Hey folks,
We're writing this from Adelaide, the day after Australia Day, having had THE MOST AMAZING three day tour to Ayres Rock.
First we'll fill you in on the few days we had left in Western Australia.
We didn't end up staying in Freo for the night because it was fully booked but we went there for the day and had a bit of a wander around the shops. Its architecture is very French influenced so there are lots of pretty cool buildings with verandas, similar to the deep South. We visited the Little Creatures brewery where we sampled a pint of their finest and then drove into Perth where we were booked in for the night.
Sunday was a lazy day, we bought some bits from the supermarket and took them to Kings Park for a picnic. We also wandered around the Botanical Gardens and across a glass walkway they have built. That night we had a nice Vietnamese meal in a local BYO restaurant. BYO is the way forward - there need to be more places in the UK...! We then got locked out of our room! Woops so we sat in the hostel for a bit.
Monday we got up early, checked out and headed to the post office where we sent a big box of bits and bobs home.. It's that or expensive excess baggage charges....! We then off-hired the car at the airport and caught our flight to Alice Springs.
Woweeee - the heat when we got off the plane was pretty spectacular! We arrived at our hostel, a really kitsch 1970s style hotel with chintz and dodgy tea making facilities! We found a great bar called Bojangles, a wild west themed pub where you can grab a handful of peanuts from barrels by the swing doors! We had a hearty meal and a few schooners and then went to bed cos...
We had to get up at 0500 to meet Dan our Tour Guide for the next 3 days on our tour to Uluru. After picking the group (21 in total) up we headed off into the Outback...! Our first stop was King's Canyon where we walked 6.5 km in 45 degrees heat...! Not only that but we had to walk up the side of the canyon to the top to start the walk.. We then stopped and ate hot, soggy sandwiches in the shade (not really proper shade but anything that meant we weren't in the direct sunlight). Dan our tour guide was excellent. He told us we all needed to carry a minimum of 3 litres of water each on the walk because there were no water stops along the way so that meant carrying three large water bottles each. All of which were boiling hot to drink after about 5 minutes! In the Outback you have to drink 1 litre of water an hour. So many people have died on tour groups because they haven't bothered to do this so we were all very good at keeping up our fluid levels. At the halfway point we had a swim in a natural pool and I have to say it was the best swim ever! None of us wanted to get out! We then walked a further 3 k's to the bus - hurrah! A 2 hour drive into the Bush later and we were at our bush camp for the night. This wasn't a campsite but local land that the station (farm) owner allows just this tour group to stay on so it's as 'bush' as you'll get. We set up the campfire and the swags in a circle around the fire and then cooked dinner of chilli con carne. Yum. Carl then helped cooked the 'pudding' of Kangaroo Tail. Yuk. Well, he said it tasted pretty good. (photos to follow).
After three hours sleep we were up at 0530 and on our way to Kata Tjuta and The Olgas. A group of rocks known as 'many heads' by the Aboriginals. We walked 7.5 k's today and the walk was much better because there was a nice breeze. Still the heat really takes it out of you though... We had lunch at the 2nd nights campsite and then drove to Uluru. Our first glimpse was pretty magnificent... We visited the Cultural Centre to gain an insight into the Aboriginals and their stories and beliefs. Ayres Rock itself is not a complete sacred sight but there are various caves and paintings within it which make it important. This is the reason why the Aboriginals NEVER climb it and they ask the tourists to respect their wishes too. We walked about 50 minutes around the base of the rock called the 'Mala' walk and then headed to the sunset viewing area. We heard that another tour group had had 6 of their group picked up by the rangers for dehydration. Crazy.
At the viewing area, Dan started dinner and we watched the sun start to set.. Then a huge gust of wind blew and we were in the middle of a sand storm! In the distance we could see lightning..!! Then all of a sudden there was a double rainbow over Uluru! Dan says it's incredibly rare for it to rain over the rock so to see both a rainbow and lighting was great. We had our tea of stir-fry and a few tinnies and then headed back to camp.. On the way back it started to rain.... We were sleeping out in swags again but fortunately there was a shelter which we slept under for the night!
Woken at 0420 to drive to the sunrise area where there was a pretty disappointing sunrise but it didn't matter too much because the previous night had been so magical! We had some brekkie and then started the full base walk - 9.5 km. It was a really nice walk because it was all on the flat and it was only 8 in the morning so not too hot! After that we dropped a few people off at the Ayres Rock airport and then made our way back to Alice Springs. We all met up that night, it was a really great group, and had some dinner and lots of beers. There was a reptile night at the bar we were in and so I held a python!
Friday we got ourselves to the airport and flew into Adelaide. We're staying in a hostel that serves free apple pie and ice-cream each night! So far we've been pretty lazy but today we went to the test cricket at the Adelaide Oval and watched Australia vs India. It was great fun, lots of banter, beers and sun! I look a bit like a panda now though!
We're off on a walking tour tomorrow around the city and then we're shopping and uplaoding piccies on Tuesday. We pick up our campervan on Friday so until then we're just kicking back and enjoying not being on the move!
Love to all in the UK.
B and C xxxx
