Day 6 Uluru and Kata Tjuta

Up early and off to the supermarket in town (5 mins away) to buy some supplies – rolls, ham, water, choc bars – all the essentials for our big walk.  Then a quick wander around the resort shops (a little didgeridoo x 2 carved out of bamboo that somehow I got talked into buying for the kids). I resisted all the nice candles, pottery, clothing and other items. Actually amongst the cheap tourist stuff, there was also some really nice things. Then it was off to the Cultural Centre at Uluru (20kms) to buy a couple of souvenirs for the kids.

Sam was very taken with a hand carved aboriginal lizard of local mulga wood, and Lily chose some handcrafted wooden music/rhythm  sticks (which I might add she has been banging away on and singing ever since!).  Then off to meet the ranger (along with heaps of other people) at 10.00am to start the Mala (an animal like a small wallaby) guided walk. Off we went, to near the base of Uluru, amongst the acacia trees, stopping at caves, rock paintings, and aboriginal food sources.

 

The ranger went to great lengths to explain all the food available if you know where to look – from cooking the acacia seeds under the coals until the hard casing splits, then harvesting the seeds, and grinding them down and mixing them with water to make  a kind of bread, to different bush fruits, witchetty grubs, native honey found on various flowers, and even digging down to find the special species of frog that can live under the sand during the times of no rain, with their bellies full of water – a great little canteen if you know where to look! We were also told to look out for the signs around the rock base, advising of some sacred areas where photography is not permitted.

 

We listened to dreamtime stories, and local laws about the rock, and local customs. Then it was off to explore the area on our own. Sam and Lily did a great job walking around the entire rock (about 12 kms), and it was fairly warm today – about 25deg in the sunshine.  The whole walk took us about 3.5 hours, no mean feat for little legs. Of course this was helped along by various bribes of lolly snakes and violet crumbles!

The different geological faces of the rock were fascinating, from smooth sandstone areas, to snake like grooves, to small pitted holes and large caves. The sheer vertical walls in places made us gasp with their enormousness, and we enjoyed walking through the acacia woodlands, the bloodwoods and various native grasses. With the red sands beneath our feet, and the amazing monolithic form of Uluru ever present, it was a sight we will all never forget. Something every Aussie should strive to do at least once!

 

 

Next it was off to Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) which is 50km from Uluru. Although the two rock formations of Uluru and Kata Tjuta appear similar from a distance, in color and composition, when you walk up close to each of them, they are very different.

 

 

We did the gorge walk at Kata Tjuta, across the mighty rock formations, into the treed gullies, fascinated by the huge, conglomerate rock layers of gravel, pebbles and boulders of basalt and granite which have been cemented together by sand and mud over thousands of years.  Kata Tjuta rises 546 m above the plains and contains 21 types of mammal, 73 reptile, 170 bird, and 4 frog species.

The plant life is astonishing with over 400 flora species in the area. With a temperature reaching 47deg in summer and down to -7deg in winter, the fact that the animals, let alone the aboriginal people can survive in the huge variance of temperatures, out in the open, is amazing.

So, after our big walks, it was back to the camping area for a welcome hot shower and a change of clothes, then we treated ourselves out to the local hotel Outback BBQ smorgasbord for dinner.  So, it was a choose your proteins from the service area, then take them to the BBQs to cook yourselves, then load up your plate with a variety of salads and hot foods (corn, roast potato, onions). So, we chose to eat kangaroo, crocodile, emu, prawns and barramundi – oh yum!  Both kids tried everything, liking the barramundi and the kangaroo the best.

So, then after a big day, there was time for a quick update of everyone’s blogs, travel journals, etc and off to bed.

By the way – if you want to follow the kids Track My Tour maps – have a look here and leave them a message. They would love it.

Sam - http://trackmytour.com/86XF9      

Lily -  http://trackmytour.com/rFXd8