Returning to familiar places

 

Bill and I travelled to Uluru in 2015 but it was just one of those trips that didn’t go as planned. We arrived after dark, the peaceful walk around Uluru was not so peaceful thanks to a grumpy guide and so on and so on. Going back has always been on my to do list, but not Bill’s. So, when his sister Val offered me a ride in her hire van with her daughter Ash, it was an easy decision to make. Let’s go, let’s do a girl’s road trip!

It’s amazing how much quicker you get somewhere when you aren’t towing and therefore aren’t restricted to 100km an hour. Before I knew it we were at Erldunda Road House, fuelling up and getting reading to turn onto Lasseter Highway for our 245km run to the Ayers Rock Resort at Yalara which is about 15km from Uluru. Our campfire mates, Jim and Louise, had told us about a salt-lake you can see if you walk up a hill opposite the lookout to Mt Conner. Many people apparently, mistake Mt Conner for Uluru, it is huge and spectacular and it looks even better when you climb the bright red sandhill opposite for a look, according to Val and Kath, but not Ash!

We then made our way to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta national park where we pulled up for a quick look at the magnificent monolith before heading back to the campground. Ash had a quick shower; Val and I caught our breathes and then it was time to go and find a spot to view the sunset. This time there was cloud cover so we didn’t get the huge array of colours you can when the sun beams on the rock. However, the clouds above did look dramatic and beautiful.

Next morning, we were up early, threw items onto Ash’s bed above the cabin, rolled Val’s and my bed up so we had access to three seats and were off to the sunrise viewing spot. I hadn’t been to that side so it was a real treat. Again, cloud cover meant that we didn’t see huge changes in colour but it was very special to see Uluru and Kata Tjuta side by side on the horizon. We had a quick walk after sunrise and spotted monks praying in a quieter spot so decided to keep that location in mind to watch the next day’s sunrise.

Back to Ayers Rock Resort, which hosts a variety of motels, restaurants as well as the caravan park, for a beautiful breakfast. Once we’d refueled ourselves, we returned to Uluru and we wandered around the base for about an hour. I am still surprised by the amount of vegetation and how green it is around the base. Having said that, I only saw one bird, high above the rock, soaring beautifully.

We listened to a guide tell the creation story of the Mititjula waterhole and so, when a few hours later, Ash picked another spot for a walk I was so excited that we ended up at that same waterhole. You really could see the serpent image in the rock, and having just heard the story made the visit far more special. One sign there said, “Please, close your eyes, feel the peace and listen.” It was so lovely to do that, all of a sudden you could hear so many more birds and you could feel the specialness that people talk about.

By now it was 2.30pm, (you fit so much more into a day when you are up and at it by 5.45am) and off to Kata Tjuta we went. This was one of Bill’s and my favourite spots so I was pleased to be going back again. Once again, I did the walk to the first lookout at the Valley of the Winds. It was blowing a gale, no need to guess where it got its name from. I chose to stay there and sit and be still. It was lovely, except for the wind, so I slowly made my way back down and sat in a more sheltered spot for about an hour just listening and watching. Then I popped into the van and began reading a book I’d purchased earlier in the day – ‘I am Uluru’ by Jen Cowley with the Uluru Family. They are the Indigenous family who are custodians of the area. A very interesting read!

Ash and Val returned very invigorated and hungry after their 7km plus hike, rock climb, scramble! So, off we went to the sunset viewing area to watch the sun go down on the place we’d all just walked. After a kick cup of tea and a wrap, made in the luxury of our very little camper, we wandered to the viewing spot! We were the only ones there!! I couldn’t believe I was at such an iconic spot with only people I knew and cared about. Very special!  Once again, the sunset was a cloudy one but after such a special day it didn’t matter to me at all.

We tried our luck for the third time, trying to watch the sun change the colours of Uluru, as we watched the next sunrise. Again, the sky and clouds had other plans. But at times we were the only ones in our little spot, so that was such a treat.

 

Then we hit the road and headed back 'home' as I know call our van.