We were becoming pushed for time, but it would be a pity to be so close, yet so far away from Uluru, and not see it, although no one seemed to agree on how far Uluru was from Alice or how long it would take, even maps differed and signage was poor. But we humoured ourselves by saying it depended on the road expanding and contracting with the heat, but it defiantly was a long way from Alice Springs. 
The scenery and its vastness was breathtaking and there were awesome wild flowers everywhere and it was so green for a dessert.
Before reaching Uluru there is what we thought a far more impressive rock, MT Conner looms out of the distance bigger than Uluru, with a flat top and skirted bottom and just as impressive as Uluru at sunset.  |
Having Mylee our staffy traveling with us meant we could not take her into the national park, and had been told by other travellers to stop at Curtain Springs and leave the caravan and Mylee there, being only 50 Kilometres away from the Rock, yes sure, try doubling that distance and that was only one way, as I said distances change out there.
I was very impressed by the cultural centre at Uluru, built from locally made mud bricks it resembles two ancestral snakes Kuniya and Liru whose stories are the base of the free form structure. The Kuniya python is built with in its shape, the body is the mud and its roof the spine of the Python.(made of shingles and thatching) You do need to use your imagination a bit.The Cultural centre is located near the base of Uluru and is a fitting start to your cultural experience of the Anangu people whose land it is. Although guess what people we did meet there?? “Orange people” do you remember the cult it was very big in the seventies and its members all dressed in bright orange and following a religious guru called Bhagwan.Well low and behold he "Bhagwan walked right up to us and sat down opposite us, and within a few minutes his flock of about 50 people came running ( dressed in all shades of yellow to orange) to hear the great one talk, but alas he was only advising his flock of general housekeeping issues before setting off around the complex. Gee thought we were going to be enlightened but not so. I believe they are now the Rajneesh movement.Certainly not the cultural experience we expected to find at the centre.
I must say Sunset over the Rock was impressive and we captured it on film along with the hundreds of other people there. We also saw about fifty fit and mostly young energetic people climb the very steep slope to the top (trail as marked). The local indigenous people ask that you don’t defile their sacred sight, we had thought that climbing Uluru was out of bounds but it is left to the individual to decide, and come to think of it I never saw any indigenous people there at all ? just bus loads of tourists!
The following day it was off to Kings Canyon which is said to be Australia’s version of the Grand Canyon but it was another very long drive. A stop off at Kings Canyon Station,(a massive cattle station north of Uluru) gave gave me the opportunity to ride a camel for the first time, which turned out to be the only high light of the day. Camels were used in the out back to open up the country for travel and trade and now roam wild in large numbers.
On arriving at Kings Canyon we were disappointed to find out that to view the canyon one had to climb "heart attack hill," you guessed it, straight up 90 degrees a couple of hundred feet.(marked in black) Certainly out of bounds for our health status, so we just did the small walk around the bottom of one canyon which I must say was not that impressive, but we did go and see and can now cross it off our bucket list.
The Jawoyn people 100% own and operate Nitmiluk tours and do an excellent job in teaching their culture and sharing their dream time. Nitmiluk Gorge winds 12km with shear rock faces more than 70m high, a maze of thirteen separate gorges in total, with access to three, they are sculpted from sandstone by the Katherine River.
Jawoyn tradition says that Bula “the creator” created these gorges, and Bolung “the Rainbow Serpent” is believed to inhabit the deep green pools as well as fresh and salt water crocodiles. 
After this remarkable cultural experience it was onward to Darwin at a cracking pace to make my flight home, but the journey will continue in a few weeks after the birth of my twin grandsons, as we still have many places to visit like Kakadu, the Kimberley’s, Broom, and Kalgoorlie for some gold prospecting, yes the best is yet to come, So stay tuned. (PRESS FOLLOW)
Until then be safe and keep those comments coming.
