TR June 2016 Uluru, A Spur of the Moment - Homeward Bound and end of TR on Day 8; 02/25

[PrincessInOz]

I know what you mean on the early morning departure, having had one myself yesterday that didn't go as smooth as yours!

Oh no! I hope it gets better from here on end. Enjoy your vacay!

Thanks for the pictures from the air. I never would have guessed that the rock was triangular in shape. All the pictures from the ground make it appear to be an oval.

Unless you see it from the air, you'd be forgiven for thinking the rock was long and oval.
And they do say it's "heart-shaped". The Heart of Australia.

Yeah, that's the thing about being stuck in the middle of nowhere, they can charge whatever they want and you don't have a lot of other options so you're kind of stuck with what you've got.

 

[PrincessInOz]

I've yet to visit the red centre (I knew it was red but now i'm imagining all that dust in my suitcase forever LOL).

Keep it coming

We came home with hardly any dust.
It's worth a visit.

Checking in. This is somewhere I probably never get to see for myself so I am looking forward to seeing it through your eyes. The views from the plane are stunning. The price of that pizza is eye-watering.

Corinna

I know a lot of tourist put it on the bucket list. But it is an expensive part of Oz to get to so I can understand why you think you'll probably never get to see it.

What a grateful vantage point from the plane to view the Rock. I was thinking the same as Alison, I always thought it was more long and oval.

I can understand why people recommend seeing it from the air at least once.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Wow what a great introduction! Nice work getting a window seat on the right side of the plane - did you research that or was it just luck?

Someone told me to book the left side of the plane but only after I had already booked everything. Luckily, I had picked the left side on that spur of the moment thing. I also booked the left side on the way out. If you're going, book the right side on the way home.

We flew past Uluru on the way to Singapore a couple of years back and the pilot did a figure of 8 so people on both sides of the plane could see. Unfortunately we were stuck in the middle so didn't get to see anything!

Nice of that pilot to do so! Shame you were in the middle.

Another one who didn't realise that Uluru was that shape from above.

Hmmm. Seems to be a common view.

What is that cluster of rocks in the top right of the pic?

The cluster of rocks is Kata Tjuta or the Olgas.

I'm in! Looking forward to reading along

YAY! Thanks for subbing in.

 

[PrincessInOz]

On the Road Again



On the road again and it feels great! The feeling of freedom as you point the car in one direction and ‘just go’ cannot be beat.

It was 1.30 pm when we finally left the Yulara resort area. 304 km of road beckoned and everywhere we looked, it was flat, flat and flat. We’re travelling along the Lasseter Highway here towards Alice Springs. Lasseter Highway is a sealed highway about 240 kilometers in length that connects Yulara, Kata Tjuta and Uluru east to the Stuart Highway south of Alice Springs. The highway is named after Lewis Hubert (Harold Bell) Lasseter, who claimed to have discovered a fabulously rich gold reef (Lasseter's Reef) west of Kata Tjuta. Don’t be fooled by the “Highway” assignation. It’s pretty much single lane in both directions. It is an easy drive.





The landscape looked straight out of Mars with all that red sand and the green shrubs/trees looked strangely out of place. There has been a bit of rain in the area lately, and there is a lot more green about than normal.





I really hadn’t done any research for this trip. So, I didn’t think twice when we passed Curtin Springs Station, 100 km east of Uluru. It’s a cattle station that is still owned by the original family (Severin) that settled here in 11956. They have set up the station with a campsite/caravan park that also offers accommodation. I was to find out later that the Station also offers meals and that it was worth stopping at for the meals. It even has a parrot aviary and an emu that wanders around. D’oh! Next time.

We did stop at the Mt Connor lookout. There really aren’t that many lookout points on the route we took…..come to think of it, this was probably the only way we passed. Naturally, we made the stop. For anyone who might be heading this way, it’s also about the only other place where there are environmental toilets, so don’t pass it up!

If you are stopping, I highly recommend that you (carefully) cross the Highway and climb up to the top of the sand dune on the opposite side of the road. The views there are much better.

Are you wondering how/who/what/why/when about Mt Connor? Well…..so was I.






Without any research, the answer I came up with is as follows.

Once upon a time, the centre of Australia consisted of one solid piece of red rock. Aliens came from outer space and blasted the rock to the consistency of fine sand (hence the red sand). But they missed a few spots…..like Mt Connor, Uluru, Kata Tjuta.




Ok. With research.

Mt Conner, or Attila and Artilla to the Pitjantjatjara people, is located roughly 100 kilometres to the east of Uluru. It also has another name…..Fool-luru……because a lot of tourists mistake it for that other rock. Unlike the rounded forms of Uluru and Kata Tjuta, Mt Conner has the shape of a mesa, with a flat sandstone capping and rugged, rocky slopes falling away to its base. When seen from the highway, some distance away, its size is not fully appreciated. In fact, Mt Conner is only a few metres shorter than Uluru, but its circumference about three times greater. If you want to visit this inselberg, you’ll need to join a tour group, exclusively run by SEIT. I was to find out later (*sigh* another D’oh moment) that you can catch a helicopter from Curtin Springs and it will land on the top of Mt Connor. The helicopter tour only runs Thursday through to Sunday. There is also another attraction here that is worth time….Cave Hill. It’s the most significant rock art site in Central Australia. We just didn’t have time to fit in Cave Hill on this trip.





Another reason for climbing up the sand dune. From the top of the dune and looking away from Mt Connor, you’ll see one of the small salt lakes that dot this particular section of the Northern Territory.





There is a massive salt lake, Lake Amadeus, that is apparently worth visiting in this part of the world. I think you can only view it from the air. These smaller lakes are a little more accessible and I wished I had the time to spare to take a walk down to the banks. Next time!


There was an interesting shrub up on that sand dune. It's not quite in bloom yet and I had never seen one before.





Pitjantjatjata name – Malukuru, Common name – Parrot Pea, Botanical name – Crotolaria cunninghamii. It is named after Alan Cunningham, a botanist on King’s expedition to the north west coast. The bark can be used to weave into rope or used to attach the spear head to the spear. It is often eaten by camels!


At the half-way point, we took the left turn off the Lasseter Highway and on to Luritja Road. The road is 167 km long and connects Lasseter Highway to Watarrka National Park and Kings Canyon Resort and Kings Canyon. It is a sealed road if you approach it from the Lasseter Highway end but if you come in via the Mereenie Loop Road end from Alice, you’re driving on dirt. Don’t say I didn’t warn you if you choose to come in that way without a 4-wheel drive.





Some 90 km down this road, we hit one end of the George Gill Ranges.





The George Gill Range is a mountain range about 200 kilometers southwest of Alice Springs. It is an offshoot of the MacDonald Ranges and is composed mainly of sandstone. Approximately 36 percent of the Range are in Watarrka National Park.

The first Europeans who came to this area, was Ernest Giles in 1872. He named it after his brother George Gill, who had helped him in financing the expedition.



About 40 km away from King’s Canyon, you’ll find Kings Creek Station. Established in 1981, it is a working cattle/camel station with facilities for camping, accommodation and an opportunity to experience the outback either by quad, helicopter or camel.





I was in desperate need of a hot drink and it gave us the opportunity to stretch our legs! Yes, it does have public toilet facilities as well. It was the only other facilities you'll come across between Mt Connor lookout and here.





More minutes ticked by as I enjoyed that cup of tea.


(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

Kings Canyon Resort



I could definitely hear that clock ticking as we eventually pushed on and drove the remaining 40 km to Kings Canyon Resort. We eventually got there at 5 pm. Check-in was thankfully short and we rushed to get our gear into the room. I did tarry a little longer to take these shots of the room.





This is one of the deluxe classes of room at the resort.





DH and I booked it on the spur of the moment after we saw pictures similar to this.





We also have our own little outdoor balcony space with a view.





And the bathroom facilities were clean.





We were staying here for 2 nights, so the Queen/Queen beds and the room space were very welcomed by us all.






And with bags dumped, we all rushed out!


(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

Sunset at Kings Canyon Resort



Why the rush? Sunset, of course. We had just enough ooh and ah over the room before running down to the resort lookout to check out sunset.






The resort has a created a lookout space specifically for guests to enjoy sunset and sunrise. At sunrise, they even sell drinks for you to sit/stand around and enjoy. Afterall, the panorama views are really quite spectacular.






With clear skies, we were treated to the orange glows of sun on rock.





As the sun set lower, the glow turned to reds.






And then deep chocolates with purple hues.











All the while, that sky just lit up with rainbow colours.






Absolutely stunning! For this city dweller, Mother Nature's colours just soothe the soul.







It eventually got too dark, even for me.







So, we headed back towards the resort proper. The Kings Canyon Resort offers a range of accommodation. There’s the Hotel component of the resort. You’ve seen the deluxe room that was to be our home for the next 2 nights. Our room was great! The hotel also includes standard rooms, much smaller in size and no Jacuzzi.


The other part of the resort is what is termed the Holiday Park section. There is lodge style accommodation for the backpackers. That building is where the lodge is. I believe that the standard rooms and the lodge accommodation are decent enough as well.






The Holiday Park also includes caravan and campground facilities. I understand that the toilet blocks are not kept in the best condition and that the BBQ/cookout facilities don’t work well.


(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

Our First Dinner in the Outback




We are all pretty hungry by this stage so we looked at our options at the resort.
There are 3 different types of eating establishments at the Resort. For tonight, our choice was the nondescript Outback BBQ and Grill.






A low-key barn style set up seemed perfect for us tonight.






I had overheard some of the other travellers talking about the Garlic Prawn skewers and we had picked this spot because they had raved so much about it.





Sadly for me, they had run out by the time we got there so I had to look at an alternative option for dinner. I ended up choosing the Barramundi.





I guess they ran out of corn on the cob as well. By the time I made a trip to the salad bar, it was looking like a full plate of food.






DS went with one of the burger options. He also loaded up on some of the salad options.






DH went with the vegie burger option. He was always going to load up on the greens.






We did enjoy the entertainment at the Outback Grill. Rod Dowsett was pure country; but he was pretty good.







The food? It did the job but it was pretty average. I wouldn’t rush back here.

By this stage, we were tired. We wandered on back to the room and we all crashed.

 

[Realfoodfans]

We did an 18 day tour of Australia in February 2005 and Uluru was part of our trip. We stayed at Sails in the Desert resort https://www.ayersrockresort.com.au/accommodation/sails-in-the-desert but I have to say our visit there wasn't the spiritual one I'd hoped for - so far looks like you avoided the crowds - being on a tour we were told where to be and what time - not for us we learnt - they took us out to view the sunset and we were horrified- dozens of coaches full of tourists of every nationality- tour operators setting up tables - some for food - ours with bubbly and cheese & crackers! Roped off areas to keep you all herded together "for safety" - people wandering in front just as you've set up a shot! We were glad we visited but were so disappointed as we were unaware of the set up.

 

[PrincessInOz]

We did an 18 day tour of Australia in February 2005 and Uluru was part of our trip. We stayed at Sails in the Desert resort https://www.ayersrockresort.com.au/accommodation/sails-in-the-desert but I have to say our visit there wasn't the spiritual one I'd hoped for - so far looks like you avoided the crowds - being on a tour we were told where to be and what time - not for us we learnt - they took us out to view the sunset and we were horrified- dozens of coaches full of tourists of every nationality- tour operators setting up tables - some for food - ours with bubbly and cheese & crackers! Roped off areas to keep you all herded together "for safety" - people wandering in front just as you've set up a shot! We were glad we visited but were so disappointed as we were unaware of the set up.

Sorry you didn't get the experience you wanted.

Our first trip to Uluru was some 18 or 19 years ago. We didn't hire a car and ended up at the mercy of the tour operators. We did try and keep away from the masses by going with the small tour operators; but it felt exactly like that.
With the benefit of hindsight, we've approached this trip with the viewpoint that we need to be in control of our time and destiny. Hence the car hire and us heading to Watarrka National Park. It worked out well all round. Sadly, avoiding the bus/tour groups is pretty difficult to do at the Uluru resort area.....but it is possible.


Thanks for popping in to comment. I hope you'll stick around for the rest of the TR.

 

[Realfoodfans]

Sorry you didn't get the experience you wanted.

Our first trip to Uluru was some 18 or 19 years ago. We didn't hire a car and ended up at the mercy of the tour operators. We did try and keep away from the masses by going with the small tour operators; but it felt exactly like that.
With the benefit of hindsight, we've approached this trip with the viewpoint that we need to be in control of our time and destiny. Hence the car hire and us heading to Watarrka National Park. It worked out well all round. Sadly, avoiding the bus/tour groups is pretty difficult to do at the Uluru resort area.....but it is possible.


Thanks for popping in to comment. I hope you'll stick around for the rest of the TR.

Will do I love to read people's reports!

 

[ACDSNY]

Beautiful start to your trip, the sunset pics are always a favorite with me.

 

[zanzibar138]

I always learn so much from your TRs! Looks like a great start to the trip.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Enjoying

That jacuzzi room looks delightful.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Finally able to read your trip report. Your pictures from the plane are very nice and amazing.

Your room looks very nice but the sunset pictures are so amazing.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Will do I love to read people's reports!

Beautiful start to your trip, the sunset pics are always a favorite with me.

Stick around. There are a lot of sunset and sunrise pictures in this trip.

I always learn so much from your TRs! Looks like a great start to the trip.

Thank you! We had a great trip.

Enjoying

That jacuzzi room looks delightful.

It was a great room. I wished I had stayed longer......just for that room!

Finally able to read your trip report. Your pictures from the plane are very nice and amazing.

Your room looks very nice but the sunset pictures are so amazing.

Nice to see you here.

Hope you'll like some of the other sunset/sunrise pictures when I get round to posting them.

 

[EJ4Disney]

I am loving this!! Thanks so much for the link. I can't wait for more.

 

[PrincessInOz]

I am loving this!! Thanks so much for the link. I can't wait for more.

Glad you're here!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Day 2 - All Day at Watarrka National Park

The First Sunrise (Wish #1)


It was not quite the early morning start that I had envisaged.
We all kinda slept in a little this morning. The clock was nudging 7 am when I finally woke up and I immediately bounced out of bed (quietly), threw on some clothes and ran out with the camera bag. It was still dark when I headed out. Sunrise was slated for around 7.30 am, so there was still time to catch it.






On the spur of the moment, I thought I’d check out that viewing platform we were at the night before. In case you're wondering, there is a walkway to guide you in the right direction.






I don’t know what I was thinking that morning! I got there, set up and blanked out. I do remember thinking that I was late for sunrise and all the good morning light was gone. I also remember thinking that the vista was same ole’, same ole’.






It didn’t look any different from the night before, just not as colourful. I do remember wishing that there would be clouds in the sky. Let’s call this Wish #1 and you know what they say about wishes, right? Be careful what you wish for.







I guess I must have been in a dream-state still. I took a few shots and packed up. I ended up with a distinct lack of pictures for this sunrise. When I got home and unpacked the photos, I was kicking myself. Looks like there was some nice golden colour towards the east






And pretty pinks and purples towards the west.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Surprise! Breakfast Included!


It really had been a spur of the moment resort booking for DH and I. And ‘resort’ is loosely used in this part of the world. By world standards, the building arrangements are more like a high-end motel complex than a hotel/resort. See for yourself. This is where our lovely room can be found. Our door is behind the tree on the right. You can't see the door in this picture, but it's identical to the one on the left. In each of these buildings, there are about 4 - 6 rooms; and there are tons of these sorts of buildings clustered around the resort.






Still, we weren’t exactly flushed with choice. Aside from the fact that there is nothing else to stay at if we wanted to be close to Kings Canyon, we chose the room simply for the spa bath.
So it came as a complete surprise when I had checked in last night to find out that a buffet breakfast had been included in our room rate. Really???

Ok. I’ll take it. I’m not going to pass up on a free feed.
Breakfast was served in the one and only bona fide restaurant on the resort. It was about 7.45 am when we got here and there was a complete dearth of people. I did say we slept in, right?






The buffet turned out to be good, standard fare with the usual hot food, pastries, fruit and cereal.





Sadly, we didn’t find out until after we’d loaded up on the buffet that this place also had make-to-order omelettes and poached eggs.
And we were running to head out to our destination today so we didn’t have too much time to tarry over a leisurely breakfast. By King's Canyon standards, we were already late!

 

[zanzibar138]

Sorry it was a disappointing start to the day, but yay for a surprise free breakfast! And FWIW I think your sunrise photos are beautiful!