytime journey we invested in fly nets to cover our heads. About halfway through the drive we stopped at a viewing area which gave a spectacular view of Kata Tjuta. Following this we continued to Kata Tjuta and were able to walk through a few canyons to see the 'watering holes'. Along the way, we noted many envious onlookers longing for our fly protection. Perhaps the highlight of the day came on the way back from Kata Tjuta, when we spotted a wild Camel!
Saturday night, Jess and I went out to a designated sunset viewing area to watch the color change at Uluru. Although the flies were still out, they were in much fewer numbers and we at least were able to keep up with the 'Shoo-ing'. Driving back from sunset the road became quite crowded (maybe 10 vehicles) with vehicles pulled off to the side. When we looked back at Uluru, we then realize that the Moon had just come across the top and made for a unbelievable view. Naturally, we stopped to get a few pictures (which thanks the tripod from my brother helped capture the moment), however we were soon 'encouraged' to leave by the local police (singular) as we were not in a designated stopping zone.
On Sunday, we had a leisurely morning and eventually made our way to the airport around mid-day. The flight was uneventful (despite a few flies hitching a ride) and soon we were back in fast-paced civilization of Sydney. Overall, this was a great trip and I would highly recommend it to friends...and if they are really good friends we would even let them borrow our fly guards.
Anyway, because Uluru is really just a tourist attraction (for the white folks anyway), the whole operation is a bit of monopoly. Qantas is the only air carrier with flights into/out-of Uluru and there is really only one accommodation (Voyages - which ranges from campgrounds to 4-star resort & spa). Needless to say, without competition the prices at Uluru are a bit outrageous. That being said, we did have a great time and felt that for a weekend trip the price was worth it (at least once).
We arrived in the early afternoon on Friday and decided to have a drive around Uluru. Without knowing better we made it to the rock and got out of the car to have a look around. Little did we know that we were about to be attacked by Flies. Within seconds dozens of flies were swarming us, buzzing about in our ears and eyes...very annoying. This would mark the start of our war on flies during this trip.
On Friday night, we attended the 'Sounds of Silence' tour, which was amazing! The tour basically starts in the evening where you see both Uluru and Kata Tjuta at sunset (no flies at sunset apparently), which turning bright red/orange in color. From there you take a quick walk to an outdoor restaurant and have dinner under the stars. They boast this meal as 'gourmet', however I felt it was only average in reference to 'Sydney dining' - however for being in the middle of nowhere it was quite good.
Because it is in the middle of nowhere, the stars were brilliant - even on the full moon. And at the end of the meal, a 'Star' expert gave a tour (using a neat astromonmy grade laser pointer) of Southern Hemisphere stars, including The Southern Cross - which believe it or not, was the first time Jess and I have actually seen it.
Despite the late Friday night, we woke up early on Saturday morning to see the sunrise on Uluru. The Sunrise colors started about 6:30am and the sun was finally up about an hour later. One thing to mention here is how cold the desert feels without the sun; although the lows were only in the lower 50s the 'cold' was bitter.
Following a mid-morning nap after sunrise, we made the trek (about a 40 minute drive) to see Kata Tjuta up close. Before making this daytime journey we invested in fly nets to cover our heads. About halfway through the drive we stopped at a viewing area which gave a spectacular view of Kata Tjuta. Following this we continued to Kata Tjuta and were able to walk through a few canyons to see the 'watering holes'. Along the way, we noted many envious onlookers longing for our fly protection. Perhaps the highlight of the day came on the way back from Kata Tjuta, when we spotted a wild Camel!
Saturday night, Jess and I went out to a designated sunset viewing area to watch the color change at Uluru. Although the flies were still out, they were in much fewer numbers and we at least were able to keep up with the 'Shoo-ing'. Driving back from sunset the road became quite crowded (maybe 10 vehicles) with vehicles pulled off to the side. When we looked back at Uluru, we then realize that the Moon had just come across the top and made for a unbelievable view. Naturally, we stopped to get a few pictures (which thanks the tripod from my brother helped capture the moment), however we were soon 'encouraged' to leave by the local police (singular) as we were not in a designated stopping zone.
On Sunday, we had a leisurely morning and eventually made our way to the airport around mid-day. The flight was uneventful (despite a few flies hitching a ride) and soon we were back in fast-paced civilization of Sydney. Overall, this was a great trip and I would highly recommend it to friends...and if they are really good friends we would even let them borrow our fly guards.
Labels: flies, fun, Norther Territory, weekend
