Uluru and Kata Tjuta

     We debated this trip for over a year.  Should we go?  Is it worth it?  In the end, we decided that we wanted to see Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas).  We've spent almost all of our time within a hundred kilometers of the coast, as do most Australians, but we were eager to see the outback too.  It is vast.  It is red.  It is really, really empty.

    We flew into Yulara, the small town that exists to support the tourists that come to the Red Centre.  We had left behind a very wet, ugly week in Sydney and loved the dry, hot desert air.  Our visit was short, just 2 nights, but it was plenty of time for us to experience the desert sights.

    Our first evening we went to a dinner outside at a sight with a beautiful view of Uluru and The Olgas.  We laughed as a boy from Mia's class boarded the bus with his mum.  Small country, sort of.  Our yummy meal included kangaroo and crocodile.  Mia thought the croc tasted like a mix between tuna and chicken.  As much as we enjoyed watching the desert sunset, the night sky was absolutely stunning!!!  It was worth it go to the desert just to see the stars.  It was a clear night with no moon (below the horizon for most of the night); the Milky Way was visible as were zillions of stars. We're still talking about it.  The kids loved getting to see Saturn and its rings in a telescope.

Just before sunset.

    The alarm went off at 5 AM the next day and we made our way to see sunrise over Uluru.  Despite the early hour, this was one of the highlights of our trip.  Uluru is mesmerizing and majestic.  

I couldn't get the Midnight Oil song "Beds are Burning " out of my head the whole time we were there.  "The bloodwoods and the desert oaks..."

 Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) in the distance.

Uluru is composed of a type of red sandstone.

    After sunrise we made our way over to Kata Tjuta, also known as The Olgas.   A word about the Aboriginal names.  The Aboriginal peoples have never had any form of written language.  The words have been phonetically transcribed by European settlers.   Why the white fellas decided to add silent consonants to these words is beyond me?!  I have been trying to find an answer but need to do more research.  So, Tjuta is pronounced Juta, ignore the "t."  Go figure.

    Kata Tjuta is a series of 36 rocky domes about 25km from Uluru.  They are thought to be formed from the same geologic event about 600 million years ago.
   

 Uluru as seen from Kata Tjuta.

 Up close with one of the domes while hiking.

Alternate view of Kata Tjuta.

 Hiking the canyon between 2 of the domes.

Flies, flies, and more flies.  We got some good experience with the "Aussie salute" (i.e. brushing the flies away from your face). Thankfully these weren't biting flies, just a bit irritating.

 Large goannas cross the road frequently.  We didn't see any of them.

     We did see wild camels though!  Camels were imported to Australia in the 19th century to help settle the desert areas.  When they were no longer needed, they were often released into the outback.  They are well-suited to outback life and there are now an estimated 1 million feral camels in Australia!  It's the largest camel population in the world.  

    Great quick trip!  A few more photos - 

Uluru from the plane.  Because they have had lots more rain than normal in the outback, there is more color than usual.

Now on to the rest of our Australian bucket list...