I also decided to treat myself to a full breakfast which was also bountiful. The waitress from the night before was on shift again and said that she was saving up to travel to South East Asia after finishing her stint at Yulara.
The shuttle to the airport didn't leave until noon so I caught the circular shuttle to the town centre. The service happened to be one that detoured to the camel ride grounds so I got to see that too.
I sent off a couple of postcards, a vanishing species, at the post office there, and took a few last pictures.
The day before the guide had explained desert oaks. They are slow growing, the roots reaching for the water table. The height of the tree is proportional to the depth of the roots and so is an useful indicator. Once it has a stable source of water, it flourishes, except that it's now vulnerable to lightning strike because of the conductive path. When struck the tree explodes. But in dying its seeds are scattered to restart the cycle.
I was pleasantly surprised by my trip. I had not high expectations; I wondered if there was more to it than seeing The Big Rock. The air was fresher, the pace of life gentler, the scenery more spectacular, the flora and fauna more varied than I had anticipated. But out there I would miss the cultural activities and food of the city. The one tour I wished I had also signed up for was the Field of Light, a light installation by Bruce Munro.
The second day, an even earlier departure at 0450 was required due to the distance to Kings Canyon. As the plane flies, it's about 140 km about 1 o'clock from Yulara, but there's a salt lake in between, necessitating a 300+ km horseshoe detour first along Route 4 (Lasseter Hwy) towards, but not reaching, Route 87 (Stuart Hwy), turning north on Route 3 (Luritja Rd), then veering north-west for the last ⅓. The saving grace was that the first ⅔ of the journey was in darkness so we could grab a bit more shuteye in the dark.
We arrrived at the junction with Ernest Giles Road at sunrise (obviously planned). Notice that in the junction sign, someone has painted out Ayers Rock and substituted Uluru. In fact both names are allowed, usually Uluru first. This is the sign for the unsealed road that we didn't take. It goes east towards the Stuart Hwy and thence north to Alice Springs.
The bus parked on Ernest Giles Road and the passenger disembarked to await the sunrise.
Here it is, coming from the east.
The dawn light on the overhead clouds make it seem like the picture is inverted; that the clouds are undulating dunes.
The silhouettes of the trees give away the orientation.
Away from the sun the colours were less dramatic and more subtle.
Lovely shades in the sky.
Less than an hour from our destination we stopped for breakfast (included) at the Kings Creek Station. The driver explained that the holdings in the south are smaller than the ones in the north. For raising cattle one hectare per head is needed for financial viability. Many stations have diversified into other ventures like camel farming, and tourism, providing meals and lodging, some of resort quality.
The general store.
The breakfast room.
Inside, a hearty traditional Aussie breakfast was served. Some of the staff were overseas backpackers, like the ones viewing Uluru.
The cheeky (is there any other word) resident cockatoo.
The station is also a refueling stop. Naturally the price is higher due to the remote location. The girl is not the bowser attendant, just one of the other passengers.
On the way we finally spotted some wild dromedaries. It's estimated that there are some 300,000 feral camels in the outback, and they need to be culled. The driver explained there are three things you can do with camels, sell them live, sell them as meat, and surprisingly, as breeding stock for other countries.
The driver cracked a riddle-joke. If a two-hump camel is a bactrian, and a one-hump camel a dromedary, what is a no-hump camel?
A: ʎǝɹɥdɯnH
There were two walking options and one did not have to decide until the last moment: to do the rim walk which involved an initial steep climb, a walk overlooking the canyon, and finally a descent, or do a leisurely walk in the canyon. A indemnity form was required for the former. Also 3 litres (!) of water needs to be carried, although this can be reduced to 2 litres in winter. I came prepared with a couple of empties, which could be filled from the chilled water tank in the belly of the bus.
The only difference, aside from the effort, is that either one is looking down from the rim, or looking up at the rim. Naturally one has to stay away from the edge. The guide mentioned that one tourist woman had fallen some years ago, and it was partly the fault of an inexperienced guide.
I had signed the form but finally decided to take it easy on this tour. Here you see the initial climb and can make out the intrepid visitors who have chosen the harder option.
A side on view of the hill.
Anyway there was plenty to enjoy in the canyon. The formation is part of Watarrka National Park at the western end of the George Gill Range. These names figure in stories of the early explorers related to us by the guide.
River red gums which thrive on the moisture and stabilise the soil.
Large stands of them.
Impressive tree.
Niches in the walls sustain plants.
I liked the contrast.
Very evident strata.
Looking up at the rim.
We reached the waterhole which was also the end of the walk as the rest had been closed off due to concern for rockfalls.
It was possible to clamber over to the other side where one can look back on the path.
Lovely reflections.
Erosion is constantly causing chunks of rock to fall into the canyon. There were car sized pieces in the canyon which had fallen in the past.
Just one of the species of flora. There is a large variety of flora and fauna in this NP and one has to stay long enough to see many of them.
And here you see the estimated times of the two walks. The bus took the creek walkers to the Kings Canyon Resort and went back to pick the rim walkers.
This isn't the whole resort, just the restaurant and bar. The accommodation is elsewhere on the grounds. There is also a caravan park and a helipad for those who want to enjoy an aerial view of the canyon, as did a mother-daughter pair.
It was pleasant outside so I elected to sit on the veranda, the major annoyance being the flies.
I opted for chunky fries with cream and sweet chilli sauce dips, and a beer. The serving was substantial.
By and by, a mangy dingo came for food. For various reasons: possible aggression, disease, over-familiarity, one is not supposed to approach them, let alone feed them. The guide had given us the advice: don't bother them and they won't bother you.
It was after the scraps left on the table by other visitors. They shouldn't have left the remnants out. Some drive through visitors tossed the dingo some chips until they were told off by the staff. Tsk tsk.
After collecting the other passengers, we set off back to Yulara, another 300 km back. On the way we passed another mesa, Mount Conner. It is sometimes mistaken for Uluru by eager visitors coming from Alice Springs and thus nicknamed Fuluru, said the guide. Just remember that Uluru has rounded shoulders. Fuluru is larger, BTW.
Nearby is Curtin Springs, a cattle station that has also diversified into the tourism business. It has been run by the Severin family since 1956.
The resident emu.
Back at the lodge, both tours done, I treated myself to a three-course dinner in the hotel restaurant. Aside from the main course and the drink, the rest was self-served from the counters, and plentiful. I reckon I got my just deserts for the end of my sojourn, and desserts, of course.
A waitress asked me where I was from, and said she was from Balmain, adding that she didn't think she would ever go back. The slower pace of life at Yulara and communal spirit suited her better.
That's a main of barramundi by the way. I enjoyed my sleep that night, no early start the next day.
The bus returned us to Yulara. I had lunch at the lodge and rested a bit before the afternoon tour picked us up. This time they took us for a circular drive around the base. At one point we alighted for a short walk to the Mutitjulu waterhole.
There are cavities in the rock face which figure in stories.
This is the entrance to a cave with paintings but one half of the group was viewing it first so we came back to this after visiting the waterhole.
Another view of one face of the awesome rock.
The waterhole. This picture was taken by raising the camera above the heads of the people at the railing so it's tilted. Nobody took up the invitation to have a dip, even though the tour description said to bring swimwear.
More of those cavities.
Beautiful light and shade.
A river red gum, thriving on the moisture from the waterhole.
These chairs have an interesting provenance. After the Darwin cyclone disaster (Tracy IIRC), an artist collected driftwood and made these chairs. They are glued together; no nails or other metal are used in the construction. They are very sturdy.
And finally we got to look at the paintings in the cave, with accompanying explanations by the guide.
After this they took us to the cultural centre where we browsed displays explaining Anangu culture, history of the area, and the natural environment.
A catering van was setting up a dining area. I figured this must be the extra BBQ option that some of the passengers had opted for. They would be dropped off here after sunset and the rest of us would be bussed back to Yulara first.
Sunset was around 1800. The guide told us we should take a photo every couple of minutes to catch the subtle changes in the colour of Uluru. This was at 17:45.
17:55
17:57
17:58
18:00
Some Japanese backpackers were on the tour. Some of them had been on a working holiday in Central Australia. Not surprisingly it is easier for them to get a job in outback Australia.
18:02
This is what the crowd at the viewing area looked like. There were tables set out with crackers, potato crisps, veggie sticks, dips, and cheese, washed down with wine.
18:02+
18:03
18:04
18:05
18:06
18:07
18:08
18:10
18:12
We had boarded the bus when the guide spotted the full moon rising over the shoulder of Uluru. We all alighted to grab pictures of this fortuitous coincidence. Don't go too far away from the bus, yelled the guide. In retrospect, the guide and driver must have known about this and feigned surprise.
The trip back was uneventful and part of the busload was dropped off to enjoy their alfresco dinner.
Back at Yulara, I decided to try Gecko's Cafe. It was a self-service restaurant. The tables had white cloths but one ordered, paid and collected at the counter. It was crowded and stuffy inside and the evening not that cold so I elected to sit at an outside table. I decided to try the kangaroo and emu pizza which you see here. The meat is somewhat gamier than the usual meat but leaner. Unfortunately the size was large so I left some of the crust and cheese behind.
