After our 0345 wake up calls we all dutifully appeared in the lobby of our Cairns hotel for the promised tea/coffee/juice/fruit and croissants. The hotel let us down. One poor man from the kitchens brought out the oddest things to eat; sushi, chicken wraps etc but no croissants! The coffee machine was eventually switched on and a production line from the group worked wonders at the toasters. We all managed something to eat and drink.
We had a good flight to Ayers Rock with no airport problems. We needed our mosquito nets the moment we stepped off the plane. Our first sight of Uluru on our way to the 36 red rock domes of the Kata Tjuta formation. The starting point for our first 45 minute bush walk. We walked in searing heat along the path into the Walpa Gorge. It was an unguided walk just following the path as far as you liked. Our guide, Alex, had given us a lot of geological information about how the domes were formed. There was no shade to be had anywhere. The temperature rose steadily. It had been 32° when we left the aircraft. We didn’t get very far into the gorge. On the way back. At the coach the driver, Graham, refilled water bottles from a cold tank in the luggage compartment. He swatted everyone all over, as we climbed back in, to minimise the number of flies travelling with us. We headed back through the bush towards Uluru. These blackened tree trunks will have been part of a regular firestick: deliberate fires to help minimise bushfire damage. Next stop was for lunch at the Anaguah Cultural centre where local aboriginal artists paint and sell their work. The centre had a good display about aboriginal traditions but we were really far too hot to appreciate it. Cold ginger beer worked its miracle. Drinking water was available from a fountain outside but it was pretty hot and not pleasant to drink. On to Uluru For our second bush walkBy this time the temperature was 43°There were a couple of shaded refuges on the way to the Rock. Refuge is definitely the appropriate word!All photos are taken using my phone as my camera has been misbehaving. This cave in the Rock has aboriginal drawings: not ancient history, more like a village notice board where earlier messages were erased to make room for new information. Guide Alex, unusually cheerful. He is actually excellent but often has a grumpy demeanour. No more photos of the walk to the Rock. Taking photos on a phone, wearing sunglasses, in strong sunshine, through a very fine mesh Scottish mosquito net means working blind. I must have touched the bit that turns the camera to face me. This is the result. I have deleted the other 12 similar photos. Camera back facing the right way, we passed this sign on our way back to the coach!!!Driving on we saw other views of Uluru. The slope silhouetted was the chain walk to climb the Rock. Uluru is sacred to the Anangu people and in 1985 it was handed back to them. The climb was permanently closed as recently as 26th October 2019. This seems a good spot to insert this. The Aboriginal people are now referred to First Australians, reflecting the meaning of Aboriginal. After reaching our Ayers hotel and cooling down it was back on the coach for the obligatory viewing of sunset at Ayers Rock. We were well set up with drinks and nibbles. The best drinking technique is through the mosquito net. Anything else leads to flies inside the net with you!As the flies grew fewer in number, we were able to remove our nets for a photo. A pleasant end to a gruelling day.
Australia and New Zealand 2020 