The Red Centre

When people had told me about Uluru (or Ayers rock) I have to admit I couldn't really understand the fascination. Going out into the middle of the desert was bound to be very hot, full of flies and all for the sake of seeing a big rock sticking out of the ground (which most people agree should not be climbed). It was actually all of these things. It was hot (about 36-38 degrees c) but not humid, it was full of flies which were incredibly annoying, buzzy ones (but we did discover a particular repellent which seems to stop them flying straight into your nostrils/eyes, but sadly doesn't make them disappear altogether) and there was a blooming big rock there - and it was much more impressive than I ever imagined it would be.

The aboriginal people don't like people climbing the rock for cultural reasons so it is frowned upon but not forbidden. Colin did the climb when he visited around 15 years ago but there weren't quite the same anti-climb vibes then. The path is also closed frequently for weather reasons too. They close it if the temperature is forecast to be 36 or above or if it will be windy as it would be too dangerous. It was closed for the entire time we were there so we wouldn't have been able to climb even if we'd wanted to. There is a climbing ladder to help but this is apparently going to be removed in the next 2 years so it will be virtually impossible then.

The evening we arrived we went on a Sounds of Silence trip. This involves being taken out into the desert, being plied with champagne, watching a beautiful sunset, eating a nice al fresco buffet, followed by a spot of star-gazing. We got most of these. While still chewing my last mouthfuls of kangaroo caesar salad the guide informed us we had 2 minutes to get back to the coach as there was a storm coming. They weren't wrong. The wind whipped up and within minutes we got heavy rain. They had timed it perfectly. I guess they have a bit of experience in these matters. Everything was transported back to one of the hotels where we had dessert and drinks. The only thing we missed out on was the star talk, for the obvious reason that no stars were visible.

On our 1st full day we decided to do the walk around the base of Uluru which was just over 12 km (including a short walk to the cultural centre at the end). It was a very nice walk, but, with hindsight, doing it in the heat of the day was not sensible for someone like me who does not cope terribly well with extremes of temperature. By the time we reached the cultural centre people were looking at me in a very concerned way. I'm not sure if they thought I was going to collapse or if they thought they'd catch something from the sweaty but shivery me. I had drunk loads of water but clearly not as much as i should have. A lesson learned!!

The next day we were rudely awakened by the alarm clock at 0330hrs to get up to view sunrise. Another memorable trip. I'm sure you'll agree the photos are pretty good. This was followed by a short guided walk to parts of Uluru which we had seen on our self guided walk, but it was nice to hear some of the legends of the aboriginal people. We had the afternoon to relax by the pool and have a siesta.

On our final day we took another guided walk but this time at Kata Tjuta (otherwise known as the Olga's). This is the more knobbly group of mountains on the photos. I was a bit reluctant to do another bigish walk after nearly dying at Uluru! But I was persuaded as it looked really cool. As it turned out part of this walk was also closed due to extreme temperatures so we could only go to the first lookout and back and then did a 2nd walk through Walpa Gorge which was beautiful. After this we got to see another amazing sunset followed by another gorgeous buffet. This time we did get to see the stars and it was so clear. Although I still missed the 2 shooting stars that everyone else saw!

Overall I now think the red centre is really quite an amazing place. But unlike many other places we've visited on this trip, I couldn't live there.