Reminiscing 

So, I wanted to post these 2 photos

together for comparison.

The top photo was taken nine years ago,

when we, as a family, climbed Uluru.

Then the bottom photo,

as you know, was taken on our recent trip. 

Yes, it's missing some children

(Emilee didn't want to get in it and 

the others weren't with us this time)

but it was still fun to put them back in

the same little cave for a redo photo. 

They've grown. Just a bit. 

I'm not sure that they'd all

fit in that cave anymore! 

Our Trip

Day Twenty

Part Two 

Well, we made it to the rock!

And, it was open for climbing!!

We were so excited.

We noticed among the thousands of cars,

that our friends' car was there, so we thought

maybe we'd catch up with them again. 

I grabbed my camera, and spare battery

this time (9 years ago, Dave had to climb

back down after a short distance because I 

had forgotten the spare, and the one in the camera

went flat, so I wasn't chancing that again, or making 

him do a double climb). Anyway, we grabbed our mobile

phones as I was planning on making a couple of phone

calls on the top of the rock because that just

seems so awesome to phone someone from up top! 

We didn't bother with carrying water as no one

wanted to carry it and it wasn't that hot. 

(bad move, we got thirsty, but we survived)

I thought that with the girls being

older, it'd be so much easier this time!

No hands to hold, no worrying over 

their balance etc. 

Boy, was I wrong!

I forgot, Dave and I had gotten older,

and fatter, and less fit, and man was it hard! 

And for some reason, it seemed scarier this time

too, even to the girls. 

Well, here was I, struggling along,

with aching legs already and who do we see

coming down, but our friends and their daughters!

And to top it all off and just rub in the fact

that I am sooo 42 years old and very unfit, 

mum was carrying the 3 year old in a 

pack on her back!! Unbelievable! 

Yeah. Up and back with her on her back 

while dad was holding the hand of the 5 year old. 

Not for the faint hearted, or unfit.

So, we stopped and chatted a little 

while then we headed up higher while

they headed down and onto Alice. 

The view was just as magnificent 

as I remembered it. We got to look at it

quite a lot this time, as we had to keep stopping

for old and unfit me to take a break. Lol. 

(not that the rest of the family didn't enjoy

the frequent breaks as well)

Yep, it's a long way down.

And that's not even half way up.

It was fun, having done it before,

to see the people heading up and thinking they 

were at the top once they reached the end of the chain,

and we able to happily inform them, that they had a lonnngg 

way to go. Just follow the white dotted line,

don't deviate from it, and you'll be right.

(but no café or coffee house at the top sadly)

It's really hard to show the steepness

of the rock in a photograph, but

it really is very steep in places. The whole 

rock is made up of ridges and when seen

from the air, it's quite surreal. 

Anyway, sometimes you run down one side and 

up the other to be able to make it,

and other times, you scooch on your behind. 

The other thing that probably 

didn't help, is that we were all wearing 

steel capped work boots or some type 

of work boot. They're not exactly made for 

climbing slippery rock surfaces. But 

it's all we had with us, and it did the job. 

When we finally made it to the top,

we chatted with other climbers

and took our momento photos near the 

large monument/map thingy. 

This time they even had a log book that

you could sign, so that was pretty special. 

Of course, I made a couple of 

phone calls from the top.

It's quite fun to phone and say,

"Guess where I'm ringing from?"

Yeah. Really good reception up there too. 

Well, after an hour or so, 

it was time to head back down 

and into Yulara to find somewhere to 

camp for the night. 

Going back down is not all downhill

so a lot of it is run down and up and down 

and up then slide on your backside,

then run down and grab someone's hand to pull

you up and over. 

We climbed back down with another couple

and a fella. We all worked together in some sections

helping each other in the steep parts. 

I don't know how we did it back when 

Chloe was only 5, but I was a lot fitter then

I suppose, so that helped. 

Making it down to the bottom,

and I realised that this would be my last climb.

Not only because I was so unfit, but 

also, because as of October 2019,

the climb will finally be closed for good. 

So sad, as it should be on everyone's bucket

list to do. But, I was glad the girls got

to do it again. So, if you're gonna do it,

then get to it, you've only got a few months left. 

On our way into Yulara,

we stopped for a couple of quick

pics at the sunset viewing area.

Years ago, we had done the sunset

and sunrise viewings so we skipped 

it this time, but also, we had managed to

slip into the National Park through Western Australia

on road permits, so we hadn't had to pay the park fee.

And so, I breathed in my last up close view

of the awesome rock, with a sigh,

and we headed off. 

On arrival at the Caravan Park,

we found it completely OVERLOADED 

with tourists, so we were unable to camp

together with the girls as they had swags

and we had a rooftop.

So, we ended up in an overflow section

a few hundred metres away

and we also ended up with noisy, chatty

neighbours, who thought it great to stay up til 2am 

yarning the night away. 

Not much sleep was had by us that night,

but the girls slept well, despite

the girls and I getting a cold shower, in 

very cold weather, due to the hot water systems

not coping with the influx of visitors. 

Dave's shower was good and hot! 

After setting up, we took the free shuttle

bus into 'town' to go out and eat. 

This was crazy too, and we had to wait in

line quite a while for a table. 

All the while, in our stinky 2 day, no shower,

clothes, and after climbing the rock,

while watching dressed to the nines tourists.

Ha, we looked and smelled a sight! 

But we had a great time, and didn't care. 

And so ended day 20 of our trip. 

Only a few days more and we'd be

back in Katherine and back to work

and school and wedding preparations. 

As to be expected,

To be continued...…….

Our Trip

Day Twenty

Part One 

Day Twenty and our epic trip

had almost come to a close. Sigh. 

But, waking up (a little later than usual)

to a picturesque view of burnt country dotted

with spinifex and sheoaks, with their strangely 

drooping branches against a backdrop of painted mountains,

was just  another reminder of God's goodness to us. 

We headed on our way, inching ever closer

to one of my favourite places in Australia. 

Uluru. 

I couldn't get enough of the amazing 

mountains that surrounded us as we drove.

The colours were intense and so varied. 

After driving for about half an hour,

we noticed our light bar seem a little lopsided.

So, we stopped to check it out, and Dave

pulled out his trusty wire and fixed it up

quick smart, and we were on our way again. 

(Those unrelenting corrugates were doing their work) 

We also had a hole in the exhaust which helped

to make our cruiser sound even tougher than she was. 

Once again, we came across some camels

that were walking down the road,

they kindly got out of the way for us

and went merrily on their way.

We endured some more corrugates

before our dirt road days were over. 

It was often less bumpy if you drove

as far as you could on the side of the road

instead of down the middle. 

We didn't need any more corrugate related 

damage done to our old girl.

(Emilee's ute handled the bumps a lot better)

 

I was very excited to see the mirage

like view of the Olgas in the far distance,

meaning we were getting ever closer to Uluru,

a place I seem to have a strange connection to

(I know, it sounds weird, but it's true)

Kata Tjuta, meaning 'many heads' 

in the aboriginal language of the Pitjantjatjara peoples,

is the real name of the Olgas. 

It is an amazing place and we hadn't been 

here since 2009, so it was great to revisit

and explore once more. 

Arriving at the Olgas, we stopped to have

some lunch before heading off to explore. 

Luckily, we arrived just before a few tourist

buses spilled their weary passengers out of their

doors, and sent them scurrying for the toilets. 

(the line was incredible, so we were glad 

we just beat them!)

As I said before, there's a strange thing that

happens to me when I get into this part of the country.

I become a little like a child with ADHD,

drinking Red Bull and eating lollies. 

Yeah. Hyper. I'm antsy. I can't sit still.

I'm restless. I'm excited. Hmmm. 

Yeah. I dunno either, but the family will vouch 

for me, they just shake their heads 

and look the other way. 

(strangely enough, the closer I get to the rock,

Uluru, the calmer I become. Almost peaceful)

Yes, totally off my rocker, I know. 

Okay, so after that baring of my soul,

onto the business of the trip. 

We decided just to do the short walk,

the Walpa Gorge Walk,

so we'd have time to get to Uluru and hopefully

climb it again after a nine year absence. 

(actually Dave and I visited a couple of years

ago, but it was closed to climbers)

These epic rock domes are absolutely 

amazing as they tower over you, 

with the tallest one stretching 546 m into the air.

(that's 200 m taller than Uluru)

Yep, you feel pretty small way down below. 

I don't have a wide angle lens big 

enough to get the whole dome in from top 

to bottom. Awesome rock. 

Even more awesome God!

An hour an a half later,

we were finally on our way to

Uluru. Ayers Rock. THE ROCK. 

Whatever you like to call it. 

I get quite a buzz when I see the rock

peeking over the horizon in all its splendour. 

The first glimpse is always special. 

Leaving the Olgas behind and fading into 

the distance, we pressed on to the 

magnificence of Uluru.  

We all hoped that the climb would

be open and that after nine years, 

we'd be able to climb it once more. 

This time, the girls being older and 

not having to hold their hands

and our breath with every step they took. 

But you'll have to wait and see

and watch this space for the next instalment...……….

To be continued...……...