Central Australia Trip 2012: We finally made it to Uluru
Welcome back to my incredible road trip to Central Australia!
To read about Part 1 on Alice Springs, Ormitson Gorge and camel rides, link here.
To read about Part 2 mainly on Kings Canyon, link here.
To read about the climax, STAY here. Because this post is dedicated to Uluru!
What is Central Australia, if not the big bald rock Uluru.
That being said, fun fact. The hike will be closed for good on 26 October 2019 (read about the news here). I'll leave it up to you to decide if that's a "oh no. I'll never be able to conquer the summit anymore" or a moment to rejoice because local culture has finally been taken seriously! I'll be sitting on the fence for this one.
Anyways, Uluru hike is often closed for a gazillion reasons. Chances of rain, strong wind, wet surface and etc. Coincidentally, that morning, one of the many reasons were valid. So instead of hiking to the top, we did the Kuniya walk, that is walking around the base of Uluru.
It's an extremely short walk, about 1km and take less than an hour! Even wheelchair accessible.
Along the walk, you'll be able to see grooves and holes on the rock. Apparently, this was due to a fight between two ancestral beings. (Read about it here.)
The walk will lead you to Mutijulu waterhole where the traditional owners of the land often bring their VIPs to visit.
If I can be honest, at this point, all the rocks and valleys look the same to me!
By the way, only a handful of us made it to the summit and I wasn't one of them. Due to safety concerns, part of the negotiation with George was that we had to turn back by a certain cutoff time. He didn't want to risk any of us hiking down when it's getting dark.
To read about Part 1 on Alice Springs, Ormitson Gorge and camel rides, link here.
To read about Part 2 mainly on Kings Canyon, link here.
To read about the climax, STAY here. Because this post is dedicated to Uluru!
What is Central Australia, if not the big bald rock Uluru.
Day 7: Saturday June 30
In my previous post, I've mentioned that we've started the day by visiting Uluru Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre, in which we were advised not to climb Uluru. The hike was not prohibited but because it is an extremely sacred site, the aboriginal traditional owners would prefer visitors to respect their culture and choose not to hike Uluru.That being said, fun fact. The hike will be closed for good on 26 October 2019 (read about the news here). I'll leave it up to you to decide if that's a "oh no. I'll never be able to conquer the summit anymore" or a moment to rejoice because local culture has finally been taken seriously! I'll be sitting on the fence for this one.
Anyways, Uluru hike is often closed for a gazillion reasons. Chances of rain, strong wind, wet surface and etc. Coincidentally, that morning, one of the many reasons were valid. So instead of hiking to the top, we did the Kuniya walk, that is walking around the base of Uluru.
It's an extremely short walk, about 1km and take less than an hour! Even wheelchair accessible.
Along the walk, you'll be able to see grooves and holes on the rock. Apparently, this was due to a fight between two ancestral beings. (Read about it here.)
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| Estele was obviously excited |
The walk will lead you to Mutijulu waterhole where the traditional owners of the land often bring their VIPs to visit.
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| The VIPs |
It's all about Uluru today and just walking around the base wasn't going to make the cut. We had to go watch how the rock "changes" colour as the sky grows darker.
New way of enjoying sunset. Instead of the usual staring beyond the horizon as you watch the sun slowly disappears, you watch a rock changes colour.
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| But of course, taking a silly photo with Uluru came naturally. |
We ended the day with bonfire. Ohhhh that warmth was so comforting in the cold dessert night. Really brought us closer together, physically, as we gather around the fire that night.
With a hot cuppa drink in hand, it really made the whole thing perfect!
Day 8: Sunday July 1
We started the day by heading out to Kata Tjuta where we took an exiciting walk into the "Valley of Winds". Like it's name suggest, that place was indeed really windy!
Valley of Wind. All to see that 36 weathered domes, estimated to be around 500 million years old.
For this hike, it is advisable to do it early in the morning. Why?
1. Avoid humans
2. Avoid the outback midday sun
Upon completing the hike, that afternoon was meant to be free and easy. You can either chill at the camp site or opt for the helicopter ride.
Of course Kai Liang, as a dedicated photographer, opted for the helicopter ride, determined to get some good shots of Uluru.
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| And he did not disappoint! It looks more like a painting if anything. |
But some of us decided to try our luck. We were quite adamant about conquering the summit of Uluru (despite being advised against due to local culture). Checked the weather and called the information centre. Woila! Hike was open. So we went and negotiated with George, our tour guide, to give us a ride to Uluru hiking trail.
Indeed I must admit, the hike can be quite dangerous. Due to its surface, I can foresee how slippery it can potentially get if it's wet.
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| Behind the scene |
By the way, only a handful of us made it to the summit and I wasn't one of them. Due to safety concerns, part of the negotiation with George was that we had to turn back by a certain cutoff time. He didn't want to risk any of us hiking down when it's getting dark.
We spent our final camping night with boomerang (not the mobile app) and just appreciate the entire camping experience, really.
This isn't the end just yet. The next post, I will be bringing you through the final pitstop as we moved from sleeping in a tent, to sleeping underground.
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