Flying over central Australia is something that I will never forget. For as far as you could see there was nothing but red sands and "bush". It was beautiful. I could see Alice Springs ahead and it was literally a small little town in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothingness. As soon as we stepped off the plane you could feel the heat but it was different to what we experienced in Darwin. It was really, really hot but there was no humidity at all. Something that I don't think I have ever experienced.

Driving to our hostel, I looked around and was astounded by the scenery. The town is surrounded by red mountains that you cannot describe. I was already captured by the beauty of "The Alice". We booked into our hostel and looked at some leaflets for the trip that we wanted to go on to Uluru. We thought that we were just going to do some overnight thing but found that it would be cheaper to do a three night trip and you get to go to Uluru (Ayers Rock) Kata Tjuta (The Olga's) and Watarrka National Park (Kings Canyon). We decided on who we would go with...they were full. So we went with another one that was a lot cheaper and had space for us.

We spent the rest of the day going around Alice and it was a really amazing place. I loved the lifestyle and everyone was really friendly. I think the good weather is responsible for this. The only problem in Alice was the amount of fly's that there were around. I hoped that I would get used to the little blighters and I think to a certain extent I had no choice but to get used to it.

We were up early to head out to Uluru and it was a five hour drive to get there from Alice. The road that we travelled on was empty except for a few cars now and then and all you could see for miles was the road ahead of you and the bush all around you. This is where you begun to understand why they call it the red centre. Those of you who say that Uluru is "just a big rock" are wrong. It's more than that, it's almost magical. The first sighting took my breath away and is a memory that will stay with me forever. The shear size and colour and magic of it is enchanting. We stopped of at a viewpoint to take photographs and it was excellent. I must have taken hundreds of photo's (you probably guessed by the pictures I put online...that is a small selection)! Next to it, pretendin to push it, different angles etc. We then headed to the cultural centre where you learn about Uluru and the Aboriginal culture. Once we learnt a lot we were driven to the point where you can climb the monolith.

We had heard that the Aboriginals ask you not to climb Uluru and are deeply offended by it. Our guide/driver/cook/swagman (Beej) told us that the aboriginals are truely spiritual people and are worried that people will harm themselves by climbing the rock. There have been 30+ deaths since the climb has been opened and when there is a death the Aboriginals get very upset. They believe that when someone dies this is where there soul stays forever and hate the thought that a foreigner would have to spend the rest of their days in the Outback rather than with their families and friends. They go through a long morning process in which they cut themselves and it is a very distressing time. We were told this is the reason why they do not wish to climb. Beej told us that we are allowed to climb and we should do so if we wanted to, just be careful. After much thought and deliberation we decided, with reservation, that we should climb to the top.

Standing at the bottom of this giant red stone I felt like an ant to a mountain. We started the climb and I rapidly began to feel like I shouldn't be doing this. There was nothing to hold on to for the first part of the walk but some rocks and then at the top of these rocks nothing at all until a rope. Looking up made me dizzy as it was so high and so steep. Looking down made me nervous that I would never make it back to the bottom without falling. I strated thinking about the aboriginals and all the people that had died and been injured. This made me panick a little. The rock was very steep to the point where people were on hands and knees climbing up and underfoot it was very smooth. It was not slippery as such but there was nowhere to put your feet and not much grip which made it seem slippery. I got to the top of the rock before the lack of anything to hold on to and looked down. I was so high up and I had only walked for 10 minutes of what we were told was a 30 minute walk. I was holding onto a camera and a bottle of water (silly as I needed all my hands). Several other people were sitting at the same rocks questioning whether they should continue. I didn't feel right, I needed to get down but I felt like I couldn't as it was so steep. I had images running through my head of falling and rolling down and hurting myself badly. Then I felt guilty as I knew how much Barry really wanted to climb to the top and he didn't seem to bad. Barry was so good. He reassured me telling me that it was fine we could go and do the base walk. I'm so glad he was so good to me, he helped me down, telling me to hold him as I was pigeon stepping down the rock. It was a really horrible experience. It turns out that the people who climbed took 1.5hours to climb and said the rope only went halfway up then there was nothing up to the top. They said it got steeper and climbing it was really horrible and they were glad to have done it but would not have if they had known how hard it would be. This reassured me that I had made the right decision but I felt like I had let myself and Barry down. Part of me wishes that I had done it but the other part feels glad that I didn't do it, I think I would have needed to be airlifted if I got to the top!

Instead we did the 10km base walk. It was about 2pm in the middle of the outback...ouch! My sweat was sweating it was that hot. Everyone we saw seemed to have a halo of flies around them and the only thing you could do to stop them going up your nose and into your eyes and ears was to constantly wave a stick around your face like you were blessing yourself. We must have looked hilarious. Now you would think that this giantm high rock would provide a tiny bit of shade but no, nothing. We walked for two hours in the sun finding shade only once we found the aboriginal cave paintings. These were really amazing. There were all these different designs that no one knows the mening of as the only people that know what they mean have died. Walking around Uluru was great, minus the flies and time of day we did it. One thing that struck me was the contrast between the colour of the rock and the sky. I have never seen such blue sky in my life and the red highlighted this. It was all pretty surreal being there and I couldn't really believe what I was walking around!

That night we watched the sunset. We all sat around eating food that was cooked in the back of the trailer, wine from plastic cups and watched the sun set at one of the most iconic places in Australia. Not bad for a Sunday evening. Uluru as promised changed colour as the sun set and it was somethign you have to see to believe. We packed up the trailer and headed for our camping spot in the middle of the outback. It really was in the middle of nowhere. We made a fire as soon as we got there and everyone sorted out their Swags (It's like a sleeping bag that has a thin cushion on the bottom and a flap that you can cover your face with). We didn't have tents or anything, just a fire and everyone huddled round it in their swags. Sleeping in the outback was absolutely the best thing EVER! As the fire died down everyone sort of layed there in silence and watched the stars. These weren't just any stars though. a lack of anything around meant that you could see every star in the sky. We saw the milky way and there were hundreds of shooting stars. I fell asleep wishing that I could fall asleep like this every night for the rest of my life. I was woken up by the moon shining brightly and wished that I could wake up like this for the rest of my life. We headed off to watch the sunrise over Uluru at 5am, another experience not to be missed. It was amazing and I felt really emotional as the sun came up next to Uluru, it was beautiful.

We then headed to Kata Tjuta (The Olgas). These are domed rock formations close to Uluru that are equally as stunning to look at. The highest dome stands at 546m, 203m higher than Uluru. We did another walk (this time 8km) through them called the Valley of the Winds and were relieved at the lack of flies due to the wind. It was also a nice relief from the sun that was already beating down on us. Most people did the short walk but we decided to go for the long one and were really happy that we had as the views from the other side were outstanding. You could see for miles and it was such a beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky. The red landscape of the outback stretched out in front of you. The outback is such an amazing place, I never thought I would like it half as much as I did. I would happily sleep under the stars and do 9km walks everyday.

We then had lunch and did the long drive to Kings Canyon, a sight we had been promised would equal the two we had seen. We would be heading out to Kings Canyon the following day to walk it at sunrise. the current day was hotter than the previous, easily 40 degrees, maybe more. We set up camp and built another fire and slept out in our Swags again, a better nights sleep for sure but an earlier start. I was woken by something putting pressure on my Swag and moving up. All I could think was "SNAKE" but it turns out it was the wind, hahaha! Apparently this is impossible to hear with earplugs in (I was being proactive against snorers)!!

We got to Kings Canyon and were told we were about to walk up heart attack hill. "Over 200 steps" we were told...we were not told that these steps were in fact the size of me! It was a hard walk to the top at 4am with everyone half asleep. It was very satisfying to get to the top and I actually enjoyed the walk, it was very refreshing! We watched yet another sunset from Kings canyon. The sky line was absolutely breathtaking. The colours that the sky went just above the canyon were crazy...all the colours of the rainbow. We did another massive walk up and down, around and around, seeing great views of cliffs and rock formations on the way. We then were led to the Garden of Eden, a beautiful waterhole (Billabong, what a great word) that we could swim in. It was quite early so still cold and not many were up for it but in jumped Barry and a couple of others for a quick swim. After we had descended from the top of the Canyon and got back to the bus, it was time for our 6 hour drive back. I felt sad to be leaving and wished that it was another day longer or that we could camp out for another night in the outback!

That night we had a celebration with the group that we were in. We all had dinner together and a lot of drinks! Every single person on the trip had a fantastic time. We had a great night with lots of laughs and sillyness and I'm thankful that we were with such a great group of people. I was sad to be leaving Alice the next day. Getting on the plane was harder than I thought and I wished we could stay in Alice forever, I might try and convince our families to move out...Alice Springs, you have not seen the last of me, neither have you Outback!!